If you are looking for the best nutrition books, you are one step closer to living a healthy lifestyle. After all, the path to fitness begins with a complete knowledge of food and nutrition.
The nutrition that you provide for your body plays a crucial role in determining cellular activity and, therefore, affects your health, happiness, and wellbeing.
To develop a sound understanding of food and nutrition and their combined effect on health, reading nutrition books is your best bet.
Here is a list of best nutrition books for a rainy day that will come in handy for anyone who is keen to learn more about the impact of the food that they put in their bodies.
The list includes books related to a wide variety of topics under the category of food and nutrition – for instance, weight loss, different types of diets, types of foods, and so on.
Pick the one you like the most, or read them one by one for a truly wholesome experience.
1. Vitamania – by Catherine Price
Hailed as an ‘absorbing and meticulously researched’ book by The New York Times, Vitamania talks about how vitamins have revolutionized the way we think about food.
Which multivitamin pills should you take?
The author’s answer to this million-dollar question is likely to take you by surprise because her answer is: none.
Not many people know this, but multivitamins are not necessarily vital for your health. The book seeks to give a detailed explanation of the reasons behind this stance by uncovering the dark secrets of the pharmaceutical industry.
Also, it gives lots of facts about different vitamins, and how you can incorporate them into your diet naturally.
2. 21-Day Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Challenge: Recipes and Workouts for a Slimmer, Healthier You – by Rachel Gregory and Amanda C. Hughes
The ketogenic diet has become all the rage these days and for all the right reasons too. However, sticking to a keto diet can prove to be rather challenging for many people.
If you are planning to jump onto the bandwagon for the keto diet, this book will surely be of immense help.
It is packed with basic guidelines, worksheets, meal plans, and workouts, as well as shopping tips and healthy recipes that will allow you to effortlessly achieve your fitness goal by unleashing the power of ketosis.
3. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals – by Michael Pollan
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
These three short phrases from the book summarize the main idea of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
One of the bestselling books by the author, The Omnivore’s Dilemma points out the flaws in our modern-day, politicized food system. It takes you on a journey starting from the agricultural land where crops are grown and ending with the food on your table, while also talking about the various things that happen in between.
4. How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically – by Michael Greger
Remember the age-old saying, ‘better safe than sorry?’
A New York Times bestseller, How Not to Die tries to educate readers about ways to protect themselves from certain diseases. It reveals groundbreaking evidence backed by scientific research about plant-based diets that not only reduce, but also reverse the causes of disease-related deaths.
In this book, you will find a list of foods along with several exercises that are beneficial in reducing the risk of diabetes, neurological disorders, and heart as well as lung diseases.
5. Finally Full, Finally Slim: 30 Days to Permanent Weight Loss – by Dr. Lisa R. Young
Are you struggling to lose weight? Do you have trouble sticking to a diet plan that promotes weight loss?
If yes, then this book is all you need to get back on the right track.
Written by a nutritionist, this book presents a simple solution that is highly effective in promoting weight loss. The best part? You will have no trouble implementing this ‘diet’ plan because it doesn’t restrict you from your favorite food!
Dr. Young proves that you can eat pizza, pasta, cakes, etc. and still avoid weight gain, given that you eat these items in a limited quantity. She provides easy-to-follow steps and highlights simple changes in eating habits that will help you shed the extra pounds without having to starve yourself.
6. Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? – by Mark Hyman
Dr. Hyman is known as a rock star in the medicine industry. With years of experience in studying and experimenting with functional medicine, he is quite rightfully, an expert in nutrition.
So, trust his findings presented in this book when it comes to determining which foods are good for health and which are merely labeled as ‘unhealthy’ in an attempt to market their alternatives.
What makes it one of the best nutrition books is the fact that this book is a no-nonsense guide to achieving lifelong health by maintaining optimal weight. It covers various edible items including meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, as well as artificial sweeteners and the likes in order to set the record straight on which foods nurture your body and which are harmful to health.
7. Read It Before You Eat It: Taking You From Label to Table – by Bonnie Taub-Dix
The title says it all.
Food companies usually have a way of tricking customers into buying their products either by falsifying information on the food packaging, or by presenting nutrition facts in a way that leads to you believe it’s a healthy item.
In this book, the author decodes it all. Read It Before You Eat It teaches you how to read food labels, identify misleading information, and avoid trickster ad campaigns. This, in turn, will enable you to shop for food items that are not only healthy, but also in line with your fitness goals.
8. What to Feed Your Baby & Toddler – by Nicole M. Avena
If you are looking for ways to better understand the dietary needs of your little one, look no further than this book.
What to Feed Your Baby & Toddler is a comprehensive guide to support your child’s health and development. This easy-to-follow manual contains 60 recipes for delicious and nutritious baby meals that will prove extremely useful when you start feeding solid food to your baby.
Nicole M. Avena is a neuroscientist – and a mom! So, it’s enough proof that her advice is both, authentic and actionable.
Whether or not you are a first-time parent, this book is a must-read for anyone who has children between the ages of 6 to 24 months.
9. The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Optimal Health, Beginning Today – by Sharon Palmer
Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or an avid meat-eater, this book will have you stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Plant-Powered Diet gives a detailed explanation of the nutrients that you obtain from plants, and why it is the healthier option compared to its alternatives. But opting for a plant-based diet is not all.
What’s more important is the way you prepare vegetarian meals, and when and how you consume them.
Therefore, the book also sheds light on how to cook food such that it retains, and even enhances the health benefits of raw fruits and veggies.
10. ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness – by Stacy Sims
Written for female athletes by a fellow athlete, ROAR is about adjusting your eating habits and workout regime according to your own unique physiology.
It’s often difficult for women to meet their health and fitness goals because most nutrition products and training programs are usually designed for men. The book addresses this issue by teaching you everything you need to know about food and nutrition for women.
It contains customizable, goal-specific meal plans supported by amazing recipes that will help you optimize your athletic performance. Also, the book offers actionable advice to help you cope up with different stages of strength-training and recovery.
11. Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain – by Daniel G. Amen
In this book, expert neuro researcher Dr. Daniel Amen highlights how eating habits and physical activity affect your brain health and, consequently, influence your overall wellbeing.
He suggests lots of ways, including dietary changes, physical, and mental exercises that can help improve cognitive function. The tips presented in this book are also known to reverse memory loss and reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s diseases and similar neurological disorders.
12. Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body – by Michael Matthews
As the title suggests, this book is about nutrition and training for male candidates.
Michael Matthews delves deep into the science behind gaining muscle mass and losing extra fat. He goes on to discuss various ways in which men can develop a strong and lean body without using steroids, following strict diets, or spending an endless amount of time in the gym.
No need to obsess over ‘clean eating,’ spend your hard-earned money over so-called performance-boosting supplements, or tire yourself out doing grueling workouts. This book makes body-building easier than you might have imagined.
13. Food and Western Disease: Health and Nutrition From An Evolutionary Perspective – by Staffan Lindeberg
This book is a research-based look at the evolution of diet and its relationship with certain health problems that have become characteristic of today’s world.
Dr. Lindeberg specialized in Kitava’s study – research which focused on the eating habits of the (exceptionally healthy) Kitavan people. He explored their traditional diets and compared them with the meal plans that an average person follows today.
If you are interested in learning more about the link between diseases, epidemics, and dietary habits, this book will keep you hooked on for long.
The Verdict
Reading books is a great way to fuel your mind. But reading nutrition books gives you the power to fuel your whole body – quite literally!
Refer to this list of the best nutrition books for a rainy day to learn essential tips for maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle.