Food as Medicine Cookbook Roundup

by Alexina Cather

Each food as medicine cookbook on this list will help you cook, eat and feel better. 

The Anti-Anxiety Diet: A Whole Body Program to Stop Racing Thoughts, Banish Worry and Live Panic-Free

Author: Ali Miller

Published: 2018

Summary:Your diet plays a dynamic role on mood, emotions and brain-signaling pathways. Since brain chemistry is complicated, The Anti-Anxiety Diet breaks down exactly what you need to know and how to achieve positive results. Integrative dietitian and food-as-medicine guru Ali Miller applies science-based functional medicine to create a system that addresses anxiety while applying a ketogenic low-carb approach. By adopting The Anti-Anxiety Diet, you will reduce inflammation, repair gut integrity and provide your body with necessary nutrients in abundance. This plan balances your hormones and stress chemicals to help you feel even-keeled and relaxed. The book provides quizzes as well as advanced lab and supplement recommendations to help you discover and address the root causes of your body’s imbalances. The Anti-Anxiety Diet’s healthy approach supports your brain signaling while satiating cravings. And it features 50 delicious recipes.”

Where to Buy: Amazon

The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100

Author: Dan Buettner

Published: 2019

Summary: “Building on decades of research, longevity expert Dan Buettner has gathered 100 recipes inspired by the Blue Zones, home to the healthiest and happiest communities in the world. Each dish–for example, Sardinian Herbed Lentil Minestrone; Costa Rican Hearts of Palm Ceviche; Cornmeal Waffles from Loma Linda, California; and Okinawan Sweet Potatoes–uses ingredients and cooking methods proven to increase longevity, wellness, and mental health. Complemented by mouthwatering photography, the recipes also include lifestyle tips (including the best times to eat dinner and proper portion sizes), all gleaned from countries as far away as Japan and as near as Blue Zones project cities in Texas. Innovative, easy to follow, and delicious, these healthy living recipes make the Blue Zones lifestyle even more attainable, thereby improving your health, extending your life, and filling your kitchen with happiness.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million

Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body

Author: Amie Valpone

Published: 2016

Summary: After suffering for a decade from a range of ailments like Lyme Disease, Hypothyroidism, and Leaky Gut Syndrome, Amie Valpone, creator of TheHealthyApple.com, healed herself through clean eating and detoxing. In Eating Clean, Amie provides guidance on how to fight inflammation and reset your body, including a 21-Day Elimination Diet, instructions for food reintroduction, a 2-week meal plan, and an extensive pantry list. The book has over 200 recipes that are vegetarian and free of gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, and refined sugar to keep tummies healthy and satisfied—such as Velvety Pear and Fennel Soup, Carrot “Fettuccine” with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pumpkin Seeds, and Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream. With this book, readers are able to get the support they need on their path toward wellness.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart

The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother

Authors: Heng Ou, Amely Greeven and Marisa Belger

Published: 2016

Summary: The first 40 days after the birth of a child offer an essential and fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. Based on author Heng Ou’s own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement,” in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth.

As modern mothers are pushed to prematurely “bounce back” after deliver­ing their babies, and are often left alone to face the physical and emotional challenges of this new stage of their lives, the first forty days provide a lifeline—a source of connection, nourishment, and guidance. The book includes 60 simple recipes for healing soups; replenishing meals and snacks; and calming and lactation-boosting teas, all formulated to support the unique needs of the new mother. In addition to the recipes, this warm and encouraging guide offers advice on arranging a system of help during the post­partum period, navigating relationship challenges, and honoring the significance of pregnancy and birth. The First Forty Days, fully illustrated to feel both inspiring and soothing, is a practical guide and inspirational read for all new mothers and mothers-to-be—the perfect ally during the first weeks with a new baby.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Target

Food: What the Heck Should I Cook?: More than 100 Delicious Recipes–Pegan, Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and More–For Lifelong Health

Author: Dr. Mark Hyman 

Published: 2019

Summary: “Dr. Mark Hyman’s Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? revolutionized the way we view food, busting long-held nutritional myths that have sabotaged our health and kept us away from delicious foods that are actually good for us. Now, in this companion cookbook, Dr. Hyman shares more than 100 delicious recipes to help you create a balanced diet for weight loss, longevity, and optimum health. Food is medicine, and medicine never tasted or felt so good. The recipes in Food: What the Heck Should I Cook? highlight the benefits of good fats, fresh veggies, nuts, legumes, and responsibly harvested ingredients of all kinds. Whether you follow a vegan, Paleo, Pegan, grain-free, or dairy-free diet, you’ll find dozens of mouthwatering dishes.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Food as Medicine: Cooking For Your Best Health

Author: Sue Radd

Published: 2016

Summary: “Good nutrition-and good health-starts in your kitchen! And this beautiful food as medicine cookbook offers 150 delicious plant-based recipes developed by a nutritionist and cook for your best health, addressing the underlying causes of our most-common lifestyle diseases. “In my earliest memories of cooking, I picture my grandmother at her wood stove and kitchen garden in Croatia-and me climbing her sour cherry trees! She was always teaching me the value of homemade food and ‘unsprayed’ produce,” says author Sue Radd. “Whether you are looking to stay well and prevent disease or influence the progression of an advanced medical condition, it’s never too late to start reaping benefits. Your diet is the cornerstone of health improvement. So here is my gift to you: 150 of my best recipes showing you how to use food as medicine in your own home and, at the back of the book, a summary of the current scientific evidence of how and why these recipes can transform the health of you and your family.”

Where to Buy: Amazon

Food as Medicine Everyday: Reclaim Your Health With Whole Foods

Authors: Julie Briley and Courtney Jackson

Published: 2016

Summary: “Food as medicine” is a powerful approach to health and healing, intimately woven into naturopathic medical education. Dr. Jackson and Dr. Briley remind us that poor dietary choices are a major element in the exploding issues of chronic disease. What nutrients does the body need for healthy functioning? What foods have these nutrients? When shopping for these foods and preparing them, what strategies are helpful? What is a balanced meal? There are invaluable sections on how to read food labels, on healthy snacks for kids and strategies for converting kids’ unhealthy eating patterns. Mealtime is tasty and uncomplicated with the wonderful recipes provided. Designed for families, the authors are family guides themselves, each with young children and busy professional lives. Food As Medicine Everyday: Reclaim Your Health With Whole Foods is thoroughly researched, beautifully written and elegantly illustrated while serving up a winning combination of information and practical application for the busy modern family.”

Where to Buy: Amazon

Mediterranean: Naturally Nutritious Recipes From the World’s Healthiest Diet

Author: Susie Theodorou

Published: 2018

Summary:Eating healthily has never been easier with Susie Theodorou’s new book Mediterranean. Susie explores how the Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle choice and a pattern of eating based on rural life where people used to eat what they grew and enjoy it communally. Her approach embraces seasonal and nutritious foods, without the strict regime of a diet book. She does not focus on weight loss or weight gain but instead promotes a healthier and happier way of life. Raised by Greek-Cypriot parents on a diet of freshly picked, plucked and cooked food, Susie knows first-hand the benefits of eating traditional Mediterranean dishes. And because you are focusing on simple combinations of exceptional ingredients, this is cooking on a budget. A self-confessed ‘lazy cook’, Susie has multiple ideas for using olives, tomatoes, tinned fish, white cheese, homemade hummus, and simple dressings for meat and fish. There are also tips on how to feed more friends with less food, how to stock a Mediterranean larder to be proud of and how to eat seasonally.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Mostly Plants: 101 Delicious Flexitarian Recipes from the Pollan Family

Author: Tracy Pollan, Dana Pollan, Lori Pollan, Corky Pollan and Michael Pollan

Published: 2019 

Summary: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” With these seven words, Michael Pollan—brother of Lori, Dana, and Tracy Pollan, and son of Corky—started a national conversation about how to eat for optimal health. A decade later, the value of a plant-based diet is widely accepted––and yet for many people, easier said than done. So what does choosing “mostly plants” look like in real life? In families where not everyone is on the same vegetarian page the word “mostly” is key. The point isn’t necessarily to give up meat entirely but to build a diet that shifts the ratio of animal to plants to create delicious––and nutritious––meals sure to appeal to everyone. There has never been a better time to cook with vegetables—and to move plants to the center of the American plate. Even if plants weren’t the better choice for your health, they make the case for themselves purely on the basis of deliciousness. This approach to eating—also known as a flexitarian diet––strikes the best balance on our plates between flavor and pleasure, and nutrition and sustainability. In Mostly Plants, readers will find inventive and unexpected ways to focus on cooking with vegetables.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound

The Art of Eating Well: Hemsley and Hemsley

Author: Jasmine Hemsley and Melissa Hemsley

Published: 2014

Summary: Celebrated food consultants and food activist siblings, Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley are starting a food revolution in their native U.K. Their food philosophy—which has already received acclaim in such publications as British Vogue, The Sunday Telegraph, Glamour, The Sunday Times, and Stylist—is simple: changing the way you eat doesn’t have to involve deprivation, but can be enjoyed every day, at home, at work, with family and friends, or eating out. The Art of Eating Well is chock full of the Hemsleys’ recipes, knowledge, and advice on making the switch to a delicious, healthy, and satisfying diet. The Art of Eating Well is a cookbook with exciting and inventive recipes that are so delicious you forget that the premise is health and nourishment. These recipes will not only reboot your approach to food in the most enjoyable ways, with whole, organic, nutrient-filled, delicious homemade foods, free of grain, gluten, high-starch and refined sugar, but will help you realize how satisfied and great you can look and feel. They will empower you to take control of the way you eat.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Whole Food Cooking Every Day: Transform the Way You Eat With 250 Vegetarian Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar

Author: Amy Chaplin

Published: 2019

Summary:Eating whole foods can transform a diet, and mastering the art of cooking these foods can be easy with the proper techniques and strategies. In 20 chapters, Chaplin shares ingenious recipes incorporating the foods that are key to a healthy diet: seeds and nuts, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and other plant-based foods. Chaplin offers her secrets for eating healthy every day: mastering some key recipes and reliable techniques and then varying the ingredients based on the occasion, the season, and what you’re craving. Once the reader learns one of Chaplin’s base recipes, whether for gluten-free muffins, millet porridge, or baked marinated tempeh, the ways to adapt and customize it are endless: change the fruit depending on the season, include nuts or seeds for extra protein, or even change the dressing or flavoring to keep a diet varied. Chaplin encourages readers to seek out local and organic ingredients, stock their pantries with nutrient-rich whole food ingredients, prep ahead of time, and, most important, cook at home.”

Where to Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

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