My favorite books to learn how to eat healthy and live healthy for life

Why am I passionate about this?

Facing death at the age of 26, I was determined to turn my health and my life around. Grateful for a second chance, I studied everything I could about health and wellness. I learned about herbs and healthy eating, but my real turn-around happened when I started to study the power of the mind through hypnosis and biofeedback. I founded a wellness & weight loss program sponsored by over 100 corporations, such as Disney and Home Depot. My own books teach not only healthy eating but how to change your mindset. My recommended books were a lifesaver as they helped me learn about how to eat for my body type when I needed it most.


I wrote...

CBD for Health and Wellness: Questions You Should Be Asking

By Rena Greenberg,

Book cover of CBD for Health and Wellness: Questions You Should Be Asking

What is my book about?

If you're struggling with pain, anxiety, insomnia, or low energy, CBD could be the answer to your prayers. The issue is, all CBD is not equal. Why is there so much CBD misinformation out there? If you tried CBD and it didn’t work for you, or if you’re thinking of buying CBD, but are unsure of what to get, CBD for Health and Wellness: Questions You Should be Asking is a must-read. 

You’ll discover what CBD is, what are the four types of CBD, what you need to look for on the label of any CBD product you buy. You’ll learn how to read a third-party lab analysis and why 3rd party testing is essential. You’ll learn the difference between CBD, Hemp and Medical Marijuana, and so much more. 

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Rena Greenberg Why did I love this book?

I love this book because it offers so much information about cooking with whole foods. I love that it acknowledges the importance of eating animal protein along with consuming very healthy vegan plant-based foods. In an age where it has become very politically incorrect to talk about the virtues of meat, I appreciate the emphasis on clean eating, as opposed to eliminating an entire food type (meat) that may be necessary to prevent blood sugar imbalances for some people.

By Sally Fallon,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Nourishing Traditions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods contains a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. Sally Fallon dispels the myths of the current low-fat fad in this practical, entertaining guide to a can-do diet that is both nutritious and delicious.
Nourishing Traditions will tell you: *Why your body needs old fashioned animal fats *Why butter is a health food *How high-cholesterol diets promote good health *How saturated fats protect the heart *How…


Book cover of Food and Healing: How What You Eat Determines Your Health, Your Well-Being, and the Quality of Your Life

Rena Greenberg Why did I love this book?

This book was life-changing for me. Annemarie Colbin shares so much wisdom about eating whole foods as opposed to being on any kind of diet. She is a big advocate of “listening to your body.” She even asserts that if you “forget” to take your supplements, it could be because your body doesn’t need them at this time. In that case, she encourages taking a short break. This book inspired in me the idea of trusting your body to let you know what foods are best for you.

By Annemarie Colbin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Food and Healing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Yes, you are what you eat. For everyone who wonders why, in this era of advanced medicine, we still suffer so much serious illness, Food and Healing is essential reading.

“An eminently practical, authoritative, and supportive guide to making everyday decisions about eating that can transform our lives. Food and Healing is a remarkable achievement.”—Richard Grossman, Director, The Health in Medicine Project, Montefiore Medical Center

Annemarie Colbin, founder of New York's renowned Natural Gourmet Cookery School and author of The Book of Whole Meals, argues passionately that we must take responsibility for our own health and rely less on modern…


Book cover of Are You Confused?

Rena Greenberg Why did I love this book?

30 years ago, when I was recovering from having a pacemaker implanted in my heart at the young age of 26, I was struggling to figure out how to turn my health around. Though none of my doctors agreed with me, I was certain that the right nutrition could make a difference. On my own, I quit sugar, alcohol, and all substances. This book and others by Dr. Airola helped me immensely in getting my blood sugar under control and to use food to find balance.

By Paavo Airola,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Are You Confused? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Would you like to know...
* What foods to eat for optimum health?
* High or low protein diet - which is better?
* How arthritis and cancer are cured in Europe?
* and more.

If only one of the answers, suggestions and tips offered in this book can help to De-CONFUSE your mind and lead you to better health and longer life, then you will be richly rewarded for the effort of reading it.


Book cover of Carlton Fredericks' Nutrition Guide for the Prevention and Cure of Common Ailments and Diseases

Rena Greenberg Why did I love this book?

Dr. Carlton Fredericks was a nutrition expert ahead of his time. When I was living in New York City in my 20s, I became very sick after living in Tahiti and Guadeloupe, working for Club Med. I pounded the pavement going from doctor to doctor looking for answers. Ultimately, it turned out that I had a systemic infection that caused my heart to almost stop beating.

Still, after a three-week stay in the cardiac care unit of Brooklyn’s Methodist Hospital and a pacemaker implanted in my heart that was keeping me alive, I wanted to know how to thrive. I didn’t want to live as a “sick person” which is what I had become.

I went to see Dr. Fredericks who worked in Dr. Robert Atkins's office, at the time, on the upper east side of Manhattan. He showed me how to eat to balance my blood sugar and get my strength back. His books have been life-changing for me, and inspired me to create a hospital-based program (using hypnosis) to help people get motivated to lose weight and eat healthy for life.

By Carlton Fredericks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Carlton Fredericks' Nutrition Guide for the Prevention and Cure of Common Ailments and Diseases as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sets forth nutritional, vitamin, and mineral therapies for treating common psychological and physical disorders


Book cover of My Voice Will Go with You: The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson

Rena Greenberg Why did I love this book?

Milton Erickson is known as one of the greatest hypnotherapists of all time. Reading his work inspired me to go into the field of hypnosis and biofeedback, decades ago. I feel so grateful to him. This book is an amazing inspirational collection of some of his cases and how he helped so many people to heal. Thirty years ago, after I was thankfully able to restore my own health after almost dying at the age of 26, through the inspiration of Dr. Erickson and others, I created my own hypnotherapy program, in hospitals and corporations, where I was able to help over 200,000 people to lose weight, stop smoking and get healthy.

By Sidney Rosen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Voice Will Go with You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Milton H. Erickson has been called the most influential hypnotherapist of our time. Part of his therapy was his use of teaching tales, which through shock, surprise, or confusion-with genius use of questions, puns, and playful humor-helped people to see their situations in a new way. In this book Sidney Rosen has collected over one hundred of the tales. Presented verbatim and accompanied by Dr. Rosen's commentary, they are grouped under such headings as Motivating Tales, Reframing, and Capturing the Innocent Eye.


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Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

By Antonieta Contreras,

Book cover of Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

Antonieta Contreras Author Of Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

As a trauma therapist and dedicated researcher, I love uncovering valuable insights within lesser-known books. There are hidden gems, free from the pressure of commercial success, crafted by authors deeply committed to research, understanding, and the art of writing itself. Their dedication resonates with me, as I believe in the profound value of information and the power of critical thinking. Through my own book, Traumatization and Its Aftermath, I aim to emphasize that psychological concepts often lose their depth in translation and my mission is spreading awareness and fostering a deeper understanding of trauma and its intricate facets. With that idea in mind, I chose these five titles. 

Antonieta's book list on uncovering the human experience and exploring the depths of trauma

What is my book about?

A fresh take on the difference between trauma and hardship in order to help accurately spot the difference and avoid over-generalizations.

The book integrates the latest findings in brain science, child development, psycho-social context, theory, and clinical experiences to make the case that trauma is much more than a cluster of symptoms to be tamed, but instead best understood as development gone off course, away from growth and towards (only) survival.

This book prompts a profound shift in perception, inviting to view trauma as an intricate and diverse experience, a point of view that ultimately leads to sharper treatment and, hopefully, more healing. It encourages a transition from asking, "What happened to you?" to the deeper question, "What is your relationship with what happened to you?"

Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

By Antonieta Contreras,

What is this book about?

The book is comprehensive, bold, and practical-a much-needed resource for the assessment and treatment of trauma. Instead of the traditional focus on the overall importance of healing, Traumatization and its Aftermath decodes why some people don't heal as easily as others, analyzes the various failures of diagnosis, and explains how to make therapeutic interventions truly effective.

This book offers a systemic deep dive into traumatization that clarifies myths and misinformation about the entire spectrum of trauma and provides both clinicians and non-clinicians with the right level of validation, preventive measures, conceptualization methodology, assessment tools, and healing facts that have not…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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