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The 10 Best Books on Healthy Eating

Healthy eating consists of many different aspects that come together to create an entire nutritional plan. Most of the time, when you work with a nutritionist, these plans are built and created specifically for your needs.

When you meet with a nutritionist you will go over your diet goals, various objectives you may have, and the reasoning as to why you are wanting to make a change in your life. This is because to start healthy eating it is easier to know why. Of course, having a nutritionist and a dietitian is not for everyone, sometimes reading healthy recipes or nutritional information can assist you with your path towards healthy eating.

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What is the Best Book on Healthy Eating?

With so many books and knowledge coming out through research over the last couple of decades we have seen lots of books being written about healthy eating. With each of them concerning a different topic within the field, here are the 10 best books to read about healthy eating.

The 10 Best Books on Healthy Eating

The following books cover a wide range of topics; recipes, dietary recommendations, and nutritional books based on scientific research. All of these books can be used to increase your healthy eating strategy.

How Not to Die by Michael Greger and Gene Stone

Michael Greger and Gene Stone wrote the bestselling book How Not to Die. Greger is a renowned nutritional expert and physician. He is also an internationally recognized speaker on nutrition and public health issues and was the creator of nutritionfacts.org.

Gene Stone is a former Peace Corps volunteer, has been a journalist, and an editor. Stone, also a best-seller writer has written more than 45 books on different subjects. Stone has focused on plant-based diets and a couple of other health subjects in the last 10 years. 

In this book, Gregor and Stone discuss the 15 leading causes of premature deaths in America, which include heart disease, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, and much more, and within this, explains how lifestyle and nutritional implications can trump medical approaches. It also discusses how doctors are excellent at treating acute illness but having more struggles with long term treatments:

  • Shows how to treat the 15 top leading causes of premature deaths.
  • Daily Dozen Checklist-12 foods you should consume every day.
  • Practical, actionable advice on nutritional science.

How Not to Die discusses these ideas, and how they can help you reverse diseases and live a freer healthier life.

You can purchase this book from Amazon here.

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles for more than 30 years about all this that is connected to the natural world and humans. He has had 6 books that have been New York Times bestsellers. These including food rules and another excellent healthy, nutritional read, and In the Defense of Food. Pollan has been a contributing author to the New York Times Magazine since 1987 and has received several awards for his writing.

Food Rules bring simplicity to healthy eating advice. This book lays out a set of straightforward rules for eating wisely. It is drawn from the variety of traditions that different cultures have years throughout all of the time and have gained wisdom on when it concerns food. The guide is meant to assist you whether you are shopping for food at the local grocery store or eating in a restaurant:

  • One page about the rule, one rule per page.
  • Explanation that is quick and easy that explains each of the rules.
  • Guiding you to making wise, healthy eating choices.

You can purchase this book from Amazon here.

The Blue Zones Solutions by Dan Buettner

Dan Buettner is an explorer and award-winning journalist and New York Times, bestselling author. Buettner works in partnership with larger companies with lots of employees, various  government entities, and different health insurance companies to implement Blue Zone projects, which ultimately apply his lessons to these groups.

In this book, Buettner explains how to transfer your overall health by utilizing smart eating and a healthier lifestyle. It uses new research on different diets and lifestyle practices that are within communities that he identified as what is called blue zones. These blue zones are areas across the world with the longest-lived people. Because they are the longest-lived, it is therefore suggesting that they are healthier.

  • New research on diets.
  • New research on eating habits.
  • Personal stories.
  • Checklists.
  • Recipes

You can purchase this book through The Blue Zones Store here.

Food: What the Heck Should I Eat by Mark Hyman

Dr. Mark Hyman is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, he is also the chairman of the Institute of Functional Medicine and the founder of UltraWellness Center. He is also a number-one New York Times bestselling author of 5 books and the co-author of a 6th.

When it comes to dieting there are so many different options and diets that contain conflicting information. In this book Dr. Mark Hyman sets the record straight with his comprehensive book, where he takes a look at all the major food groups and explains what we have gotten wrong:

  • Reveals food nurture on health.
  • What foods pose a threat?
  • Debunks the misconceptions.
  • How foods can reverse chronic diseases.

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.  

Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating by Walter Willett

Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, is the lead of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is a professor at Harvard Medical School. Willett is a world-renowned researcher and has won many honors throughout his time.

This book was written to summarize, in ordinary language, what foods to eat and what foods you should not be eating. It takes a large amount of scientific research and uses it to illustrate the connection between diets and health:

  • Whys of what you eat
  • Comprehensive recipe section
  • Direct on reducing intact of refined sugars and starches.

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan has been a writer for more than 30 years. Pollan has focused on the connection between the natural world and humankind throughout his writing career. Pollan has had multiple books that have been New York Times bestsellers, including a book mentioned previously. He has been an author of the New York Times Magazine in 1987 and throughout his writing career is earned several awards for his writing.

In this book, Pollan follows each of the food chains that are used to sustain us, such as organic, alternative foods, and industrial food, and the processes how Americans eat:

  • Traces the origins of everything he consumes.
  • Explains how our taste for different foods reflects our evolution.
  • Answers questions about psychological and economic implications.

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

The 30-day Ketogenic Cleanse by Maria Emerich

Maria Emerich is a nutrition expert and exercise physiology. Emerich is also the founder of keto-adaptive.com Emerich has been a speaker around the world, speaking on living a ketogenic lifestyle, and has worked with a range of celebrities.

This book takes you through the entire process of what completes the ketogenic diet. Keto expert Emerich includes a wide range of keto-friendly meals that are completely dairy-free and nut-free. She also taps into ways to help regain health, lost weight, and covers ways to increase levels of energy.

  • 30-day meal plan to kick start Ketosis and it has a corresponding shopping list.
  • Wide range of recipes that are both filling and satisfying.
  • List of approved keto friendly foods.
  • Tips to make the keto diet work for you in all areas of your life.

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

Food to Live By, by Myra Goodman

Myra Goodman and her husband Drew are the founders of Earthbound Farms, which has turned into the largest growing organic produce in North America with only 2.5 acres of land. Not only have the Goodman’s been growing organic food, but they have also been cooking it for over 20 years. This book combines her passion for growing and cooking all organic foods.

This book is perfect for families and friends. It’s packed with hundreds of different irresistible dishes that encompass the ideas of organic food. The recipes included in the book work for all different meal types including causal dinners, festive breakfasts, and anything in-between. It also discusses how organic farming is super wise, and different ingredients to look out for:

  • Hundreds of recipes.
  • Ideas for cooking organic.
  • Shopping tips.
  • Cooking tips.
  • Healthy notes.

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

The Clean Plate by Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is an Oscar winner and author of multiple New York Times bestselling cookbooks. She is also the founder of a lifestyle brand that covers food and fitness called Goop.

The Clean Plate includes over 100 recipes and customized meal plans that are meant to lead to health benefits we not only want but we need. In addition to being what is needed, the taste is not given up in her recipes. This book has a wide range of recipes coming from entrees, appetizers, and desserts. The book also includes:

  • Detoxing from heavy Metal
  • Healthy Heart
  • Vegetarian Friendly

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club by Lauren Harris-Pincus

Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN is a nutrition communication specialist who is also an author, speaker, consultant, and registered dietitian in private practice located in New York/New Jersey. She founded Nutrition Starring You, LLC, where she focuses on weight management. In addition, she has worked it various school districts to improve lunch menus and nutrition factors.

The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club is filled with hundreds of breakfast meals that are meant to manage type II diabetes, lose weight, or gain a healthier lifestyle. All of the recipes included in the book have a minimum of 20 grams of protein and are less than 300 calories. Included are different meals to power up your morning using:

  • Dairy
  • Protein powders
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Eggs
  • Grains

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

10 Best Books for Health Eating Recap

As discussed, there are multiple different ways to look at healthy eating, whether this is from a nutritional, dietary, or cooking standpoint. All of them use similar processes in terms of looking at the structure, where they look at where the food comes from, and then into the best options to be able to implement them into your life. This could be where the food comes from, the type of food, or simply how it is prepared. These books are the top-rated in their field, each with their own priority or background.