April 14, 2015

Renowned Mindfulness Researcher Ruth Wolever, Chief Science Officer of eMindful, Launches New Book

Company Leadership Team Reaches Next Milestone with Publication of The Mindful Diet: How to Transform Your Relationship with Food for Lasting Weight Loss and Vibrant Health

eMindful, the provider of mindfulness-based wellness programs for employers, announces the availability of its Chief Science Officer’s new book, The Mindful Diet, by Ruth Wolever, Ph.D. Co-authored by Beth Reardon, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., the step-by-step approach to breaking old eating habits using mindfulness is the first book of its kind. The book is modeled on research developed for and used in eMindful’s Weight Balance for Life program.

In addition to her role with eMindful, Dr. Wolever is a clinical health psychologist and Director of Research for Duke Integrative Medicine. She conducts research on the integration of mind and body treatments into mainstream medicine. She also explores applications to improve sleep, eating behaviors, weight management, diabetes control, and cardiovascular risk factors, along with other health conditions. The curriculum she has developed and tested with rigorous academic methodology has been used by thousands of people who participate in eMindful’s programs.

As an issue facing employers, obesity outranks smoking and drinking in terms of health costs, according to the American Journal of Health Promotion. And for those workers with Class III obesity (a body mass index exceeding 40), medical costs are seven times higher than those for recommended weight workers, and lost work days are up to 14 times higher, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Clients’ results from eMindful’s programs for metabolic health and weight management have produced reversal in metabolic syndrome of up to 53%, as well as 30% improvement in measures of work productivity.

The Mindful Diet is not a diet book; it combines the latest research from psychology and nutrition to examine how food affects the body on a biochemical level. It identifies how unconscious eating habits are formed and how mindfulness meditation is applied to help people become aware of those habits and address the root cause of weight and health issues.

“We utilized many of the same evidence based methodologies created for eMindful’s programs in the metabolic weight loss program and incorporated additional scientific research on the biomedical effects of food in The Mindful Diet,” said Dr. Wolever. “It is gratifying to reach a wider consumer market with this groundbreaking approach, providing hope for many who have spent a lifetime on an emotional diet roller coaster.”

About eMindful
eMindful’s evidence-based wellness and disease management programs have been adopted by leading employers and health insurers such as NextEra Energy and Aetna to help target today’s biggest health cost drivers – stress, obesity, diabetes, smoking, cancer, and other conditions. The company offers consumers and employers convenient access to an internationally acclaimed team of instructors, available through live online courses where participants can see, hear, chat and talk with each other and their instructor.

The company’s Mindfulness at Work® program was recognized by the National Business Group on Health for innovation. Since 2007, eMindful’s corporate partners have averaged estimated savings of $8 for every $1 spent, reducing their healthcare costs while improving employees’ productivity, health and happiness. eMindful members have experienced results including 22 percent improved sleep, 37 percent decreased stress, 59 percent reversal of metabolic syndrome, and 40 percent success in smoking cessation. To learn more about eMindful or how to participate in a mindfulness program, visit eMindful.com. Additionally, to order The Mindful Diet, published by Scribner visit www.simonandschuster.com