Gifts for the Health Nut in your Life

December 14, 2008

Since I have more than a passing interest in health, I tend to get this question often: what do you think are the best books to read. You might not think so at first, but I also get a related question: how do you stay motivated to eat a healthy diet? And this time of year, people are always asking me what are good gifts for the health nut in their lives.

I love books, a few of the books below have changed my life; not too many gifts have that ability, so most of this post is about books. But I’ve also included a few gadgets in case your health nut is into that kind of thing. So, take this post as a gift list for health nuts, or take it as a reading list for staying on track; either way, here are my suggestions for what to get a health nut for Christmas, or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.

Best Books:

	The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan is one of the best books in recent memory on the subject of food and how far we have moved from considering food something to nourish our bodies instead of a commodity.Pollan’s examination of our food chain is fascinating and you will never look at food the same after reading this book.
	Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallow is a interesting read and cookbook all rolled into one. Fallow fights against what she calls the dietary dictocrats, those that decide what we are supposed to eat based, not basing their decisions on any real understanding of human nutrition. I agree. Most of what passes for dietary recommendations is based on what we are eating not on what we should be eating.
	Joseph Mercola’s The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for the Rest of Your Life is a great resource for anyone looking to avoid those foods that act like sugar in the body. Dr. Mercola and I share the belief that the foods that you put in your mouth matter and that much of the disease we see around us can be reduced by changing what we eat.
	Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine: Improving Health and Longevity with Native Nutrition This is one of the not as well known books, but a great one along the lines of the Paleolithic Diet. Ronald Schmid’s book changed my life and, as a naturopathic doctor, he has studied nutrition better than most health practitioners.
	Sugar Blues is a classic and should be read by everyone. This is the first of the sugar books that showed the connection between sugar and disease. It is a shame to think that this book came out in the 1970s and we are now consuming more sugar than we did then. There is now much better research on the addictive and harmful aspects of sugar consumption, and, hopefully we can reduce that trend.
	Sugarettes . Okay, I had to put my own book in here. My hope is that Sugarettes is a wake-up call and the government and that scientists start taking a closer look at the harmful aspects of the diet we all seem to be eating with little regard for our health.

What about other gadgets?

	Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor Watch This Polar heart rate monitor is relatively simple and inexpensive. A great starter heart rate monitor.
	Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor This heart rate monitor packs a big punch in a little package. Heart rate monitor and GPS to determine distance. Great for the health nut/tech geek.
	Polar FT80 Heart Rate Monitor Watch Okay, enough heart rate monitors, right? I have been coveting this one for a while just on its cool looks. But it not only looks cool, it can actually act as a health coach, helping you throughout your training.
	Plantlife Aromatherapy Massage Oil- 3 Pack Who doesn’t like massage? These are great plant-based massage oils that can help those tired muscles after a good workout, or just sooth after a long day at work.
	Body Back Buddy Massage Cane These massage canes look strange, but I wouldn’t let anyone take mine because it is so helpful to find those tight muscles you just cannot reach yourself. I use mine all the time when I’m taking a break in front of the computer.
	Homedics PA-5H Therapist Select Hand Held Percussion Massager (Includes Heat and 2 Attachments) Are you too tired to give a massage, try one of these. Ten minutes with one of these and you will feel great. These electronic massagers also do a great job at loosening up those very tight muscles.