MSI Press Blog

Carl and Murjan , at table Carl loved food. Not in the way people love snacks or comfort meals. He loved food like a musician loves sound—deeply, reverently, with curiosity and delight. He grilled with precision, plated with flair, and never met a cuisine he didn’t want to explore. Ethiopian injera, Vietnamese pho, Sicilian caponata—he welcomed them all. Food was his passport, his playground, his poetry. Carl didn’t binge. He didn’t eat to numb or escape. He ate because he loved the taste, the textures, the craftsmanship. He ate like some people chase sunsets or symphonies. It was his feel-good stuff. 🍽️ When Passion Meets Physiology Carl’s appetite was joyful, but it was also relentless. Over time, his body bore the weight of his enthusiasm—literally. He developed health complications, including cancer, and his doctors noted that his size played a role. This isn’t a cautionary tale. It’s a complexity tale. Some people eat to soothe emotions. Others eat to chase flavor. Some ...

photo and The Conversation article by Laura Brow n I cannot stick to diets. I have tried for at 50 years to do so, but I just can't. I know from my friends that I am not alone. THIS diet, though, I CAN manage. It's not exactly a diet. It is more about modestly manage what you buy and eat, as explained clearly and briefly in this great article from The Conversation today: " Changing Your Diet Could Add Ten Years to Your Life -- New Research. " Very nifty, summative, easy-to-use chart, too. Worth the few minutes to read, especially since research says it may add TEN years to your life. Easier said than done? If you are struggling with low self-esteem from food being in control of your life, MIS Press author, Dr. Christine Fisanick, has a very sane and helpful approach to it all. She shares remarkable personal details in her book, The Optimistic Food Addict . Description from Amazon and other sellers:  The Optimistic Food Addict explores the author's journey through...

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Starting in August, we will share near-daily, as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is The Optimistic Food Addict by Christina Fisanick. Amazon review by GMU Patriot - I was lonely and hungry for something deeper than what food could satiate. To say that I was moved by Christina Fisanick Greer’s memoir, “The Optimistic Food Addict” is an understatement. I found myself in every word. As a fellow food addict, I know what it is to “dance with the dragon” (confront our substances) every day. Christina vividly illustrates what she’s endured battling fo...

Diane Keaton’s passing on October 11, 2025, from pneumonia at age 79, left many of us reflecting not only on her cinematic brilliance but also on her quiet courage. For decades, she spoke candidly about her battle with bulimia —a disorder that shaped her early adult life and informed her understanding of addiction, recovery, and self-worth. “All I did was feed my hunger, so I am an addict,” she told Dr. Oz in 2014. “It’s true. I’m an addict in recovery. I’ll always be an addict. I have an addictive nature to me.” Keaton’s words resonate deeply with those who’ve faced food addiction in its many forms—whether through binge eating, compulsive snacking, emotional eating, or cycles of restriction and purging. Her honesty reminds us that food addiction isn’t about willpower. It’s about neurobiology, emotional trauma, and the search for comfort in a chaotic world . 🔍 What Is Food Addiction? Food addiction is not officially classified as a distinct disorder in the DSM-5, but its pattern...

  Binge eating and overeating can be a problem for almost anyone over the holidays. Author Dr. Christina Fisanick Greer knows all about unhealthy relationships with food. Her book, The Optimistic Food Addict, brings insight and support for those suffering from binge eating disorder but also for anyone who at times eats too much  Chapter Eighteen: Dancing with the Dragon              The fever started the day after Christmas, and by December 28, I was out of commission entirely—struck down by the flu. I could barely sleep, but that’s all I wanted to do. My throat hurt, my head hurt, my back hurt. My entire body was alive with peculiar aches and painful spasms.              By the time I started feeling somewhat functional, I still had no appetite and, worse yet, no sense of smell or taste. This predicament gave me a good opportunity to put to rest a curiosity ...

Too much holiday food? Gained some weight? Need to move on from overeating in general? New Year's Resolution weighing you down?  Take some advice from Christina Fisanick, author of The Optimistic Food Addict? Ending the Tyranny of Day One:  Stop Starting Over and Start Living Your Life in Recovery by Christina Fisanick “I will start day one again on Monday.”  “I blew it! It’s back to day one tomorrow.”  “I am ready to get back to eating healthy. Day one starts today!” I hear those words often in recovery circles, especially at this time of year when overeating during the holidays and then dieting in the new year are the “norm.” Even people without disordered eating struggle with guilt for eating too many high calories foods and abandoning their exercise routines. However, for people who suffer from an eating disorder (and people for whom dieting is a way of life) continuously starting over and over and over again can actually hamper recov...