A recap of the most interesting health and wellness books I read in 2023.

Why We Sleep (2018)

Author: Matthew Walker, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology University of California Berkeley

Summary

The why’s and how’s of sleep’s critical role in how our body functions from birth to advanced age. Practical tips on improving sleep quality.

Sleep has gotten plenty of attention in the media recently. That’s great. Whether or not we take steps to improve our sleep habits, is a different story. This book may inspire you to do just that.

If you have kids, read this book. If you’re motivated by science, read this book.

Built to Move (2023)

Authors: Kelly Starrett, DPT and Juliet Starrett

Summary

10 areas of focus to enable healthy movement for a lifetime. Our body can move well at any age, if we take care of it.

Each chapter begins with a ‘test’ to easily measure competency, followed by practical methods for reaching competency.

The organization of the book into 10 distinct sections (each area of focus) makes it easy to read; each chapter can be read as a stand-alone.

The section on healthy feet was another highlight for me. I don’t think this is talked about as often as it should be. We hear a lot about orthotics and comparatively little about strengthening our feet. This includes walking barefoot when it’s safe to do so (in our homes at a minimum) and barefoot shoes.

In the nutrition chapter, while my views don’t align with the authors’ focus on protein, I appreciate the focus on veggies. I’m not anti-protein. However, based on the tracking I’ve done on Cronometer (next blog post!), as well as what I’ve heard across a number of plant-based medical doctors, our perception from the media and other health professionals that getting enough protein should be a mission, and one that requires planning and extra effort beyond simply what we consume as part of a mainstream diet is not typically accurate.

Eating enough high-quality food, containing a variety of macronutrients and micronutrients is crucial, no matter the diet.

The China Study (2005)

Authors: T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Professor Emeritus Biochemistry Cornell University and Thomas Campbell, M.D.

Summary

Despite spending more money, per capita, than any other society in the world, there has been an exponential rise in chronic disease in the U.S. and other countries. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight.

The cause and the solution comes down to 3 things: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Whether or not you want to change your diet, if you’re interested in nutrition, if you’re curious about our food system; the perspective of the author, who’s had a 60+ year career in nutrition research is, at the least, food for thought.

Lots of nutrition science, lots of data; as well as an exploration of industry and government influences on our food system dating back at least two decades. This is a dense read. It’s well worth the time.

Metabolical (2021)

Author: Robert Lustig, M.D., Professor Emeritus University of California San Francisco

Summary

“Nutrition is the most important and malleable factor influencing people’s life span (how long we live) and health span (how well we live).”

Eat real food, protect the liver, feed the gut.

My mom sent me this book. I can get on board with ~80% of the book’s content.

Where’s my issue?

While Dr. Lustig recognizes a whole food plant-based diet as one that provides optimal health, he then notes adopting a plant-based diet as ‘too hard.’ Like all significant change, it takes effort.

Perhaps where he and I differ is my own experience of outsize results for the effort in transitioning my diet to whole food plant-based.

I appreciated Dr. Lustig’s exploration of the role of government and industry in the disturbing and steady rise in disease rates and healthcare costs both in the U.S. and abroad. This is consistent with what T. Colin Campbell said in The China Study (in 2005!).

Both The China Study and Metabolical also discuss the addictive nature of processed food and the intentional design by the food industry to make food products addictive, so we continue to buy.

Fatal Conveniences (2023)

Author: Darin Olien

Summary

Toxic products are making us sick. We can make simple changes to save our health.

You may know by now that I have a passion for what we put into our bodies. Turns out that what we put on our bodies is also important.

If you think someone else is monitoring what’s in the lotion we use, the fabric we wear, and the mattresses we spend 8 hours per night on; this book encourages us to educate ourselves, rather than assuming someone else (the company selling the product? the government?) has us covered. Government regulation in these industries are typically lower in the U.S. than many other countries.

Our skin is our largest organ. It’s difficult to know how much of a product is absorbed by our skin and what the impact is, but especially after the talcum powder lawsuit, I choose to err on the side of caution.

Fatal Conveniences is a quick read.

Have you read these books? Let me know in the comments below!

Next on my reading list: The Pleasure Trap and Breath.

Thanks for reading!

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