A healthy relationship with food is fundamental for wholesome and happy life. Who doesn’t like to feel good in their body and be high on energy?
However, so many people struggle with bodyweight oscillations and all of the consequent physical and emotional burdens.
I am included in that group of people since the early age of fourteen. It took me decades to achieve a healthy relationship with food and with my body.
Many have been the influences on this shift, including the practice of yoga, committed dedication to self-development and nutrition courses.
In addition, these four books had a tremendous impact on the way I look at food.
Developing a healthy relationship with food
The book Eat to Live, by Dr Joel Fuhrman was a landmark in the shift in the way I look at food.
In essence, this is a weight loss book, but for me, it was a wake-up call regarding many foods. Especially, foods that I used to love and thought I could never live without.
Doctor Joe Fuhrman, a former figure skater turned medical doctor, specialised in Preventive Medicine. He advocates proper nutrition and natural methods for weight loss and good health.
Considered a celebrity doctor, Joe Fuhrman is often seen in the main North American TV programs.
His weight loss program is very simple. He proposes a diet with no food intake restriction in quantities, only in quality. In other words, more quantity of food but of the right food – right food being of high nutritional value and low in calories. All you need to know is which foods to avoid.
Having no quantity restriction, with this diet you will not feel hungry. What does happen is an increase in the levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and protein. The result is a more resistant body.
The book includes a shopping list, meal plans and recipes.
More important than the weight loss that results from this program, are the beneficial side effects. Lower cholesterol, diabetes, headaches and other heart issues are just some of the beneficial results, besides weight loss.
For me, the most beneficial take-out of this book was to learn the effect different foods had on my body. It certainly triggered a new food mind-set.
BOOK 2 – HOW NOT TO DIE, BY Dr Michael Greger
With the tagline “Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease”, How not to die became our health go-to book.
Famous for his “Daily Dozen”, Doctor Greger is the physician behind the Internationally known website Nutritionfacts.org.
His journey started when he was eight years old and almost saw his beloved grandmother die prematurely to cancer.
Her recovery due to a radical dietary change was his incentive to become an advocate of a fully plant-based diet.
Backed by scientific evidence, Greger explains how not to die from various types of cancer and other diseases. He goes on to explain the importance of each of the twelve foods he claims we should eat every day, why and in what quantity.
Check How Not to Die – Cookbook for deliciously healthy recipes.
Leaf to Life, by Sebastian Liew, is a relatively recent addition to my bookshelf. We found it in his plant-based bistro, Seeds Garden, in the historic centre and UNESCO World-heritage city of Malacca, Malaysia.
Sebastian Liew is a medical herbalist registered in Australia. He also holds a Master degree in health science from the University of New England. However, his practice is based in Singapore.
With the concepts of the “7 Sacred Letters of WellnessTM” and the “9 Credos of Wellness TM”, Leaf to life offers a holistic approach to health and overall wellbeing.
After reading this book the reader will be clarified as to how to prevent and even treat disease without drugs. His focus is on natural methods, including science-based herbal medicine.
Sebastian Liew teaches how to detoxify the body in a healthy way and also how to age healthily. Ultimately, Leaf of Life is about finding the bliss.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking for natural ways of attaining health, peace and happiness.
Food Pharmacy is a fun and educational book inviting people to eat well. The writers and friends, Lina Nertby and Mia Clase, started their health education journey with their blog.
The two friends, with previously different carriers, only took a special interest in nutrition after having their first children. The result was an immersion in the study of nutrition and health, food industry, sustainability and ecology, resulting in one of the most popular health blogs in Sweden.
With an emphasis on good gut health, Lina and Mia use analogies from Start Trek to explain the functioning of good and bad bacteria in the gut.
Presented with a mix of humour, scientific data and life episodes, Food Pharmacy is a guide to good and bad gut bacteria, anti-inflammatory foods and a truly healthy diet. It also includes a variety of recipes from super healthy to super delicious
Unlike the previous books, this one does not advocate an exclusively plant-based diet, though it does suggest that eating predominantly plants is better.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There is no doubt that the better we eat the better we live. A healthy diet results in proper body weight, a decreased propensity to disease, more energy and overall wellbeing.
These four books, along with other already mentioned methods (yoga, self-development and nutrion courses), have laid out the blueprint to my improved health.
I hope they can help you as well.
If you know anyone who might need some guidance concerning healthy eating, please do pass on this blog post.
Do you have a favourite health book? Let me know in the comments below.
May he Bliss be with you!
Luciana
PS – If you are planning on starting a diet, do consult with your physician previously, for appropriate guidance.
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