Books! what are some nutrition books that helped you?

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  • TayAmazingness
    TayAmazingness Posts: 7 Member
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    How Food Works - DK

    Visually explains nutritional basics - what's in the food we eat and how your body processes it. I picked it up to get a better understanding of the science of food, and I'm glad that I did!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Graelwyn75 wrote: »
    The Blue Zones : 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest - Dan Buettner

    Not purely nutrition but that comes into it a lot. Very interesting book.

    Yeah, good one.

    I like Michael Pollan too, but my preferred books by him weren't so nutrition focused: Omnivore's Dilemma (which I guess is, but I thought of it as more about other things), The Botany of Desire, and Second Nature). I wasn't so interested in his "what to eat" books since I've read the essays that I think say basically the same thing and had read a bunch of similar stuff by then. I am interested in Cooked, which I have not read yet. (I also like his broad approach to food.)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    OldHobo wrote: »
    But perhaps Shirley O. Corriher's CookWise or Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking would be useful suggestions.

    These are great choices and useful books. I've always found books that help me understand how cooking works more helpful than following recipes (which is why I tend to read cookbooks for pretty pictures, inspiration, or just ideas about ingredients I might not yet have experimented with, or for ideas of what to do with seasonal produce, more than recipes -- also for interesting information about different cuisines).

    Bittman's Fish book was a specific one that I found extremely useful when teaching myself to cook better.
  • megpie41
    megpie41 Posts: 164 Member
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    I too really like "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. Lots of great information. There was a PBS documentary on his book that you can watch if you don't want to read it...very interesting.
  • sarasmiles124
    sarasmiles124 Posts: 138 Member
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    I use Skinnytaste cookbooks (she has quite a few vegetarian options and she makes comfort foods into healthier versions). I would also suggest the blog Sweet Peas and Saffron who also makes really good vegetarian/vegan recipes along with the meat recipes. And Oh She Glows....she has great smoothie recipes but I do find I need to add a lot more spice than she uses. For Skinnytaste and Oh She Glows I have all 4 cookbooks and use their recipes a lot.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    megpie41 wrote: »
    I too really like "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. Lots of great information. There was a PBS documentary on his book that you can watch if you don't want to read it...very interesting.

    I think it's on American Netflix right now.
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
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    I love Mark Bittman's "how to cook Everything Vegetarian"

    The lack of photos is the only drawback. But the amount of lists, variations on a basic recipe, cooking instructions and substitutes are amazing. It's a huge book and he has at least another 6 books with similar titles. My library has them and I just love the different ideas.

    His VB6 book explores being a vegan til 6pm and then eating meat or fish for dinner (he had some health issues and that way of eating worked for him) along with reasonable portions.
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
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    Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink

    A Guide to Flexible Dieting by Lyle McDonald

    The Fat Loss Bible by Anthony Colpo

    The Lean Muscle Diet by Lou Schuler and‎ Alan Aragon
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    megpie41 wrote: »
    I too really like "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. Lots of great information. There was a PBS documentary on his book that you can watch if you don't want to read it...very interesting.

    I think it's on American Netflix right now.

    Annnd Canadian Netflix :D

    Thanks!
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    edited November 2017
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    Thank you everyone, I bought Blue Zones, Cook This Not That: 350-calorie Meals, Losing It, Vegan for Her, and Diet Cults! I have a wishlist of some of the others, but I'm sure this is enough reference to start me going for the next month or so :) thank you!!!
  • azironasun
    azironasun Posts: 137 Member
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    "The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry" by Dr. Louis Aronne.
    This book explains why the consumption of fast digesting carbs, like refined flour and sugar, trigger rebound hunger, leaving you hungry all the time and leading to weight gain. It explains why the consumption of protein keeps your hunger at bay while fat and slow digesting carbs like vegetables and fruit help regulate your hunger.
    The book has been a godsend for me.
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I just noticed that the second book I linked to has a massive Black Friday discount going (ends on Monday). 1$ is basically free lol.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    OP - I would suggest reading Diet Cults first before you get some of the books in this thread. The woo is strong with some of them....
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    edited November 2017
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    dewd2 wrote: »
    OP - I would suggest reading Diet Cults first before you get some of the books in this thread. The woo is strong with some of them....

    Yeah, it's absolutely on my list. My approach is - no 'diet' is perfect. The evidence shows that the diet that works for you is the best diet (provided it isn't deficient in an important nutrient). All books represent an opinion and a perspective. I am not looking to find a 'holy grail' diet/product/way of life. I'm looking to find some interesting anecdotes and strategies to test out.

    I'm a fairly skeptical person by nature, I don't think the cults will get me, lol XD I also said which ones I've bought, if you're worried or have any critiques feel free to pass them on!
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    Any book that preaches about food isn’t worth my time. They all have their own agenda. I just want to know how to cook food. I can deal with nutrition on my own.

    So generally, I just google things, like, “how to make chocolate chip cookies”

    Yeah, if you have that ability to 'deal with nutrition on your own', cool. That doesn't mean nutrition comes naturally to everyone. Some people are organized and other people live in a constant mess. There are areas of thought that make sense to some people, like yourself, that do not make sense to other people, like me. It's not bad to want to learn things you don't understand.

    It's not about books that are 'preaching about food'. It's finding more information on things that work for other people, ways of thinking that are different from mine - because mine is clearly not great. Not all sources are equal, in print or online, obviously. Not every cookie recipe that you will find will make nice tasting cookies. But that doesn't mean that asking the question or searching for more information is somehow pointless. There is a thread here because we have the purpose of asking questions and giving answers about nutrition, in a forum context. Books are another context. They are not lesser.

    You google for a recipe, so clearly you know what the process is of searching for information. Why is my question less valid than yours?
  • artbyrachelh
    artbyrachelh Posts: 338 Member
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    "French Women don't get fat", and her sequel "a food for all seasons" or something like that.

    Also loved "get the sugar out", though purely for its eye-opening value. I still eat sugar.
  • redowdy
    redowdy Posts: 1 Member
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    "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us" by Michael Moss is an excellent report on the sad state of processed foods, and their direct relationship to various health issues.
  • pumasareace
    pumasareace Posts: 28 Member
    edited November 2017
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    debtay123 wrote: »
    My favorite book on nutrition is:
    "You are what you eat" by Dr. Gillian Mckeith- got it off amazon and it is really excellent- whole foods , healthy and nutrition and she answers the question of which foods and healthy and how they help you-

    Let Food be your medicine" by Dr. Don Colbert is also excellent
    Both have helped me tremendously in learning about healthy eating as a whole.

    Gillian McKeith, oh no! She is a quack and is NOT a doctor, or nutritionist or dietitian or anything even remotely medical, she got her 'PhD' online from some random unaccredited college in the USA by sending off a cheque!

    Please don't follow her advice as it's not based on science or peer reviewed literature. She ended up in a LOT of trouble in the UK and had her TV show pulled as she was lying and misleading people. Also, have a look at her, does she look healthy.....?!?

    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/feb/12/advertising.food

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillian_McKeith

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/jun/12/foodanddrink.features


    As for my books -

    Ketogenic Bible
    Primal Blueprint

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