Reading cultivates attention, inspires creativity, and exposes us to new ways of thinking about and interpreting the world. It’s one of the values I’ve worked to re-introduce into my life over the past few years. I’ve also found that it’s one of the best pre-bed activities — it quiets the mind and leads to better sleep.
I’m frequently asked for book recommendations. Below is an updated list of my favorite books related to health, wellness, minimalism, life, and food. The links provided are via my Amazon Affiliate account. If you purchase an item using the Amazon Affiliate link, I receive a small commission off the sale. Amazon Affiliate links are currently the only form of “advertising” I do and I will only recommend a book I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. Many of these books I also recommend to clients.
Nutrition and Food:
This is a wide-ranging list, but I tried to provide a book or two that address areas I think are critical issues for many: confusion over what and how much to eat, brain and gut health, and how to feed families.
- Real Food for Pregnancy — The science and wisdom of optimal prenatal nutrition. I wish I’d had this book during my pregnancy.
- Mindless Eating — Dr. Brian Wansink is one of my favorite food and nutrition researchers. He conducts research and writes about how our food environment shapes behavior.
- Eat Dirt — If you are struggling with leaky-gut, Dr. Axe’s book is an excellent resource for understanding your particular challenges, healing, and rebalancing your gut. It also includes recipes.
- The End of Overeating — Dr. David Kessler dives into how our favorite foods alter our brain chemistry leading to cravings and obsessive thoughts.
- Intuitive Eating — The authors, both Registered Dietitians, share invaluable concepts to reshaping your relationship with food, weight, and your body.
- In Defense of Food — The classic Michael Pollan book and source of my favorite food edict: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”
- Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family — The best and most down-to-earth, practical guide on how to help cultivate healthy eating habits in children. Great recipes included.
- Grain Brain — A groundbreaking book on the effects of grains and carbohydrates on the brain written by nutrition expert and neurologist, Dr. Perlmutter.
- Eat Fat Get Thin — Honestly, I think this book has a terrible title, but the content is outstanding. Dr. Mark Hyman discusses the latest research on the importance of fat for optimal health and weight management. He also has a great website and does a weekly “house call” video series.
Cookbooks:
To be honest, I haven’t read or owned that many cookbooks. I had a few classics for a while in my twenties (Moosewood, The Joy of Cooking, The Best Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated) but I have transitioned to sourcing recipes online. That said, I do keep a few reference texts around and I try to familiarize myself with newer, health-focused cookbooks.
- The Science of Good Cooking — If you want to become a great cook, read this book. Period.
- The New Best Recipe — Cook’s Illustrated recipes can be a little nit-picky (they use a scientific method approach to cooking and recipe development), but when you need a recipe to that’s guaranteed to work, this is a failsafe resource.
- How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook: Revolutionary Techniques. Groundbreaking Recipes. Vol. 1 (and Vol. 2) — America’s Test Kitchen tackles gluten-free cooking. If you want to learn how to make gluten-free recipes that work every time, this is your cookbook.
- The Art of Fermentation — Fermented food consumption is critical for gut health. However, buying gallons of fermented foods gets expensive. The Art of Fermentation will walk you through how to ferment just about any fermentable food and get a safe, delicious result.
- The Grain Brain Cookbook — 150 gluten-free, low-carbohydrate recipes.
- The Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook — Lots of plant-centric (but not vegan) gluten-free, lower-carb/higher-fat recipes.
- The Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking — 101 simple and easy-to-prepare plant-based, mostly gluten-free, recipes.
- The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion — The ultimate food and ingredient reference book.
Wellness/Lifestyle/Philosophy/Minimalism/Self-Improvement:
This is an enormous category, but I thought it would be interesting to provide a few of my favorite non-fiction books I’ve read and enjoyed over the past few years.
- Civilized to Death — An eye-opening account of how civilization has shaped humanity.
- Stillness Is the Key — A comprehensive and inspiring read about how slowing down will help you find peace.
- Digital Minimalism — Choosing a focused life in a noisy world.
- We are The Luckiest — The surprising magic of a sober life.
- Soulfoul Simplicity — A beautiful heart-felt read that will help you learn to let go, simplify and begin to put your needs first.
- Minimalism for Families — A helpful, inspiring, and practical guide for minimizing with a family.
- Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life — “The joy of living with less.”
- The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living — Arguably the best book I’ve read on how to shift your thinking away from negative rumination and toward positive, productive thought.
- Sleep Smarter — If you have difficulties sleeping, this book is a must-read.
- Self-Reliance — This Emerson classic will always have a place on my shelf. I re-read it frequently.
- The Obstacle is the Way — A distillation of stoic philosophy that will help you reframe obstacles in your path into opportunities.
- Everything that Remains — What happens when you discover all that you thought you wanted, isn’t what you want?
- The Curated Closet — If you’re fashion phobic (like me) but still want to look stylish and put together, this is a great book to help you identify and refine your personal style with a minimalist approach.
- Deep Work — This book helped me reshape my work and life habits to enable higher quality and more rewarding work in less time.
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You — An essential read for anyone frustrated by “find your passion” advice.
- Anything You Want — As an entrepreneur, this book is invaluable. I re-read it frequently.