The Last Minute Food & Nutrition Holiday Gift Book Guide

Disclaimer – while I received free copies of Fertility Foods, 365 Snacks for Every Day of the Year, and The MIND Diet, all opinions are 100% my own.  I only write about products and books that I truly believe in. 

I’m always late to the party when it comes to buying holiday presents, but procrastination brings out the best in my gift ideas!  I don’t like buying knick-knacky things or items that just sit in the drawer. On the contrary, experiences and items that can better one’s life through food are more my style.

2018 is going to be there year of the book for me.  I’m resolving to read more, especially on topics related to food and mood,  since I not only find it enjoyable, but it also betters my life and boosts my knowledge. If you know someone like that, then why not get them an awesome food and nutrition book as a holiday gift this year!

Fertility Foods: 100+ Recipes to Nourish Your Body While Trying to Conceive

By Elizabeth Shaw MS, RDN and Chef Sara Haas RDN, LDN

The title “Fertility Foods” by the amazing Dietitian duo of Liz Shaw and Sara Haas may spark one of a couple thoughts in your head. Probably either, “this is just the book I need to help me in my journey to be a mom or dad, OR  “umm, no thanks, keep those sperm away from my ovaries”.  Believe me, you do not need to be trying to conceive to enjoy this book.  Not only is it absolutely gorgeous and laid out well, but the recipes are DELICIOUS !   I should know because I helped test some of them!  I can personally attest to the Zesty Mango Lime Preserves, Breakfast Flatbread with Salmon and Dill Cream Cheese, Umami (Turkey and Mushroom) Burger, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Protein Packed Freezer Burritos, and the Arugula Salad with Apricots and Champagne Vinaigrette. Whether your looking to conceive or not, this book is brilliant.  Basically, if you like food, you’ll love Fertility Foods.

365 Snacks for Every Day of the Year 

By Sarah Koszyk MA, RDN

I LOVE snacks! Who’s not looking for new snack ideas? Sarah’s got you covered with literally 365 ideas for snacks. It’s a pretty genius concept that I wish I had thought of!  Chapters are broken up into Snacks at Home, Snacks at School or Work, Snacks on the Go, Snacks at a Convenience Store and Snacks for Your Sweet Tooth.   I wrote a review of Sarah’s book earlier this year.  You can read my full review here!

Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients that Fuel Brain Power, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health

By  Drew Ramsey, MD

Drew Ramsey is a psychiatrist that believes food has the ultimate medicinal power for brain and overall health.  If you eat for brain power, you WILL lose weight because you’re eating whole foods focusing on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean grass fed animal proteins, plant based proteins, seafood, nuts, seeds and olive oil. I love how this book is laid out.  Dr Ramsey gives you info on why certain nutrients, such as vitamin D, iron and vitamin B12 are good for your brain, the recommended daily amounts, the types of foods the nutrients can be found in and a whole mess of delicious recipes featuring the 21 nutrients.

The MIND Diet: A Scientific Approach to Enhancing Brain Function and Helping Prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia

By Maggie Moon MS, RDN

The MIND Diet stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Cognitive Delay and is based on the studies of the same name by Dr Martha Clare Morris.  The MIND Diet tells you what you should eat  and what you should limit to help keep cognitive decline at bay. Let’s just say that wine is included in the MIND Diet!  YES!  Maggie lays out the research in an easy to read manner AND gives you delicious and craveable good-for-the-mind recipes so that you can put theory into action. Don’t wait until it’s too late to start taking care of your brain! Get Maggie’s book now!

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

By Charles Duhigg

If you’re interested in why you might eat cookies at work every day at 3pm like clockwork, or why depending on your willpower is usually a big fat fail when making healthy choices, then you won’t be able to put down this book.  Not necessarily a nutrition book, The Power of Habit walks us through the habit loop of cue, routine and reward.  Not only will it make you think about your daily habits, but you’ll also learn the secrets into how big corporations get you to buy their stuff by making that stuff part of your habits! 

From the Earth to the Table: John Ash’s Wine Country Cuisine

By John Ash and Sid Goldstein

In light of the recent wildfires up in Sonoma County, California, From the Earth to the Table pays tribute to the cuisine of that region.  There are thousands of cookbooks that have come out since 1995, but I turn to this book time and time again.  It’s seriously my favorite cookbook. Maybe this book makes me nostalgic for my cooking days working in Sonoma, but my trip down memory lane doesn’t matter because the food you’ll make is just damn good.  Featuring lots of produce forward recipes overflowing with herbs, spices and tons of flavor, it’s a book with healthy recipes without trying to be healthy. 

Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate

By Patricia Wells

We ALL know that we should eat more veggies, but sometimes it’s just so hard to think of new and delicious ways to prepare them.  Plant forward cooking is super trendy right now, but Patricia Wells was putting “vegetables at the center of the plate” in her home and cooking classes in France before restaurants in big American cities started focusing on that idea. Published in 2007, Vegetable Harvest emphasizes all the colors of the rainbow in appetizers, soups, salads, seafood and even breads, just to name a few categories.  Every time I open this book, I’m inspired to move to the south of France!

Breakthrough Depression Solution : Mastering Your Mood With Nutrition, Diet & Supplementation

James Greenblatt, MD 

I saw Dr Greenblatt speak in Chicago earlier this year on Integrative and Nutritional Strategies for Anxiety and after that event, I decided that I must read every book this man has written!  It is so refreshing to see a psychiatrist take an integrative approach that includes nutrition and doesn’t automatically turn to meds for every case. In this book, he makes the case for individualized medicine by treating the person and not the crowd.  Not everyone with depression can take an anti-depressant and magically solve their problems.  If you know someone who is curious about how the brain works with regards to depression, Dr Greenblatt’s book is a fascinating read!