Beyond our genes, our lifestyle  is a major influence on our health. This month nutrition is a great contender in our health book selection:  from trying to understand our food impulses to controlling them and changing our diets for optimum health. We look at the healing power of food and how we can make better choices for ourselves. From eating superfoods to altering our mindset or adopting Ayurvedic principles for better sleep, more effective digestion, metabolism and improved moods, we learn that there is a lot we can do for ourselves, beyond conventional drugs, even when these are needed.

Eating on the wild side – The missing link to optimum health
“Starting with the wild plants that were central to our original diet, investigative journalist Jo Robinson reveals the nutritional history of our fruits and vegetables, describing how 400 generations of farmers have unwittingly squandered a host of essential fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.” (Syndetics)

Craving – Why we can’t seem to get enough
“Explains the phenomena of craving in real and accessible terms, explaining why we just can’t get enough. Gives tools and guidance to find satisfaction without giving in to our cravings. Explains how and why our brain drives behavior, how to change the part of our brain that fuels our cravings, and the warning signs that craving is evolving into addiction.” (Syndetics)

I quit sugar
“Sarah Wilson was a self-confessed sugar addict, eating over 30 teaspoons of sugar every day. She’d developed mood disorders, a weight issue, sleep problems, and an overactive thyroid. She knew she had to make a change. In January 2011, she decided to quit sugar. What started as an experiment soon became a way of life, and she hasn’t looked back since. This book outlines the dangers of sugar, provides a step-by-step guide to kicking the habit, and provides 80 delicious sugar-free recipes, including baking and dessert recipes. Packed with great advice, fun tips, personal stories and gorgeous photography, this is a sensible, simple and accessible guide to losing weight and getting well.” (Syndetics)

Mind over medicine – Scientific proof that you can heal yourself
“Clinical trials show that up to 80 percent of patients given a placebo heal themselves with the power of the mind alone. But how? There is documented evidence that beliefs, thoughts, and feelings can cure the body. And this book not only reveals the data from mainstream medical journals; it tells you step-by-step how you can implement this knowledge to make your body ripe for spontaneous remission or disease prevention. For years, pioneers in the medical community have been extolling the virtues of the mind’s power to heal the body. Yet their insights into the connection between our physiological states and our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have long been dismissed by modern medicine as New-Age quackery and pseudoscience. Until now, few have made a definitive, scientifically-documented case that the mind indeed has the power to prevent illness and even cure the body. Intrigued but skeptical that the mind could heal the body, Western-trained physician Lissa Rankin, M.D. pored over hundreds of objectively evaluated, peer-reviewed studies from medical journals to find proof not just that thoughts and feelings originating in the mind can heal the body, but also that there are clear physiological mechanisms explaining how this happens.”(Syndetics)

Healing Gourmet Eat to Fight Cancer
“Can something as delicious as minestrone really help fight cancer? Believe it or not, Healing Gourmet will show you how. With this complete nutrition guide, you’ll learn how to reduce your risk and supplement traditional cancer tretments with all-natural meal plans and healing foods available at your local supermarket. You’ll find healthy ways to cope with the side effects of chemical, surgical and radiation treatments. You’ll also discover a whole arsenal of essential nutrients hidden in everyday foods, herbs and spices.” (Book cover)

The Book of Ayurveda
“This fully illustrated guide, makes the ancient Indian system of health and vitality easy to understand. Ayurveda interprests your constitution type as a combination of three fundamental energies. Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This unique imprint affects your eating and sleeping habits, digestion, metabolism and moods, as well as your predisposition to particular health conditions. If your lifestyle is out of balance with your constitution, you willbe prone to illness until the energy is adjusted. Includes illustrated charts and questionnaires to identify your Ayurvedic type, lifestyle and exercise for vitality and health, plus food charts to explain how to balance your diet the Ayurvedic way.”  (Book cover)

Recovering from Multiple Sclerosis
“A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis conjures up images of wheelchairs and a shortened life, but in fact it’s possible to regain mobility and make a recovery. These deeply moving life stories of twelve people from around the world offer real hope to people with MS everywhere. These determined women and men have been able to halt the progression of the disease and recover mobility by making significant lifestyle changes including diet, sunshine, meditation, exercise, and for some, using drug therapy. Based on extended interviews, these stories offer an insight into the different journeys to recovery. They also highlight the challenges faced by people with different types of MS and at different stages in the progression of the disease.” (Syndetics)

The contented pregnancy
“Gina Ford’s parenting advice is valued by thousands of mums. Her practical guidance and sensitivity to mothers’ needs allows parents to keep their sleep and sanity during their babies’ first weeks and beyond. Now, in this guide to pregnancy and birth, Gina Ford extends her advice to caring for yourself and your baby before birth. Covering not only all of the essential medical and health advice for pregnancy, it also contains unique information on how to prepare your life, your home and yourself for becoming a parent.”(Syndetics)

How to handle your hormones
“This is Ginni Mansberg’s second book relating to women’s health. This new book covers what almost every patient asks her about – feeling hormonal and what can be done to improve those feelings. Ginni explains first what a hormone is and then goes on to discuss the types of hormones women have, with clear and simple explanations on how they work and why they don’t need to control our lives. While hormones, and the effects that they have on our lives, feature heavily in this book Ginni also explains menopause, its symptoms and relative issues. “(Syndetics)