My Most Recent Top 9 Health Books
I really love reading about Nutrition, Lifestyle, Healing, Mindfulness, Brain Health and anything related to my field of expertise. There are amazing doctors and nutrition experts out there who can enhance the work done by health coaches like myself. Reading their books is truly inspirational and it scientifically supports the work that we do. Some of my favorite books are (not in any particular order):
• Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal: this book builds on the evidence that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. It teaches the secrets of intuitive eating and how to start building a new relationship with your body. It goes beyond food into a holistic approach to maximize health. It is also packed with delicious recipes.
• The Gut Balance Revolution by Gerard E. Mullin, MD: 80 % of our immune system is in the gut; it is called the second brain. This book builds on this powerful evidence and shows you very practical ways to take care of your digestive system to stay healthy. I love the structured approach it follows to weed, seed and fertilize your gut with real food. It provides great ways to boost your metabolism, restore your inner ecology and lose weight.
• The Art of Healing by Bernie S. Siegel, MD: what an amazing book this is. It is a must read for all healers out there. Dr. Siegel demonstrates how science and spirituality interact and how you can tap your body’s potential to heal. Furthermore, it is about how the human side (ie. the heart) of healers also has tremendous effects on people’s ability to heal themselves.
• Mind over Medicine by Lissa Rankin, MD: another treasure of a book. Dr. Rankin offers recognition of the body’s innate ability to self-repair and an appreciation for how we can control these self-healing mechanisms with the power of the mind. Through extensive research, she shows how thoughts, feelings and beliefs can alter the body’s physiology. And she lays out the scientific data proving that intimate relationships, gratitude, meditation, sex and authentic self-expression flip on the body’s self-healing process.
• A Mindful Nation, by Tim Ryan: this books lays out the power of mindfulness for all aspects of life. Tim Ryan explores the scientific findings that support the beneficial effects of mindfulness and shares powerful stories from the field, showing how this simple practice is helping schoolchildren improve their ability to learn, veterans heal from trauma and CEOs become more effective leaders. He also provides practical tips for how to incorporate mindfulness into your life today.
• Superfoods by David Wolfe: He is the guru of superfoods and is an extremely knowledgeable individual whose purpose is to lay out the foundations for the most nutritional foods on the planet. He presents the most nutritional superfoods such as goji berries, cacao beans, hempseed, maca, etc. as powerful sources of clean protein, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, good fats and oils, essential amino and fatty acids, and other nutrients.
• The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson: whether you believe in Paleo diets or not, this book is a great source to understand the philosophy and evidence behind our hunter-gatherer ancestors’ lifestyle practices. It details the compelling premise that you can reprogram your genes in the direction of weight loss, health and longevity by adapting the simple lifestyle practices of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
• Habits of Health by Wayne S. Andersen, MD: this is a great example of lifestyle management with a weight loss component, a well-defined process that so many people need to finally reach their desired health status. Dr. Andersen shows you not only how to reach and maintain your healthy weight, but how to create a life of renewed vibrancy, health, and spirit-all under the easy-to-follow guidance of one of America’s most esteemed and compassionate practitioners of weight loss and optimal health.
• Change your Brain, change your Life by Daniel G. Amen, MD: Dr. Amen explains how your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures work in your brain. You are not stuck with the brain you are born with. He goes over “brain prescriptions”, including breathing techniques, thought processes, supplements, etc. that can help heal your brain and change your life.
If you happen to read any of these books, let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you!
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Virginia