[Last day to enter my HUGE Swanson Vitamins giveaway!]
I don’t read as much as I’d like. When school is in session, I get bogged down with tons of reading for my classes and start to neglect reading for pleasure. It’s something I regret and when I finally have time to get back into reading ‘for me’ I always am reminded how much I enjoy it.
Summer is PRIME TIME to get into reading the books I love. As much as I like fiction, lately I have been on a memoir (especially comedy ones!), non-fiction, and self-help book kick. I’ve read 3 books this summer that really spoke to me in ways I never would have imagined and have definitely made my list of must recommend books. I seriously just feel like telling the world about these amazing reads!
Not only are these book highly engaging, but they’ve also helped me learn so much about myself. Their powerful messages have inspired me to make changes in my own life and have pointed me on the path to self fulfillment, healing, and confidence.
Of course reading a book isn’t going to change your life (only YOU can do that!), but it can certainly give you a strong foundation on which make positive forward motion and working towards your goals.
If you’re feeling a little lost, a little unmotivated, or just like you need a good talking to…these 3 books are for you. They’re all very different but they all have helped me in immense ways! I hope they’ll speak you in the same way they spoke to me. 
The Perfection Myth by Madelyn Moon
Maddy is my girl! I’ve looked up to her for so long and am constantly inspired by her positive attitude and balanced approach to life. She’s someone who has made it out of a dark place of restriction, regimentation, and routine and now lives a full, happy life. Her book The Perfection Myth is an exclusive look inside her past and how she broke away from the food and exercise rules that once consumed her. Not only does she share her own story, but she basically gives you a step by step guide on how to free yourself as well. It’s a lot easier said than done, but Maddy acknowledges that. She helps explain our addiction to the pursuit of perfection and offers solutions on how to be more comfortable with who we are as we are. Diets are not the answer. No amount of time spent in the gym will make you miraculously wake up and love yourself. Controlling every aspect of your life only leads to anguish and being MORE out of control in the long run. Things don’t have to be so complicated and Maddy is proof of that. Our bodies are a lot smarter than we think and they don’t need as much rigidity as we try to impose on them.
This book is empowering. It is just the right dose of positivity and reality that will change your perception of how you should be micro-managing your food and exercise habits. Also, it’s super short so you can read it in an afternoon! Perfect for jump starting your path to freedom IMMEDIATELY!
The Truth About Exercise Addiction by Katherine Schreiber
I have never had such a clear understanding of my struggles until I read this book. As I’ve said to everyone I’ve told this book about, this book NAILS MY LIFE. Exercise addiction is clearly defined and there is a systematic exploration the impulses, compulsions, obsessions, and driving forces behind it. It begins by explaining the history of over-exercise and relates it to the consequent rise of ‘thinspo’ in the health and fitness world. One of the aspects of exercise addiction that makes it so hard to overcome is its association with a ‘healthy behavior’. Unlike drug addiction (or other vices), exercise is promoted and encouraged by many outlets throughout society. It makes it hard for addicts to contend with the fact that their actions really are hurting them. With that in mind, author goes into great detail about why people turn to exercise addiction as a coping strategy and what types of individuals may be predisposed to this type of condition.
My favorite part of the book was the chapter with testimonials and profiles of real exercise addicts. It really helps the reader understand what exercise addiction looks and feels like (though I know firsthand). It’s quite astonishing how this seemingly healthy behavior morphs into a dangerous means of self-destruction so quickly.
The number one thing this book does is to solidify that exercise addiction is very real. It’s pervasive and affects its sufferers in every facet of life. If you even remotely feel your relationship with exercise may be verging on disordered, I highly encourage you to pick up this book. It will change your mindset and begin the healing process between you and your fitness routine. The back appendices include a wealth of resources for treatment options and places to seek help. If anything, this book will make you feel less alone in your battles. Also it can be a valuable tool for family and friends who may think their loved one is suffering from exercise addiction.
The Gluten Lie by Alan Levinovitz
THIS BOOK. I can definitively say it is one of my all time favorites. It takes a no-nonsense approach to the food fads that have plagued our society for far too long and sheds light on how easily we are led to believe food falsities. By delving into the history between cultish diet trends that swept our nation (think low-fat, gluten-free, paleo, etc.), Alan Levinovitz dispels the dogmatic beliefs we’ve been force-fed by wannabe gurus and aims to disqualify the old saying that you are what you eat. My favorite part of the book is the beginning in which he focuses heavily on the book’s namesake, ‘the gluten lie’. He starts off by comparing the gluten-free fad to the mass hysteria that erupted over MSG in the second half of the 20th century. Unlike, MSG however, the gluten-free trend has real consequences. Aside from undermining those that have the real disease (celiac disease), going gluten-free without a real medical need feeds into the stigma that builds up around certain foods. Levinovitz attacks false prophets like authors of Grain Brain and Wheat Belly for touting “collections of unfounded speculations, cherry-picked data, and overconfident hypotheses.” Instead of helping people, these quack scientists are attracting people to their personal beliefs and causing them to adopt them with religious zeal. In fact, some of these people might actually start experiencing real symptoms because of something called the ‘nocebo effect’. Basically you believe something so strongly that it physically manifests itself within you. Isn’t it curious that a lot of the supposed symptoms of gluten sensitivity mimic those that arise with anxiety? I discussed the notion that adverse responses to food may be psychosomatic to some degree in this post.
Overall, Levinovitz attributes the quick rise of new scapegoat foods to our constant and ever-increasing fear and anxiety. That is the real harm in our religious obsession with food. The problem with this mindset is that once you eliminate one thing, it seems necessary and plausible to remove another. This turns into a vicious cycle and soon enough you’re removing whole categories of food based on the latest claim you heard from Dr. Oz or the Food Babe. Getting stuck in this unending cycle only allows you to spend the rest of your life obsessing about food rather than just enjoying it.
In the remaining chapters, he also delves into the misguided beliefs surrounding fat, sugar, and salt. As you can see, we have a history of demonizing food on a transitional basis. The truth though is that we still don’t know a whole heck of a lot about nutrition. It’s a new, burgeoning science and by swearing off certain foods without any legitimate scientific basis we are creating a breeding ground for eating disorders, mass socio/psychogenic illness, and unnecessary food fears.
Aside from its powerful message, the book is well written, fast paced, and highly entertaining! Levinovitz is a great writer who relays his message through wit and sarcasm. Everything is science backed and you will not be able to read this book without questioning how gullible you’ve been over the years. I have to admit, he plays one trick at the end that even got me! Let’s just say he REALLY unpacks the methodology that goes into rise of food phobic diets. 😉
Do you read for pleasure?
What’s the last book you read?
What’s your favorite type of book to read?
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30 responses to “3 Books You Must Read to Take Back Your Life”
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Ohhh man I want to read ALL of these! Especially that first one! It sounds like a good read for anyone who’s been a little too obsessed with being “healthy” 🙂
These look really good! I tend to love and gravitate towards fiction and poetry. My mind is already consumed all the time with food/exercise–so reading those type of books even if they’re meant to actually pinpoint and help those with those kinds of addictions–it just makes it worse for me.
I try to read books that thoroughly and emotionally move me to my core. I’ve mentioned to you before–I love love love Room–I might have to read it again.
I have waiting for me–“Amy and Isabelle”–looks really good–about a mother/daughter relationship and what happens when the mom finds out the teenage girl has been having an affair with her teacher. Just looks really riveting.
Harper Lee–the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird”–which I was obsessed with as a teen–just came out with a new novel–I can’t remember the name–but it looks amazing!
Have you read “The Kite Runner?” that’s another one of my faves–and I have a feeling it’d be right up your alley.
Room really struck a cord with me too. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it exactly but it really gave me a lot to think about and kept me intrigued the whole time I read it! I LOVE the Kite Runner btw…I read it in high school!
Yup, I do read for pleasure but I didn’t allow myself that pleasure while I was raising kids. There was never time. Now I love reading. My favorite books are suspense or horror, although there doesn’t seem to be any good horror out any more. I also love reading about nature and the environment. The last book I read was Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. That is my dream to go and spend a couple of weeks exploring the islands and wildlife there. Someday…in the meantime, we all do what we need to do to get us from point A to point B and it’s sad that we miss out on so much life in between. My advice, learn it while your young cause life is too short!
Gosh I would love to the Galapagos! Such an amazingly beautiful and unique place!
These all look really interesting! Definitely feel my reading list expanding… 😉 One book that it reminded me of is Diet Cults http://www.mattfitzgerald.org/books/diet-cults-book/ – I heard Matt on a podcast and it sounded really interesting, haven’t got round to reading it yet.
Ooh if you do too we should totally read and discuss it, book-club style!
Oooooh I need to add that to my list!! Looks interesting!!
They sound great, but in your last post you said of your muffins: “My version is gluten and grain free, high protein, low carb, and have a light citrus flavor that are just perfect for a summer snack! They can be made VEGAN and have no added sugar.” and then in your review you talk about how “By delving into the history between cultish diet trends that swept our nation (think low-fat, gluten-free, paleo, etc.)…” it just seems very hypocritical. You talk about one thing but do another…just an observation.
Hi Jen, there really is no need to comment under different names. I am able to see that your comments come from the same IP address. I don’t follow a gluten free, vegan, or low carb diet, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s bad to eat foods that fall under those categories as part of a balanced diet. If you read my review, my criticism comes from the fact that people start following specific diets as if they are religions. These diet fads gain cultish followings and end up brain washing people into demonizing whole food groups and types of food. I eat a balanced diet that includes ALL the food groups and takes elements of many different diets.
These all look SO good! I just requested every single one at my library.. perfect for summer reading 🙂
That’s awesome! Let me know how you like them!!
Thanks for the reading tips! I’m always reading every food-related book out there, and needed some new ones to add to the list! 😀
You will love these!!
I LOVE reading. It brings me to my happy place. I love reading when I take a break from things and right before bed. And when I eat breakfast. And lunch. Yay reading =D I get it though, I remember when I was in school I couldn’t find much time for reading. There is too much time spent reading school books.
Those 3 books sounds great! I’m especially interested in the first & third. I have to admit that the gluten-free thing is annoying when people are just jumping onto the fad diet bandwagon. Though I’m not celiac, I do have a medical issue and react poorly to it.
Great reading for the summer =)
Let me know if you end up reading them! I’d love to discuss! 🙂
Sound like three great books! My problem is having no time to read…
Well if you ever get some free time…these are must reads! 🙂
These books are all very much on a theme, aren’t they? We really must stop getting so hung up on obsessively exercising and worrying about what we are consuming. I get so sad when young girls get into this pattern of behaviour, most of it through a fear of not being ‘good enough’. Social media has a lot to answer for on that score! I agree with you about not reading enough. I really need to do more.
Yes! I am happy more books like this are coming to expose the flaws in our collective thinking as a society!
Really interested in reading the last one. All the conflicting food myths are tiring – I miss the days when a varied balanced diet and generally eating healthily was enough.
It IS enough! We just have to remind ourselves of that!
These sound really interesting! Thanks for sharing! I always like to hear of good, inspiring books to read and although I don’t read loads of health books, I do like an informative self-help style read. Very interesting about the food fads and gluten free argument. #brilliantblogposts
I think you’d really enjoy them! They’ve really changed my whole perspective on food and exercise!
These all sound really interesting! I think the first one sounds like the best pick for me. Thanks for sharing! #sitsblogging
Thanks for stopping by!
“The Gluten Lie” sounds really interesting! I’m glad you mentioned it was fast paced and entertaining. Sometimes books like that can be hard to get through, even if the subject matter is interesting. Definitely adding it to my to-read list.
Oh My Gosh I love love love Madelyn Moon and I enjoyed the perfection myth so much! I haven’t read the second one but it looks like it is right up my alley. Actually just last week Kaila Prins had a podcast episode with the author of ‘The Gluten Lie’ and it was a very eye opening and interesting conversation, I am sure you already listened to it though ;). Awesome recommendations girl!
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I’ve heard really great things about all of these books and I’m most excited to read The Gluten Lie. Adding all of these to my list! The last book I’ve read is an oldie but a goody – The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I love reading non-fiction and all the self-help “woo woo” type of books. I’m a sucker for personal development 🙂 I also love cookbooks!
Same here! Non fiction is my fave! And you will LOVE The Gluten Lie!