Lee Holmes, Supercharged Food and best selling author

 

HERE ARE MY TOP 10 BOOKS THAT I THINK EVERY KITCHEN GODDESS SHOULD HAVE!

1. THE COMPLETE GUT HEALTH COOKBOOK

I adore this book.  My friend Helen Padarin and Pete Evans go deep into the gut – how it works, why it’s so important, and how you can restore yours.  There is a four-week eating programme that’s neatly laid out to help you on your journey too.

My favourite recipe is the lavender panna cotta.

2. BRAIN MAKER

Dr. David Perlmutter goes into detail in this fascinating book that explains how the gut and the bacteria that live there (trillions of them!) affects the brain.  He writes about subjects like children being diagnosed with autism and ADHD to adult dementia – and how the microbes in our gut affect all of that.  He also wrote Grain Brain, which is a New York Times bestseller.

3. EXHAUSTED TO ENERGIZED

I love Dr. Libby!  Practical, knowledgeable and a one stop shop for all things health related (especially women’s health) in this book, Dr. Libby goes through all the elements that could be making us feel exhausted.  From “open loops”, allergies, gut health, nutrition, exercise, this book is a great foundation.

Plus, it has a lot of sections dedicated to the gut so that you can understand yours better.

Highly recommend all of Dr. Libby’s books, especially this one!

4. GUT AND PSYCHOLOGY SYNDROME (GAPS)

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride is an expert in this field of study.  Her child was diagnosed with learning disabilities, and she has devoted her time to writing about these subjects and helping other families who may have kids with learning difficulties too. She realized that nutrition played a critical role in helping children and adults to overcome their disabilities, and has pioneered the use of probiotics in this field.

She shows how the link between learning disabilities, nutrition and the condition of our guts is crucial.

5.  NOURISHING TRADITIONS by Sally Fallon

In my humble opinion, this book is a must.  Whilst I don’t actually cook from it that often, the principles Sally goes into are timeless and can be adapted to your home situation.

The work is based on the research and findings from Dr. Westin A. Price, a dentist who, after witnessing a lot of his patients with tooth decay and gum disease, traveled to remote parts of the world in the 1930’s in search of people who had perfect teeth.   And he found them!

The indigenous people in Africa, Alaska, Brazil etc., who did not have access to the white sugar and flours of the West had perfect teeth, low rates of Western diseases and were healthy.  The common denominator:  healthy saturated fats, unprocessed foods, fermented foods and drinks and a method of soaking and preparing grains and legumes.

Sally goes into detail about how to process and prepare wholefoods, and gives you the background and recipes.

PS – the beet kvass recipe in this book is too salty!  Reduce it by half, if you are going to use that recipe.

6. PROBIOTIC DRINKS AT HOME

I wrote my book for you – so that you wouldn’t have to go through the same confusing trials and tribulations, and waste so much time and money in the process of making your own probiotic drinks.

From kombucha to kefir, ginger beer to honey mead - learn to confidently handcraft your own beautiful elixirs and transform your health, one ferment at a time.

7. GUT

Giulia Enders gives us a fascinating and hilarious journey through the digestive system from mouth to ass (sorry!)

 She provides practical advice, such as the best position on the toilet for evacuation, how clean your kitchen should be for health, and how different laxatives work. She tells stories of gut bacteria that can lead to obesity, autoimmune diseases, or even suicide, and she discusses the benefits of probiotics.

She’s my kinda gal!

8. GUT MATTERS BY FOOD MATTERS

This is a nifty little guide with some recipes, background info and practical tips.  It’s a cool little book to give as a gift, or as a Xmas stocking filler from the experts at Food Matters.  I bought this along with their Natural Beauty book of the same size and love both!

9. FERMENT

I love this hardcover book by my friend Holly Davis.  Holly is an absolute legend of the wholefoods scene in Australia, having been one of the founders of IKU wholefoods.

Holly has cooked for me and my young daughters, and we all savoured every morsel.  We spent a very memorable morning with her, and drank lots of tea, ate sourdough crumpets and my little girls lost themselves playing fairies in her garden.

This book covers more in-depth different types of fermenting, like sourdough and Japanese plums and some of the processes are quite detailed – so you may need to carve out a little more time.

It’s a gorgeous book and one I’m sure you will be a welcome addition to your beautiful home.  I love my copy!

10.  CLEAN GUT

This book is an easy read and also gives you a meal plan for getting your gut clean.  It also goes into reversing disease and what practises to do for a long life of health.  It’s true that all disease begins in an irritated and stressed gut, and this book goes into detail about how and why.

It’s not a pretty coffee table book (I got mine out from the library) but it does provide a solid basis for your gut health.

So there you have it!  My top 10 books for a vibrant life!

What do you think?  Are there any I have missed that I should have included?

As always, thank you for being here, and please share this blog with your facebook friends (hit the share button on the left) – because we all need this information.

Love,