If you were to ask me what I did for fun when I was a kid, I would tell you that I enjoyed playing soccer, singing, jumping on my neighbor’s trampoline, chasing boys, and riding my totally cool pom pom handlebar bike (Can you tell I was raised in the 80’s?).  In contrast, if you were to ask me what I LEAST enjoyed as a kid, I would have said (without hesitation) READING. Bleck!  Seriously, if someone would have approached my eight-year-old self and given me the option to read a book or be thrown in a den of lions, I would have taken my chances with the lions (I mean Daniel survived the lion’s den, so at the very least I knew I had hope.  But reading, I felt, was certain death.).  As you might have guessed, as a kid, I absolutely DREADED going to the library.  The building smelled musty and I felt instantly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books.  I remember my little brain feeling like it was going to explode.  Inevitably, shortly after arriving at the library, I would feel my head begin to throb which was my queue to get the heck out of dodge!

Fast forward 30 years… After dealing with undiagnosed (or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say misdiagnosed) health issues for several years, I finally found my love of books.  You see, over the years, as my health deteriorated, I had no energy to participate in the activities I used to enjoy like soccer, jumping on a trampoline, or riding my bike.  I no longer found joy in singing because noises triggered debilitating headaches.  Without energy to get up and go every day I found myself with only one low-key option, READING.  That’s right, I had hit an all-time low and I.was.DESPERATE.  Since I wasn’t making any progress with my doctors (I literally cannot tell you how many doctors I visited during the six year period I was fervently seeking medical answers), I started seeing alternative medicine practitioners, watching health related documentaries, and reading books.  I was willing to do ANYTHING to gain an understanding of why I felt the way I did.  Slowly the pieces of the puzzle started coming together and as the pieces fell into place, my health began to return.

It is through these life experiences that I tapped into a previously unknown LOVE of books.  What I found is that I don’t like to read just any book, but rather, I enjoy a specific genre: Books that help me understand and promote the healthiest me I can be.  That being said, I thought it would be fun to share some of my most recent finds written by three very sharp authors whom I’ve affectionately named the Three Wise Men.

Dr Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live is focused on how to attain health through eating nutrient rich foods. He coined a simple health equation: health = nutrients/calories in which he advocates that “your health is predicted by your nutrient intake divided by your intake of calories” (p. 7).  I also recommend his Eat To Live Cookbook which provides 200 delicious, nutrient-rich  recipes that are easy-to-prepare and are for every occasion.

Dr Michael Greger is the author of How Not to Die.  He presents an argument that the majority of premature deaths can be prevented through changes in diet and lifestyle.  He examines the 15 top causes of premature death in America (heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, kidney disease, suicide, liver disease,  infections, brain diseases, etc) and presents strong scientific evidence to support that a whole-food, plant-based diet, does not just prevent the disease but often stops it in its tracks.  As a side note, I often listen to the audio version of this book and my husband says Dr Greger sounds like Capt. Nixon from “Band of Brothers”. Bonus!

Dr Tom O’Bryan is author of the book Autoimmune Fix, where he provides a targeted protocol designed to heal the autoimmune system.  His protocol focuses on genetics, dietary issues, and an individual’s microbiome (What is a microbiome? Read the book to find out!) to help people feel better.  He discusses where disease comes from (the problem) and how to address them with new foods, new habits, and new ideas (the fix).

I’ve shared my recent reads, now it’s only fair that you share yours.  In the comments section tell us your favorite genre of book AND what books that you’d recommend to others. 🙂