Update: tonight I read these three books to my kids and thought I’d share. One is a great way to teach your kids about eating good-for-us foods, and the other two are just books that every parent should read to their kids over and over…
The Gulps- I love reading this book as much as my kids love to listen. It’s neat how the pictures show such a huge difference in this family before and after they begin to take better care of themselves, and you’ll laugh as you read. (We all see a little of ourselves in the Gulps.)
Love Your Neighbor- This is the sweetest book. I told my kids after we read it tonight that I want them to be that friend to someone else who doesn’t feel they have a friend in the world. It will help teach your kids to be a light in the world by loving others.
As I wrote below, this is one of my all-time favorite children’s books, You Are Special by Max Lucado (anything written by him is so good). This books gives all of us (adults too!) good lessons about not letting what others think matter so much to us.
Real Food: What to Eat and Whyby Nina Planck – she is singing my song…or rather, I guess I’m singing hers, since she was here first!
Put Your Heart in Your Mouthby Natasha Campbell-McBride - her newest book on the real cause and cure for heart disease. I can’t wait to dig into this one next.
Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats by Mary Enig & Sally Fallon - this book is a condensed version of some of the information on fats in the book above, very interesting about how saturated fats got such a bad rap. There is a lot of information in here about the benefits of coconut oil and recipes showing how to get more of it into your diet. It explains why eating the right fats, really does help you lose weight!
The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin - this book tells how the author ate the right foods to cure himself of colon disease, then goes on to discuss many other health & dieting topics. Some recipes are included too.
Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage) by Gary Taubes – I can’t wait to read this! It was recommended to me by Anna, and I trust her when she says I should read something. Read part of a review at Amazon: In the end, the most compelling case Taubes builds is one against stark dietary advice of any kind; nothing simple can capture the complex reasons for the epidemic rise in obesity. H.L. Mencken once said, “There is always an easy solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.”
BOOKS UNRELATED TO NUTRITION:
Anything by Max Lucado – a great Christian author who has a writing style that is as easy and fun to read as good fiction. He’s a great teacher on the basics of Christianity. (He also wrote one of my all-time favorite children’s books, You Are Special – good lessons about not letting what others think matter so much to us.)
Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anywayby Susan Jeffers – just the title is motivating! This book has helped me a lot in the past. It teaches how to shut off the “chatterbox” in your brain that keeps you from doing what you should, something I think many people struggle with. The only problem with the book is that since it isn’t Christian based, it stops short of the full Truth and doesn’t explain how Jesus can give us the courage, strength & healing we need in our lives.
Hidden Keys of a Loving, Lasting Marriageby Gary Smalley – this book was a great help when Kent and I went through a tough time in our marriage years ago. (A very painful time and we surely would have divorced if not for Jesus showing us the way back – feel free to e-mail if you’d like to know more or if I can help you somehow.)
Praying the Bible for Your Children – This book has been part of my morning “quiet time” since 2003. It helped me get past the same prayers for my children that I always prayed(“Lord, please keep them safe, healthy & close to You”), and instead helped me pray more deeply for them using verses from the bible. There are 122 prayers in all, and each day I also note the date on the bottom of the page, so someday my children will see how often they were “lifted up” in prayer by their Mom! I use it not only to help me pray for our children, but also to pray for all the children in our lives. Whether it’s relatives, our friend’s kids, or other children who we know are hurting.
The best for last: the BIBLE – I wish everyone would read through the whole bible at least once – getting the “big picture” has helped me understand so much more. There are great sites to help you do this in one year, here is one. If you prefer to have it broken down for you right in your bible, you can get that here: The One Year Bible NLT, Catholic Edition. (After that, find a good daily devotional book to help you digest more day-to-day.) If you don’t think you would read the whole thing, at least try to read the book of John – you’ll learn some basics: how much Jesus loves you and how to be more like Him.
Helpful Marriage/Sex Books- That link has a list of books by Michelle Weiner-Davis. I’ve only read her book, “Divorce Busting”, and while it isn’t Christian-based, it still made great sense and helped me a lot when Kent & I were having marriage trouble. Also, scroll down at that link to see other books she’s written called, “The Sex-Starved Marriage” and “The Sex-Starved Wife”, both books that I think will help commenters at my post about Passion in Marriage.
FAVORITE FICTIONAL BOOKS:
Vince Flynn’s books – be sure you start with the first one: Term Limits,and don’t begin until you can plan on reading without stopping for a while, because you won’t be able to. (The second in his series is my very favorite though: Transfer of Power)
Note: I’ll receive a small commission if you buy through one of these links. (And thank you!)
Hi Kelly… I just finished reading a book that I think you might enjoy. It’s called The Schwarzbein Principle by Diana Schwarzbein, MD and Nancy Deville. According to Schwarzbein, the high-carbohydrate, low-fat, moderate-protein diet that most dieticians and disease-prevention organizations recommend is the culprit that turns people into diabetics, makes them age faster and get degenerative diseases, and keeps them fat and unhealthy. She supports her theory with case studies of people who were sick and miserable on high-carbo, low-fat diets and who sprang to life when they “balanced” their diets with more fat and protein. Schwarzbein recommends avoiding “man-made carbohydrates”–processed carbs–in favor of those you could “pick, gather or milk.” She instructs patients to eat “as much good fat as their body needs”: eggs, avocados, flaxseed oil, butter, mayonnaise, and olive oil. Sorry, but fried foods and hydrogenated fats are “bad fats,” or “damaged fats,” as Schwarzbein calls them. You can eat as many eggs a day as you want on this plan, plus meat (even sausage–as long as it’s nitrate-free–and pâté), saturated fat, cream, and nonstarchy vegetables.
Basically she supports what you’re talking about on your blog over and over, but as a self-professed sweet junkie you might not like to hear what she has to say about too much sugar and insulin resistance!
You’re welcome to check out my book if you’re interested.
Thanks for the info on what does sound like a great book. More and more these days people seem to be finding out that traditional diets are where it’s at for good health – especially traditional fats.
I’m not surprised to hear more about sweets being bad, that’s the sad and undisputed truth, but I’m getting a little better!
If I could ever chip away at the reading pile I’ve got right now, I’d love to borrow the book, I’ll let you know!
Oops, forgot, I also really, really like the first three books you recommended, Kelly!
Real Food, in particular, I think is a good “easy beginning” for people. I’ve given away lots of copies as gifts. If you email Nina, she will sign and mail a bookplate to you.
I think Nina Planck really makes a good case for transitioning back to real food, without scare tactics, without “wacko” sounding reasoning that might put people off, and with lots of credible research to back her up. Not everyone is ready for the NT way right away. Real Food is more “gentle”, perhaps, and maybe easier for people to assimilate at first.
Nancy Deville has written another must read, Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down, and Poisoning of America. She nails the reasons that the simplistic prescription of “eat real food” seems to be falling on deaf ears.
I’m a new follower of the NT and WAPF principles and just subcribed to your blog … loving it so far. I just wanted to add that Gary Smalley co-authored a book back in 1995 titled Leaving the Light On. It is the best parenting book I’ve ever read. My kids are grown now, but I still refer to it at times. I hope anyone with children will take a look at it.
It’s been on my to-do list for a long time to spend some time really looking through your site, and I’m so glad to finally have a chance to do it! I’m really excited by all this great info — going to add a bunch of these to my Wish List now. (The next book I’m going to order is the Nina Planck one. I’m so excited!)
Jennifer, I’m so glad you’re here, too. You are one of my VERY favorite bloggers, you always write something that hits home with me right then.
You mentioned Nina Planck’s book, but you may want to wait and get her new book that comes out in April – she sent me an advanced copy and it is AWESOME, and since you’re pregnant, you’d really love it: Real Food for Mother & Baby.
“You Are Special” is a great book. I would highly recommend Lucado’s collection “Tell Me the Story,” too. My mom read to us from “Tell Me the Story,” well into our “too old for this” years….even though as we grew, she selected other “older” books, we never outgrew those stories. We did, of course, read on our own as we grew, too….but when my Dad (who was in the Navy) was out to see, we’d puppy-pile on my mom’s bed at night for story time…reading from a good number of books I still love.
I have Real Food on it’s way, so glad to hear such rave reviews about it. Also the chiropractors that I work for have 2 of the Nourishing Tradition books in their leading library. Very good book and I’m debating on buying one even though I can borrow one of theirs any time I want, I would just like to own it for myself.
I just found your site and am lovin’ it! Thank you for spreading the truth.
NOTE: Please do not copy posts in their entirety to publish at your site. Feel free, however, to post a short excerpt with a link back to read the full post here. Thank you!
The Gulps- I love reading this book as much as my kids love to listen. It’s neat how the pictures show such a huge difference in this family before and after they begin to take better care of themselves, and you’ll laugh as you read. (We all see a little of ourselves in the Gulps.)
Love Your Neighbor - This is the sweetest book. I told my kids after we read it tonight that I want them to be that friend to someone else who doesn’t feel they have a friend in the world. It will help teach your kids to be a light in the world by loving others.
As I wrote below, this is one of my all-time favorite children’s books, You Are Specialby Max Lucado (anything written by him is so good). This books gives all of us (adults too!) good lessons about not letting what others think matter so much to us.
by Nina Planck – she is singing my song…or rather, I guess I’m singing hers, since she was here first!
by Sally Fallon - this cookbook is so much more than recipes! There are many very helpful recipes, especially if some of you grew up in homes where you weren’t taught traditional methods of cooking. Mine looks well-worn after only a few years of owning it.
by Weston A. Price - it’s a classic and a book that has changed many lives.
by Natasha Campbell-McBride - the more I hear from this author and the more I read, I believe that within these pages lies the cure for most of the health problems we all hear about. A big statement, I know. Read it yourself and see.
by Natasha Campbell-McBride - her newest book on the real cause and cure for heart disease. I can’t wait to dig into this one next.
by Diana Schwarzbein – I’ve only read excerpts of this book, but wow, it makes so much sense! As soon as I get my reading pile down a bit, this one is next.
by Mary Enig & Sally Fallon - this book is a condensed version of some of the information on fats in the book above, very interesting about how saturated fats got such a bad rap. There is a lot of information in here about the benefits of coconut oil and recipes showing how to get more of it into your diet. It explains why eating the right fats, really does help you lose weight!
by Jordan Rubin - this book tells how the author ate the right foods to cure himself of colon disease, then goes on to discuss many other health & dieting topics. Some recipes are included too.
by Gary Taubes – I can’t wait to read this! It was recommended to me by Anna, and I trust her when she says I should read something. Read part of a review at Amazon: In the end, the most compelling case Taubes builds is one against stark dietary advice of any kind; nothing simple can capture the complex reasons for the epidemic rise in obesity. H.L. Mencken once said, “There is always an easy solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.”
– just the title is motivating! This book has helped me a lot in the past. It teaches how to shut off the “chatterbox” in your brain that keeps you from doing what you should, something I think many people struggle with. The only problem with the book is that since it isn’t Christian based, it stops short of the full Truth and doesn’t explain how Jesus can give us the courage, strength & healing we need in our lives.
by Christopher West - another book that explains very well what the Catholic Church really teaches on often misunderstood topics.
by Gary Smalley – this book was a great help when Kent and I went through a tough time in our marriage years ago. (A very painful time and we surely would have divorced if not for Jesus showing us the way back – feel free to e-mail if you’d like to know more or if I can help you somehow.)
– This book has been part of my morning “quiet time” since 2003. It helped me get past the same prayers for my children that I always prayed(“Lord, please keep them safe, healthy & close to You”), and instead helped me pray more deeply for them using verses from the bible. There are 122 prayers in all, and each day I also note the date on the bottom of the page, so someday my children will see how often they were “lifted up” in prayer by their Mom! I use it not only to help me pray for our children, but also to pray for all the children in our lives. Whether it’s relatives, our friend’s kids, or other children who we know are hurting.
. (After that, find a good daily devotional book to help you digest more day-to-day.) If you don’t think you would read the whole thing, at least try to read the book of John – you’ll learn some basics: how much Jesus loves you and how to be more like Him.
- That link has a list of books by Michelle Weiner-Davis. I’ve only read her book, “Divorce Busting”, and while it isn’t Christian-based, it still made great sense and helped me a lot when Kent & I were having marriage trouble. Also, scroll down at that link to see other books she’s written called, “The Sex-Starved Marriage” and “The Sex-Starved Wife”, both books that I think will help commenters at my post about Passion in Marriage.
and don’t begin until you can plan on reading without stopping for a while, because you won’t be able to. (The second in his series is my very favorite though: Transfer of Power
)
Subscribe in a reader or Subscribe via e-mail for free blog updates.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Liz 03.14.08 at 4:17 am
Hi Kelly… I just finished reading a book that I think you might enjoy. It’s called The Schwarzbein Principle by Diana Schwarzbein, MD and Nancy Deville. According to Schwarzbein, the high-carbohydrate, low-fat, moderate-protein diet that most dieticians and disease-prevention organizations recommend is the culprit that turns people into diabetics, makes them age faster and get degenerative diseases, and keeps them fat and unhealthy. She supports her theory with case studies of people who were sick and miserable on high-carbo, low-fat diets and who sprang to life when they “balanced” their diets with more fat and protein. Schwarzbein recommends avoiding “man-made carbohydrates”–processed carbs–in favor of those you could “pick, gather or milk.” She instructs patients to eat “as much good fat as their body needs”: eggs, avocados, flaxseed oil, butter, mayonnaise, and olive oil. Sorry, but fried foods and hydrogenated fats are “bad fats,” or “damaged fats,” as Schwarzbein calls them. You can eat as many eggs a day as you want on this plan, plus meat (even sausage–as long as it’s nitrate-free–and pâté), saturated fat, cream, and nonstarchy vegetables.
Basically she supports what you’re talking about on your blog over and over, but as a self-professed sweet junkie you might not like to hear what she has to say about too much sugar and insulin resistance!
You’re welcome to check out my book if you’re interested.
[Reply]
Kelly 03.14.08 at 6:58 am
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the info on what does sound like a great book. More and more these days people seem to be finding out that traditional diets are where it’s at for good health – especially traditional fats.
I’m not surprised to hear more about sweets being bad, that’s the sad and undisputed truth, but I’m getting a little better!
If I could ever chip away at the reading pile I’ve got right now, I’d love to borrow the book, I’ll let you know!
Thanks,
Kelly
[Reply]
Anna 04.02.08 at 1:33 pm
I second Liz’s book suggestion: The Schwarzbein Principle.
[Reply]
Anna 04.02.08 at 1:40 pm
Oops, forgot, I also really, really like the first three books you recommended, Kelly!
Real Food, in particular, I think is a good “easy beginning” for people. I’ve given away lots of copies as gifts. If you email Nina, she will sign and mail a bookplate to you.
I think Nina Planck really makes a good case for transitioning back to real food, without scare tactics, without “wacko” sounding reasoning that might put people off, and with lots of credible research to back her up. Not everyone is ready for the NT way right away. Real Food is more “gentle”, perhaps, and maybe easier for people to assimilate at first.
[Reply]
Anonymous 10.13.08 at 6:10 am
Nancy Deville has written another must read, Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down, and Poisoning of America. She nails the reasons that the simplistic prescription of “eat real food” seems to be falling on deaf ears.
[Reply]
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 10.13.08 at 6:20 pm
LOVE the title!
[Reply]
Kimberly 01.16.09 at 10:45 am
Hi Kelly,
I’m a new follower of the NT and WAPF principles and just subcribed to your blog … loving it so far. I just wanted to add that Gary Smalley co-authored a book back in 1995 titled Leaving the Light On. It is the best parenting book I’ve ever read. My kids are grown now, but I still refer to it at times. I hope anyone with children will take a look at it.
[Reply]
Kelly 01.21.09 at 10:16 am
Thanks, Kimberly, I’ll have to add that to my list.
[Reply]
Jennifer (Conversion Diary) 02.06.09 at 5:25 pm
It’s been on my to-do list for a long time to spend some time really looking through your site, and I’m so glad to finally have a chance to do it! I’m really excited by all this great info — going to add a bunch of these to my Wish List now. (The next book I’m going to order is the Nina Planck one. I’m so excited!)
[Reply]
Kelly 02.06.09 at 9:22 pm
Jennifer, I’m so glad you’re here, too. You are one of my VERY favorite bloggers, you always write something that hits home with me right then.
You mentioned Nina Planck’s book, but you may want to wait and get her new book that comes out in April – she sent me an advanced copy and it is AWESOME, and since you’re pregnant, you’d really love it: Real Food for Mother & Baby.
[Reply]
Melody Joy 01.10.10 at 9:53 pm
“You Are Special” is a great book. I would highly recommend Lucado’s collection “Tell Me the Story,” too. My mom read to us from “Tell Me the Story,” well into our “too old for this” years….even though as we grew, she selected other “older” books, we never outgrew those stories. We did, of course, read on our own as we grew, too….but when my Dad (who was in the Navy) was out to see, we’d puppy-pile on my mom’s bed at night for story time…reading from a good number of books I still love.
[Reply]
Roxy 02.21.10 at 3:11 pm
I have Real Food on it’s way, so glad to hear such rave reviews about it. Also the chiropractors that I work for have 2 of the Nourishing Tradition books in their leading library. Very good book and I’m debating on buying one even though I can borrow one of theirs any time I want, I would just like to own it for myself.
I just found your site and am lovin’ it! Thank you for spreading the truth.
[Reply]