5 Books to Help You Overhaul Your Diet
If you’re serious about shedding some weight and making your health more of a priority, there’s no shortage of books brimming with advice to offer. Countless authors claim to have cracked the code to living the healthiest life imaginable. Contradictory conclusions, coupled with the constant stream of studies debunking what were once considered the best diet books available, make it tough to know who to trust.
Fortunately, the abundance of research in the field of food and the increased availability of dietary data have made it clear that there’s more than one way to reach your peak physique. So to help you find your footing on the path to a healthier lifestyle, here are 5 proven approaches recommended by the authors of today’s best books on nutrition.
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
By Michael Greger, MD, and Gene Stone
How Not to Die
- 16 min reading time
- audio version available
Penned by internationally renowned doctor Michael Gregor and Forks Over Knives author Gene Stone, this book argues that animal-based diets lie behind many of the debilitating diseases people are diagnosed with today. Along with several bits of advice typical doctors are unlikely to utter, How Not to Die recommends abiding by a plant-based diet to increase your quality of life and prevent—or possibly reverse—afflictions including cancer and heart disease.
Bulletproof Diet: Lose Up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus, Upgrade Your Life
By Dave Asprey
Bulletproof Diet
- 16 min reading time
- audio version available
Unlike the majority of nutrition books on the market today, this title’s not solely about losing weight—it’s also about increasing focus and enhancing mental acuity. As author Dave Asprey from the Silicon Valley Health Institute explains, it’s possible to achieve all three goals by maintaining a diet loaded with the proper proteins and fats. And as odd as it may seem, a key component of becoming bulletproof, as Asprey terms it, involves swapping out the milk in your morning coffee with its antioxidant-rich cousin, butter.
The Wild Diet: Go Beyond Paleo to Burn Fat, Beat Cravings, and Drop 20 Pounds in 40 Days
By Abel James
The Wild Diet
- 10 min reading time
- audio version available
Dispelling the myth that only gym rats and devout dieters can attain their dream physiques, author and podcaster Abel James explains how it’s possible to lose 20 pounds in 40 days by ditching 21st-century cravings and eating like a caveman instead. By replacing sugary sweets, starchy carbs, and factory-farmed meats with fresh fruit, organic protein, and plenty of nuts and veggies, you can finally create the body you’ve always wanted—without having to spend countless hours exercising.
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
By Brian Wansink
Mindless Eating
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Surprising as it seems, many of us have far less control over our eating habits than we’d like to believe. A mix of messages—many of which are subconscious—often influence our caloric consumption, frequently leading us to overeat. Brian Wansink, a professor of consumer behavior and former executive director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion, sheds light on the tricks restaurants and marketers use to affect our dietary decisions, and he offers a toolbox full of tips and tricks to help you control the amount you eat and enact lasting change in your life. And contrary to the advice offered in most other diet books, Wansink explains how it’s possible to achieve supreme health without sacrificing your favorite foods.
Go Wild: Eat Fat, Run Free, Be Social, and Follow Evolution’s Other Rules for Total Health and Well-Being
By John J. Ratey and Richard Manning
Go Wild
- 12 min reading time
- audio version available
Our species didn’t undergo eons of evolution just so we could sit around looking at screens all day. The sedentary lifestyle a growing number of us are adopting goes against our natural development and likely lies at the source of many modern maladies. Harvard Professor John J. Ratey, MD, and Richard Manning, author of One Round River and Against the Grain, reveal how by reconnecting with the ways our ancestors lived, we can become happier and healthier while helping get humanity back on track.
Count on the Blinkist app to help you get healthy by inviting you to take a deep dive into any of these titles or the dozens of other diet-related books in our ever-expanding library. In fewer than 15 minutes, you could absorb key insights to lengthen your life and increase your ability to enjoy yourself for longer. So what are you waiting for? Check out the blinks to these books today!
