I turn to these books for good information, guidance and recipes. You can find many in your local library or bookstore. I’ve provided quick links to Amazon for easy access.
Autoimmune & Other Chronic Conditions
The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life
Dr. Jeffrey Bland
The “Father of Functional Medicine” has written an important book that contrasts conventional or allopathic medicine with root cause or functional medicine. Dr. Bland delivers the science behind and steps we can take to personally change how our genes get expressed.
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The Autoimmune Epidemic
Donna Jackson-Nakazawa
An important examination of the reasons behind the explosion of autoimmune conditions. Written with the skill of an investigative journalist and heart of someone who has struggled with AI conditions herself.
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The Last Best Cure: My Quest to Awaken the Healing Parts of My Brain and Get Back My Body, My Joy, and My Life
Donna Jackson-Nakazawa
Science journalist Jackson-Nakazawa shares her personal journey navigating challenges of her autoimmune disorders. She shares her story and science of mind-body strategies that helped her heal and can help anyone with chronic conditions too.
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Doctors with Autoimmune Protocols
The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
Terry Wahls, M.D.
Dr. Wahls who propelled to fame with her inspirational TEDx talk that showed her remarkable recovery from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), has written a book to share how a Paleo lifestyle and specific nutritional protocol has fueled her astonishing journey from being bound to a tilt-recline wheelchair to enjoying the freedom of riding miles on her bicycle.
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The Immune System Recovery Plan: A Doctor’s 4-Step Program to Treat Autoimmune Disease
Susan Blum, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Blum offers her 4-step plan for autoimmune sufferers, includes addressing food, stress, gut and optimizing liver function.
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Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers
David Perlmutter, MD
Dr. Perlmutter, “empowered” board-certified neurologist, has written an important book that seeks to show us how to control our health outcomes through diet, even if we have a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s or autoimmune disease, etc. He dispels popular myths such as a low-fat, high-carb diet is good and cholesterol is bad, and offers a simple path to prevention and even disease reversal.
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The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan: Boost Brain Performance, Lose Weight, and Achieve Optimal Health
David Perlmutter, MD
THE GRAIN BRAIN WHOLE LIFE PLAN expands upon the core advice from Dr. Perlmutter’s previous works, and introduces new information about the advantages of eating more fat, fewer carbs and nurturing the microbiome. Including original recipes, tips and tricks for common challenges, meal plans, and advice on everything from sleep hygiene to stress management, exercise, supplements, and more, THE GRAIN BRAIN WHOLE LIFE PLAN shows how to live happily and healthily ever after.
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Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism
Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS
Dr. Kharrazian (aka Dr. K.), chiropractor, well-respected educator and author, has discovered through clinical experience and research what really causes hypothyroidism and how to manage it. Autoimmune thyroid (Hashimoto’s) is the number one autoimmune disorder and Dr. K. digs into the root causes and how to address them.
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Paleo Lifestyle Pioneers and Cookbooks
The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body
Sarah Ballantyne, Ph.D.
Sarah draws upon current medical research and her own battle with digestive, allergy, skin and other confounding issues, to show you how you can become completely symptom-free—following the Paleo diet and lifestyle. With over 400 pages and about 1,200 scientific studies cited, the Paleo Approach is thorough, credible and highly useable. Sarah offers a variety of useful information on autoimmunity and nutrition, plus recipes and 1:1 coaching as The Paleo Mom.
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The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy
Mark Sisson
Health & fitness expert and former world-class endurance athlete, Mark has written a useful, easy to read and follow guide on the benefits of the primal/paleo/ancestral lifestyle. He clearly walks his talk and is a model of the lifestyle he writes about as evidenced by his fit physique. Check out his helpful website too.
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Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle
Diane Sanfilippo
More than a “cookbook,” Diane has written a beautiful and informative reference guide with 30-day meal plans, nutritional supplements, and other supportive lifestyle recommendations tailored to specific health conditions, such as autoimmune, thyroid health, diabetes, cancer, heart health, etc. I bought this originally as a Paleo cookbook and have made several of the recipes (love the cabbage mélange and paleo porridge), but found that I use it and recommend it more often as a practical reference guide. Diane offers nutrition workshops, live events, 1:1 coaching and a blog.
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The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
Robb Wolf
Robb, former research biochemist, expert in Paleolithic nutrition, former powerlifting champion and coach to elite athletes, has written an easy to follow guide to the Paleo lifestyle. The book is filled with anthropological and biochemical evidence and lots of humor. Check out his helpful website too.
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Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well & Feel Great
Danielle Walker
Author, blogger and self-taught chef, Danielle personally suffered for years from the painful autoimmune condition ulcerative colitis. After years of personal trial and error, Danielle has created a beautiful and highly practical cookbook that makes cooking, baking and eating Paleo easy and delicious. Fun recipes for kids too, like fruit roll-ups and chewy honey graham crackers. You can sign up for her blog and recipes here.
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The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook: An Allergen-Free Approach to Managing Chronic Illness
Mickey Trescott, NTP
If you have been told to follow an Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) protocol, your first response may be: What can I eat???!!! Enter Mickey, who has recovered from her own struggles with celiac and Hashimoto’s autoimmune conditions, finally by following the AIP which removed the final triggers that were preventing her healing: things like eggs, nuts and even stevia. This cookbook will be a lifesaver to anyone on the AIP since you can eat everything in here. You will also benefit from Mickey and Angie Alt, CHC’s blog.
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Back to Basics on Nutrition… Before Chronic Disease
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1939
Weston A. Price, D.D.S.
An important book (now in its 18th printing) for anyone interested in learning about nutrition. Price was a dentist and researcher who devoted 10 years to traveling the world with his wife and studying the effects of nutrition on teeth and health. His findings were clear: isolated cultures that ate traditional diets full of fat, pastured meat and eggs had straight teeth, wide palates, full jaws and “superb health,” whereas modern civilizations’ (this was the 1930’s!) diets full of processed foodstuffs led to narrow jaws and palates, crowded teeth, cavities and chronic disease. The Weston A. Price Foundation offers good nutrition and health information.
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Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
Sally Fallon & Mary Enig, Ph.D.
This is a textbook as much as it is a cookbook. The first 75 pages are a thorough and well-footnoted introduction to nutrition and the problems with the “politically correct” guidelines, like saturated fat causes heart disease. It is a perfect companion piece to Weston A. Price’s Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. The cookbook part reads like The Joy of Cooking for nourishing foods and includes how to make fermented foods, bone broths, organ meats and even baby food.
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Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food
Catherine Shanahan, MD & Luke Shanahan
This is a book on what we should be eating and why. It is not a cookbook; rather an easy reading guidebook on nutrition and epigenetics, i.e., how you eat changes how your genes get expressed. Read now, and especially before starting a family. It even offers “baby steps” on changing your diet to a traditional one.
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In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan is the conscience and eloquent scribe of Americans’ relationship with food. This is one of the best books on the subjects of food, the politics of food, and how to take control of your health. Summed up in his important and simple manifesto: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Thank you, Michael Pollan, for being an important nutrition catalyst in our lives!
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Everything is Energy
Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body’s Energies for Optimal Health, Joy, and Vitality
Donna Eden
Donna Eden, energy pioneer, has taught more than 50,000 people to optimize their health and wellbeing with subtle energy techniques. She personally healed her MS using energy medicine. I took a workshop with her in 2013 and can confirm she is the real deal and the most joyous person I have ever met. This book is encyclopedic and ideal for anyone with serious interest in optimizing his or her energy. I highly recommend it as a reference and her more practical Energy Medicine Kit, which comes with a DVD.
Book: http://amzn.to/15LpOr4
Energy Medicine Kit: http://amzn.to/1GZWIVw
E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality
Pam Grout
Wonder whether your thoughts influence your reality or whether your intentions can actually come true? Buy this book, enjoy Pam’s engaging style, do the experiments and see what happens. My husband and I did the experiments together and were blown away.
E-Squared: http://amzn.to/1CYDMjo
