Books can be tedious, especially diet and health books. I'm more of a fan of doing than reading. I've learned a lot more about myself just through general logging of my food and thoughts than most books but that said, I don't know everything, right!?
I have a general set of guides to refer back to and learn from when I get down or I need ideas. More importantly, if I'm in a plateau or have been off track and could use the reminders, I have them on hand without much effort. This set changes depending on my life stage so you'll see it morph over time but here is my current set and the amazon/affiliate link:
Eight Weeks to Optimal Health:
This was my first "bible" into the world of health and fitness. I still refer back to it often and I get inspired by his weekly tasks of buying flowers and experiencing forgiveness
Eat To Live/Eat For Health: Dr. Joel Fuhrman: His "prescription" of intense greens changed my husband's health. They have this really neat MANDI scoring guide, a quick guide to help you understand foods and their nutrient content at a glance. The link goes to a special PEERtrainer discount.
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom:
I read this years before she went on Oprah and I experienced my early 30's in a much different way than many of my friends just based on her writings. Highly recommend this specific book
The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People
This book dives into discipline which I believe is the cornerstone of health and fitness. I'm not especially passionate about his writing style but the content is a must read.
Health Magazine:
This health and diet lifestyle mags is the one that I most relate to - it isn't about how to get the body to get a guy or nicely posed pictures of fitness routines. The editorial perspective is a bit more focused on health and diet information
I am a big fan of Covey! Steven Coveys "7 Habbits" book was great but hard to get through. There was good information in it, but it took me a few times reading it to absorb some of the concepts. Steven Coveys "7 Habits of Highly Successful Families" was much better in my opinion. There were a lot more "tools" that you could take from the "Families" book and apply to real life immediately. My boss at work is the person who loaned me this book and I can use that information in many relationships in real like - family, coworkers, friends. In "7 Habits" he explains high-level what the concepts are. In "Families" he shows what it looks like when the "7 Habits" are exercised in real life.
Posted by: Angela Borchers | August 31, 2011 at 10:43 AM
Hi Jackie!
My new favorite book is THE ULTRAMIND SOLUTION BY Dr.Mark Hyman. I have severe problems with memory concentration and focusing. This book is helping me through healthy living and diet changes He has a great website as well!
http://drhyman.com/
Posted by: Pam | July 13, 2010 at 11:45 AM
I find "The China Study" by Dr. T. Colin Campbell is the book that has most affected my life and diet. After following the food recommendations, I felt an instant increase in energy, and his rigorous scientific evidence has me convinced: the diet outlined in this book will lead to my health for my entire life.
Posted by: Billie | November 24, 2009 at 05:49 PM
Rachel,
I"m puzzled at how you arrived at the conclusion that the author inferred that ovarian cancer was caused by golden handcuffs. The assertion that she infers this is simply not true. As an ob gyn, her approach of coupling western and eastern philosophies have helped many. I do understand if the book is not for you. Thanks for the feedback! We'll have to agree to disagree. Jackie
Posted by: Jackie | July 20, 2009 at 10:01 AM
I hate to be negative, but I checked out Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom from the library and was surprised that you would reccomend it. I didn't read the whole thing, but a few excerpts were enough to tell me that it wasn't for me!! I was really surprised that the author would infer that ovarian cancer was a disease of women who are stuck in "golden handcuffs"--married for wealth--and that this would cause their cancer.
I am open to natural remedies/healthy prevention of disease, etc. I realize that the traditional medical community doesn't have all the (right) answers all of the time. However, I thought this book was pretty out there!
Glad you could glean some good from it. Heads up for anyone out there with my similar mindset, though!
Posted by: rachel | July 20, 2009 at 09:20 AM
Another series of great books that really inspired me to lose weight were the Body for Life books by Bob Greene. The books contain a contract that you sign that motivates you to lose weight. Plus there are recipes to help keep you on track.
Posted by: Roxanne | June 12, 2009 at 10:21 PM
Just looking at the tapble of contents for Women's Wisdom, I wish I had this book when I was in college. It took me years and several counselors to get some of the information.
Posted by: monahelen | June 10, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Hi, Jackie,
Another book I'm finding extremely helpful is "Mindless Eating" by Cornell Food Science researcher Brian Wansink that presents research into people's eating habits. Each chapter covers one aspect of our mindless eating behavior with suggestions for changing our habits and heightening our awareness of what we're doing that will hopefully impact our food consumption. His main tenet is that people can under-eat by 20% without detecting the change and that can have a profound effect on what we weigh in the long run.
Posted by: Barbara E. | March 06, 2009 at 10:00 AM