Recommended Reading
These are books that have influenced my own teaching and continue to shape my understanding of nutrition, brain health, healthy aging, and Ayurveda. I don’t necessarily agree with every recommendation made by every author, but each offers valuable insights that can help you better understand and care for your brain and body.
Note: Some of the books below discuss intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating. While these approaches can be valuable tools for many people, they are not appropriate for everyone. Educational materials, programs, products and services are not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of advice and treatment from your personal health care provider. Readers are advised to consult their own qualified health professionals regarding any exercise program.
Start Here
Atomic Habits (2018)
by James Clear
A practical guide to creating lasting change through small, consistent habits. This book helps you turn intention into daily action—an essential foundation for everything else.
Ultra-Processed People (2023)
by Chris van Tulleken, MD
A powerful and eye-opening look at how modern processed foods affect appetite, metabolism, and brain health. This book often creates the “aha” moment that makes change feel obvious.
Sleep Smarter (2016)
by Shawn Stevenson
A simple, actionable guide to improving sleep—one of the most important and often overlooked pillars of brain health. Many people notice benefits quickly with even a few changes.
🌿 Next Steps
Young Forever (2023)
by Mark Hyman, MD
A big-picture view of how inflammation, food, movement, sleep, and toxins shape the aging process. This book connects the dots across many areas of brain and body health.
Meals That Heal Inflammation (2024)
by Julie Daniluk, RHN
A practical, food-first guide to reducing inflammation through whole foods, fibre, and simple recipes. This is where knowledge becomes everyday meals.
Brain Maker (2015)
by David Perlmutter, MD, FACN
Explores the powerful connection between gut health and brain function. A helpful next step in understanding how digestion, microbes, and inflammation influence mood and cognition.
📚 Explore More
The Ageless Brain (2025)
by Dale Bredesen, MD
An updated roadmap for preventing and reversing cognitive decline through personalized, multi-factor approaches.
The End of Alzheimer’s (2017)
by Dale Bredesen, MD
Introduces a functional, root-cause approach to cognitive decline, focusing on inflammation, metabolism, toxins, and lifestyle.
The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer (2023)
by Dan Buettner
Explores the habits and environments of the world’s longest-lived populations, highlighting simplicity, connection, and daily movement.
The Comfort Crisis (2021)
by Michael Easter
Explores how reintroducing challenge, movement, and nature can restore resilience, energy, and mental clarity.
Unbreakable: A Woman’s Guide to Aging with Power (2025)
by Vonda Wright, MD
An empowering, science-based guide to preserving muscle, bone strength, mobility and independence as women age. Wright combines her expertise as an orthopaedic surgeon with practical guidance on strength and aerobic training, nutrition, recovery and lifestyle, with particular attention to the changes that occur through menopause and beyond.
Forever Strong (2023)
by Gabrielle Lyon, DO
Highlights the importance of skeletal muscle for metabolic and cognitive health, emphasizing protein intake and resistance training for healthy aging.
Alzheimer’s: Prevention Is the Cure (2025)
by Patrick Holford, BSc
Focuses on early prevention through nutrition, detoxification, and addressing root causes of cognitive decline.
Upgrade Your Brain (2024)
by Patrick Holford, BSc
Provides targeted nutrition and lifestyle strategies to support memory, focus, and brain performance.
The Hunger Code: Resetting Your Body’s Fat Thermostat in the Age of Ultra-Processed Food (2026)
by Jason Fung, MD
Explores the biological, emotional, and social drivers of hunger, explaining why lasting health depends on understanding why we eat, not simply how much; shows how ultra-processed foods, hormones, meal timing, and our environment influence appetite, offering practical strategies to restore a healthier relationship with hunger and support long-term metabolic health.
Metabolical (2021)
by Robert H. Lustig, MD, MSL
Examines how sugar and processed foods disrupt metabolism and contribute to chronic disease, reinforcing the value of whole foods.
The Menopause Brain (2024)
by Lisa Mosconi, PhD
Explains how hormonal changes affect brain function, mood, and sleep during midlife, with practical strategies for support.
The XX Brain (2020)
by Lisa Mosconi, PhD
Explores the unique biology of the female brain and how nutrition and lifestyle influence long-term cognitive health.
Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best (2026)
by Andrea Donsky, RHN
A practical guide to navigating perimenopause and menopause through evidence-informed nutrition, lifestyle, and self-care; translates the science into realistic strategies for managing symptoms, supporting hormonal balance, and promoting healthy aging.
Brain Energy (2022)
by Christopher M. Palmer, MD
Connects mental health and cognitive function to metabolic and mitochondrial health, offering a new lens on brain disorders.
Reversing Alzheimer’s (2024)
by Heather Sandison, ND
Provides a practical, accessible guide to improving cognitive function using lifestyle-based strategies and real-world examples.
🌿 Ayurveda & Circadian Living
Ayurveda Beginner’s Guide: Essential Ayurvedic Principles and Practices to Balance and Heal Naturally (2018)
by Susan Weis-Bohlen
An accessible introduction to the foundational principles of Ayurveda, including the doshas, daily routines, digestion, and seasonal living. A wonderful place to begin if you’re new to Ayurvedic philosophy and practice.
The 3-Season Diet (2014)
by John Douillard, DC, CAP
Douillard blends Ayurveda with modern nutrition, encouraging us to eat seasonally and support digestion according to nature’s rhythms. His practical approach makes Ayurveda easy to incorporate into everyday life.
Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life (2015)
by Suhas Kshirsagar, BAMS, MD (Ayurveda), with Michelle Seaton
Explores how aligning meals, sleep, movement, and daily routines with our circadian biology can dramatically improve health and energy. A thoughtful bridge between ancient Ayurvedic wisdom and modern chronobiology.
Perfect Health (Revised edition, 2015)
by Deepak Chopra, MD
A modern classic that introduces Ayurveda as a complete system for achieving balance in body, mind, and spirit. Chopra presents practical guidance for understanding your constitution and creating lifelong healthy habits.
Body Thrive (2019)
by Cate Stillman
Translates Ayurvedic daily routines into simple, sustainable habits that support digestion, energy, and long-term balance.
The Circadian Code (2018)
by Satchin Panda, PhD
Based on pioneering circadian rhythm research, Panda explains how the timing of eating, sleeping, and light exposure influences metabolism, brain health, and longevity. An excellent scientific companion to Ayurvedic daily routines.
Eat, Feel, Fresh (2018)
by Sahara Rose Ketabi
A vibrant introduction to Ayurvedic cooking, combining traditional wisdom with modern ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. Particularly appealing for those new to Ayurvedic nutrition.
What to Eat for How You Feel (2017)
by Divya Alter
Beautifully connects food with digestion, energy, mood, and overall well-being through seasonal, whole-food recipes rooted in Ayurveda. Includes practical guidance for adapting meals to your body’s changing needs.
Ayurveda Cooking for Beginners: An Ayurvedic Cookbook to Balance and Heal (2023)
by Laura Plumb
A beginner-friendly cookbook that introduces Ayurvedic cooking through simple recipes and clear explanations of the doshas, digestion, and mindful eating. An excellent first cookbook for home cooks.
Eat-Taste-Heal: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living (Second Edition, 2013)
by Thomas Yarema, MD, Daniel Rhoda, and Johnny Brannigan
One of the most comprehensive Ayurvedic cookbooks available, combining traditional principles with contemporary nutritional science. Includes extensive guidance on food selection, seasonal eating, recipes, and adapting meals for different constitutions.