What better than Book Day to get a new issue on your favorite topic? If you’ve come this far, surely healthy eating and physical well-being are one of your main concerns, just like mine. These are some books that I have read and that I find very interesting. They are sure to fit what you are looking for, and also help you spend a few hours entertaining. There is for all tastes : dietary changes, harmful foods, sports habits, a paleo diet, a vegan diet … If you have read one, or plan to read it, tell me your impressions later!
1. ‘Change what you eat, and you change the world’, Niklas Gustafson
How could it be otherwise, I have to put on this list this book that I wrote with all my effort and dedication; and that is the basis of what today is Natural Athlete, a space for healthy and natural eating. In its pages you will find evidence about the need to change some of the nutritional concepts that we acquire from childhood. I think it’s quite didactic, and I’ll tell you my personal story and the process of change that I went through until I became a follower of the paleo diet.
I’ll explain some of my ‘must’: the importance of eating a low carbohydrate diet, how essential fats are, or the danger of refined sugar hidden in many foods. In addition, the book gives a lot of ideas to evolve towards a better diet, both in terms of food and the recipes that can be made with them. And a secret : the most incredible elaborations of healthy smoothies are here
2. ‘Bread Brain’, David Perlmutter
Very much in line with Natural Athlete’s advice on the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet, this book by American physician David Perlmutter focuses on the neurological consequences of excessive consumption of bread, fructose, or rice. It is a book that has generated some controversy since it demolishes the myths about food, and goes against the current food industry that uses sugar in a massive way. The best thing is that it allows the reader to self-diagnose through a test of twenty questions such as:
- Do you drink fruit juice?
- Do you run out of air while walking?
- Do you eat pasta?
- Don’t you exercise regularly?
And so on until the questionnaire is finished. To more positive responses, Dr. Perlmutter states that the risk of developing a disease of the nervous system is much higher. The book, which was a best seller when it was released, links gluten consumption with neurological damage. Provides reports on the relationship between a gluten-based diet and anxiety, attention deficit disorder, chronic headache, depression, or dementia.
3. ‘What am I talking about when I talk about running’, Haruki Murakami
“For me, running, while being a useful exercise, has also been a useful metaphor. At the same time that I ran day by day, or at the same time that I was participating in races, I was raising the bar of achievements and, based on surpassing it, I was the one who rose. Or, at least, aspiring to improve myself, I was striving every day to achieve it ”, Murakami
If you are a ‘runner’, this book by the successful Japanese writer Haruki Murakami will make you enjoy as much as a race in your favorite environment. And if you are not, you will be bitten by the start training bug . Murakami, true to his reflective style that borders on the philosophical, focuses on the benefits for the mind and for daily life of acquiring the routine of going for a run. The relationship he makes between running and learning to control certain mental aspects such as strength and self-control, as well as stabilizing emotions is interesting.
Murakami, accompanied by his favorite rock or jazz music, transmits how he experiences the process of running from a physical and mental point of view. He, who runs alone, approaches his training as a reflective introspective and learning environment. It highlights how important it is to spend time alone with yourself. One of the best parts is the one where he talks about that moment when the ‘runner’ is about to stop , but decides to continue with his strides.
4. ‘My fast’, Jesús Domínguez and Damien Carbonnier
This book deals with a super interesting topic such as intermittent fasting, that is, stop eating solid foods for a period of time between 12 and 24 hours to be able to debug the body. The authors emphasize that the diet that many people eat leads them to want to eat non-stop and not be satiated , especially if they have a high intake of sugar or caffeine. As a consequence, the body turns the excesses into liver fat and problems such as obesity, diabetes or hypertension develop.
With planned fasts and, if necessary, organized by a doctor, the body undergoes a natural detoxification process. Once accustomed, the feeling will be of well-being and energy. During fasting you can drink liquids such as water, a vegetable broth or tea. ‘My fast’ brings us closer to the real experience of more than a thousand people who began to introduce fasting into their lives.
5. ‘The Ikigai method’, Francesc Miralles
It will help you lay the foundation for a fuller and happier life , BBC review
The ‘ikigai’ can be defined as a vital passion that you master and that motivates you enough to positively influence all aspects of your life, to be able to trace a useful path to you and the others. It is your reason for being, what makes you get up in the morning. The authors have already made their first book on this Japanese philosophy a bestseller. With ‘The Ikigai method’ they establish practical guidelines so that anyone can develop their objective.
The pages are structured like a train trip through Japan with which we travel through our past and project our future in order to establish the foundations of the present. The method is inspired by the keys to motivation and longevity of Japanese culture, and the ultimate goal is that happiness comes from ourselves and not from external factors. That is, that we find in us those that make us happy and that we know how to execute it over time.
6. ‘I can do it all’, Patry Jordan
With more than a million followers on Instagram and more than eight million subscribers on her Gym Virtual channel on Youtube, Patry Jordan is the queen of virtual fitness. It has routines for all tastes and body types: from simple to more advanced exercises depending on the objectives you want to achieve and the level of practice you already have. All accompanied with a very leisurely tone and an eternal smile that encourages not to give up.
The title of the book is already a beginning of intentions of what you will find in its pages. Step by step, it explains how you can change your habits in a few weeks and what are the tricks to avoid falling into the attempt. One of the key phrases that Patty Jordan leaves in her book is ” remember why you started “.
What do you think of these recommendations? If you think there are some ‘must’ books on healthy living missing from the list, you can leave us your proposals in the comments. Happy Book Day, readers!
Did you like this article about books? What are you waiting for then? Follow us on @naturalath and check out our products and recipes, and health and food blog posts.