The 5 Books on Health That Changed My Life

While I’ve been interested in healing for as long as I can remember, it wasn’t until I had my own health scare that I looked to find dedicated resources to help me.  A voracious reader, I’ve consumed several books on health, both well-known and obscure.  Here are the 5 healthy books that changed my life.

5. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

The simplicity of Pollan’s message is summed up as: Eat real food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.  Of course, he goes into much more detail, but out of every “diet” book, this is the prevailing message I’ve found to be the most universally helpful with clients, family and friends.

4. How Yoga Works by Geshe Michael Roach

I was hesitant to put this book in because it’s the one people seem least likely to check out whenever I mention it.  One, if you’re not into yoga, the title may put you off.  Two, if you are into yoga but only for physical exercise, you’re in for a surprise.  This book did wonders in teaching me about the entirety of yoga, which is more than a physical practice.  It helped me to reframe my perceptions and realize I assign the meanings in my life.  I read this book only a few months before the pandemic, and this mindset shift was crucial in maintaining my mental health throughout various lockdowns, restrictions and quarantines.

3.  Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole

Of all the books mentioned, this book has shaped my health coaching practice most when it comes to my diet approach…or more accurately, my non-diet approach.  As someone who went from a healthy relationship with food to an unhealthy relationship with food and back again (and again and again), I appreciate the mix of science and anecdotes throughout the book.  The bottom line is restriction doesn’t work, and in order to be healthy, it’s important to understand our physical and emotional hungers, among other things.

2. The Essential Louise Hay Collection by Louise Hay

Okay, this might be cheating a little because it’s three books in one, but they’re all so good.  If I had to choose one, it would probably be You Can Heal Your Life.  It’s less of a food diet book and more of a negativity diet book.  Hay writes of the mind-body connection and how we have the power to heal ourselves.  When I’m feeling a little down, whether physically or mentally, I come back to this book to help me shift back into a healthy mindset.

1. The Truth About Beauty by Kat James

I’m surprised by how few people know this book, only because it radically everything in my life from diet to personal care to beauty products.  I come back to this book again and again, year after year.  When I first read it, I found it utterly overwhelming, but with every re-read, I’ve adopted something new.  The most profound difference this book made is helping me to understand the importance of blood sugar in overall health.  I still adhere to many of the book’s principles today, even if I eat differently from the author overall.

Honorable Mention: A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson; A Course in Miracles; Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein; Lessons by Gisele Bündchen.

Have you read any of these books?  Any ones I didn’t mention that are on your must-read list?  I’m always looking for book recommendations!

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