63 books like The Big Fat Surprise

By Nina Teicholz,

Here are 63 books that The Big Fat Surprise fans have personally recommended if you like The Big Fat Surprise. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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

Book cover of The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest

Jo Dunbar Author Of Nature's Remedies for Stress and Fatigue: Recovering from Burnout

From my list on triumphing over stress and long term fatigue.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a medical herbalist for over 25 years, I have long been treating people for chronic fatigue, post-viral fatigue, and, more recently, Long Covid. These days, there is so much stress to consider too, and I have recognized that stress has a major effect on the health of our bodies and also our life experience. One of my great interests in life is the wisdom of Nature, spirituality, and metaphysics. I love to combine medical science with spirituality, metaphysics, and Nature to contribute to helping people to feel their best through the wisdom of nature.  

Jo's book list on triumphing over stress and long term fatigue

Jo Dunbar Why did Jo love this book?

This was a fascinating read. I love traveling, especially to places where the Western world has had less impact, so this book appealed to me. Having traveled widely, adventurer and expedition leader Dan Buettner set out to discover the areas of the world where people lived longer and more healthily than our average modern human being. 

On a map of the world, he circled five “longevity hotspot” areas in blue, which became known as The Blue Zones. While chronic disease is becoming increasingly common in the developed world, these Blue Zones communities experience low rates of chronic disease and live in good health, easily into their 90’s and even over 100 years. He says that genetics only accounts for about 20–30% of our longevity and ability to live well. The rest is determined by our lifestyle and our diet.

In this wonderful book, he discusses the lifestyles and choices made…

By Dan Buettner,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Blue Zones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A long, healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits. If you adopt the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are you may live up to a decade longer. Buettner has led teams of researchers across the globe--from Costa Rica to Sardinia, Italy, to Okinawa, Japan and beyond--to uncover the secrets of Blue Zones. He found that the recipe for longevity is deeply intertwined with community, lifestyle, and spirituality. People live longer and healthier by embracing a few simple but powerful habits, and by creating the right community around themselves. In The…


Book cover of Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the science and psychology behind sugar addiction ever since I started graduate school at Princeton University. When I was deciding what to study for my dissertation. I knew my topic needed to be something big, important, and meaningful. At the time, we were starting to hear about the dangers of obesity, and I wondered if it was due to our changing food environment, which had more and more sugar in it. I never would have imagined that this project would lead me to over 20 years of research. Learn all about it in my book Sugarless

Nicole's book list on science and psychology of food addiction from a distinguished neuroscientist and nutrition expert

Nicole Avena Why did Nicole love this book?

The reason why I absolutely love this book is because he does not hold back in sharing the unfiltered truth behind processed foods and how they are destroying our health. I especially love how effortlessly Dr. Lustig draws readers in by being direct, concise, and sharing some personal experiences along the way.

By Robert H Lustig,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Metabolical as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Did you know that 62% of the food in our supermarkets is not only processed but 'ultra-processed' (ingredients from other foods are combined to make something 'new', often in colours that do not exist in nature) and that data shows that by eating this kind of food over time we are literally slowly poisoning ourselves?

In the hard-hitting, ground-breaking tradition of his NY Times bestseller FAT CHANCE, which revealed the dangers of sugar, Dr Robert Lustig persuasively presents a stark expose of how our addiction to processed foods (aided and abetted by the food industry, big ag, big pharma, institutional…


Book cover of The Ketogenic Bible: The Authoritative Guide to Ketosis

Mary T. Newport Author Of Clearly Keto: For Healthy Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention

From my list on healthier aging of body and brain through diet and lifestyle changes (by a doctor).

Why am I passionate about this?

At just fifty-four, my husband Steve was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2004. After practicing as a physician specializing in newborn intensive care for thirty years, I found myself at the opposite end of the spectrum, learning everything I could about Alzheimer’s. In 2008, Steve had a dramatic improvement in his symptoms lasting nearly four years from consuming ketogenic coconut oil and MCT oil, a low-carb whole food diet, and later a ketone ester developed at the NIH. I knew that if Steve improved many others would as well, and have been compelled to share this information by speaking and writing about ketones as an alternative fuel for the brain.

Mary's book list on healthier aging of body and brain through diet and lifestyle changes (by a doctor)

Mary T. Newport Why did Mary love this book?

There are long-held misconceptions that the ketogenic diet is all bacon and eggs and that the diet isn’t palatable or sustainable for the long term. The Ketogenic Bible by doctors Ryan Lowery and Jacob Wilson blows those misconceptions away and provides comprehensive information for anyone who is considering the keto diet, how to plan the diet, and how to avoid common problems.

The recipes are delicious, nutritious, and beautifully illustrated in the book.

By Jacob Wilson, Ryan Lowery,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ketogenic Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The ketogenic diet is emerging as one of the most popular diets for health and weight loss, and for good reason. No other diet has the same benefits for health concerns ranging from obesity and type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease to cancer—not to mention its positive effects on athletic performance. In The Ketogenic Bible, Jacob Wilson and Ryan Lowery offer a comprehensive look at the ketogenic diet and the fat-burning state it induces: ketosis. It’s the most complete source for information on keto—not only how to follow a ketogenic diet but also how it affects the bodily systems and…


Book cover of Keto for Cancer: Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy as a Targeted Nutritional Strategy

Mary T. Newport Author Of Clearly Keto: For Healthy Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention

From my list on healthier aging of body and brain through diet and lifestyle changes (by a doctor).

Why am I passionate about this?

At just fifty-four, my husband Steve was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2004. After practicing as a physician specializing in newborn intensive care for thirty years, I found myself at the opposite end of the spectrum, learning everything I could about Alzheimer’s. In 2008, Steve had a dramatic improvement in his symptoms lasting nearly four years from consuming ketogenic coconut oil and MCT oil, a low-carb whole food diet, and later a ketone ester developed at the NIH. I knew that if Steve improved many others would as well, and have been compelled to share this information by speaking and writing about ketones as an alternative fuel for the brain.

Mary's book list on healthier aging of body and brain through diet and lifestyle changes (by a doctor)

Mary T. Newport Why did Mary love this book?

The author of Keto for Cancer, Miriam Kalamian, became a nutritionist specializing in the ketogenic diet when her young son developed brain cancer, and, through her perseverance, he lived years beyond expectations.

Most people don’t realize that there is a connection between diet and cancer. Kalamian explains that many types of cancer cells love sugar, and depriving these cells of sugar by eating a ketogenic diet can slow cancer growth. Many clinical trials of the keto diet combined with standard treatment are in progress for various types of cancer. Kalamian explains the rationale and how to put this strict version of the keto diet into action.

I found the book to be very complete, highly informative, and easy to understand. 

By Miriam Kalamian,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Keto for Cancer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Keto for Cancer brings clarity to this emerging science and makes implementation of this information straightforward and uncomplicated."-David Perlmutter, New York Times bestselling author

"This book addresses every question or concern that cancer patients might have in using a ketogenic metabolic strategy for managing their cancer."-Thomas Seyfried ,PhD

THE comprehensive guide for patients and practitioners from a foremost authority in the emerging field of metabolic therapies for cancer.

Although evidence supporting the benefits of ketogenic diet therapies continues to mount, there is little to guide those who wish to adopt this diet as a metabolic therapy for cancer. Keto for…


Book cover of The Future of Nutrition: An Insider's Look at the Science, Why We Keep Getting It Wrong, and How to Start Getting It Right

William W. Li Author Of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself

From my list on to help you eat to beat disease.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a physician, scientist, and food as medicine researcher who has spent three decades studying how the body defends itself against disease to protect health. A major focus of this has been on how your body responds to what you feed it. I'm an internationally renowned physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestseller Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. My work has led to the development of more than 30 new medical treatments and impacts care for more than 70 diseases. My TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views. 

William's book list on to help you eat to beat disease

William W. Li Why did William love this book?

T. Colin Campbell is most famous for authoring The China Study, which revealed the striking differences in health between people who eat a traditional, mostly vegetarian, diet versus a Western diet—and the reasons why. The Future of Nutrition is a wry, sometimes cutting retrospective by Campbell on why the American diet has become so unhealthy and why the nutrition, medical, industrial, and government worlds have been so reluctant to change. This book uses the past to suggest ways that we can change for a more hopeful future. Anyone who enjoys a credible exposé (“I knew it!”) on the world of nutrition will love this book.

By T. Colin Campbell, Nelson Disla,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Future of Nutrition as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2020 Foreword Indie Award Winner in the "Health" Category

From the coauthor of The China Study and author of the New York Times bestselling follow-up, Whole

Despite extensive research and overwhelming public information on nutrition and health science, we are more confused than ever-about the foods we eat, what good nutrition looks like, and what it can do for our health.

In The Future of Nutrition, T. Colin Campbell cuts through the noise with an in-depth analysis of our historical relationship to the food we eat, the source of our present information overload, and what our current path means for…


Book cover of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat

Clarkisha Kent Author Of Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto

From my list on to help you kill your inner fatphobe.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a queer, fat disabled Black woman in America, I am all too familiar with the experiences and history that these 5 aforementioned authors detail when it comes how deep fatphobia is embedded in this country. And how it harms us everyday—even if you’re not fat. I remain passionate about the eradication of fatphobia in our society because too much is at stake in terms of housing discrimination, employment discrimination, disability discrimination, healthcare discrimination and etc. for one not to care. - Clarkisha Kent, author and culture critic.

Clarkisha's book list on to help you kill your inner fatphobe

Clarkisha Kent Why did Clarkisha love this book?

Gordon really gets at the heart of why fatphobia is “unfair”.

Because, once again, it’s not just about name-calling. It’s about the fact that our economy, healthcare system, etc., use fatphobia to discriminate against fat people.

And in a way that I guaranteed to impact our quality of life.

By Aubrey Gordon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the creator of Your Fat Friend and co-host of the Maintenance Phase podcast, an explosive indictment of the systemic and cultural bias facing plus-size people.

Anti-fatness is everywhere. In What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat, Aubrey Gordon unearths the cultural attitudes and social systems that have led to people being denied basic needs because they are fat and calls for social justice movements to be inclusive of plus-sized people’s experiences. Unlike the recent wave of memoirs and quasi self-help books that encourage readers to love and accept themselves, Gordon pushes the discussion further towards authentic…


Book cover of Fat

Dawn Woolley Author Of Consuming the Body: Capitalism, Social Media and Commodification

From my list on consumer culture and tearing it down.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a feminist for as long as I can remember. I recall seeing a billboard featuring Sophie Dahl sprawling on a sofa, completely naked. I recognized that I had no control over the images that dominate the visual landscape I inhabit, and I wanted to change this. These books might seem varied, but they all critique aspects of contemporary culture and offer ways to change things. In my academic writing and artwork, I examine these issues through a queer, feminist, and anti-capitalist lens, and these books offer a glimpse into the struggles that I think are important and the methods for change that I think could work.

Dawn's book list on consumer culture and tearing it down

Dawn Woolley Why did Dawn love this book?

This book deals with a subject that I feel strongly about–fat discrimination. It includes diet culture and the damage caused by the medicalization of fat. Lupton’s book was the first I read on this subject, and it is a brilliant, concise introduction to the social and political meanings of fat today.

Importantly, it debunks things like the BMI (body mass index commonly used in medicine to determine a person’s health level) and introduced me to movements such as the Health at Every Size Movement. It describes ways that anti-fat biases are being fought against, and I try to practice them in my life and academic work. 

By Deborah Lupton,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In contemporary western societies, the fat body has become a focus of stigmatizing discourses and practices aimed at disciplining, regulating and containing it. Despite the fact that in many western countries fat bodies outnumber those that are thin, fat people are still socially marginalized, and treated with derision and even repulsion and disgust. Medical and public health experts continue to insist that an 'obesity epidemic' exists and that fatness is a pathological condition which should be prevented and controlled.

Fat is a book about why the fat body has become so reviled and reviewed as diseased, the target of such…


Book cover of The Cancer Code

Brandon LaGreca Author Of Cancer, Stress & Mindset: Focusing the Mind to Empower Healing and Resilience

From my list on to read after a cancer diagnosis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was 32 when diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As a clinician, and now cancer survivor, I’ve become increasingly focused on empowering cancer patients through and beyond remission. Nearly two decades of clinical practice have taught me that an informed and committed patient makes better decisions about their care, harmoniously interfaces with their healthcare team, and stays focused on living a healthy lifestyle. I’ve read countless books about cancer, but this list outlines the essentials that I recommend to patients beginning their healing journey.

Brandon's book list on to read after a cancer diagnosis

Brandon LaGreca Why did Brandon love this book?

After a cancer diagnosis, it is natural to wonder what causes cancer. Our understanding of cancer etiology continues to evolve as the science of genetics deepens. The Cancer Code reviews this research in laymen’s terms such that each reader can construct a narrative about what factors may have contributed to their illness. A successful cancer patient is an informed cancer patient, navigating the system with an appreciation for why some standard of care therapies are more effective than others. This book allowed me to look under the hood of cancer in a way that guided my decisions before and after remission.

By Jason Fung,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cancer Code as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Author of the international bestsellers The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code Dr. Jason Fung returns with an eye-opening biography of cancer in which he offers a radical new paradigm for understanding cancer-and issues a call to action for reducing risk moving forward.

Our understanding of cancer is slowly undergoing a revolution, allowing for the development of more effective treatments. For the first time ever, the death rate from cancer is showing a steady decline . . . but the "War on Cancer" has hardly been won.

In The Cancer Code, Dr. Jason Fung offers a revolutionary new understanding of…


Book cover of The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat

Kenden Alfond Author Of Kosher Macros: 63 Recipes for Eating Everything (Kosher) for Physical Health and Emotional Balance

From my list on reset your mindset and enjoy eating in balance.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Kenden, I’m a psychotherapist and executive coach who focuses on Enneagram personality assessment and financial psychology and behavior. I have a side passion for writing Jewish cookbooks and creating modern minimalist Judica. I grew up in Maine, USA, and have since lived and worked in Afghanistan, India, DR Congo, Switzerland, and Cambodia. Nowadays I live in Paris. 

Kenden's book list on reset your mindset and enjoy eating in balance

Kenden Alfond Why did Kenden love this book?

This book changed the way I think about individual food behavior and the current obesity epidemic.

Many of us think our food choices, how much we eat, and our weight are all consequences of willpower (so much guilt!!!). This book shares how instinctive brain circuits are paramount for our appetites, food choices, and body weight. 

By Stephan J. Guyenet,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hungry Brain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

No one wants to overeat. And certainly no one wants to overeat for years, become overweight, and develop diabetes or heart disease. Yet two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, showing that most of us do precisely that. Why does our behavior betray our own intentions to be lean and healthy? The problem, argues obesity and neuroscience researcher Stephan Guyenet, is not necessarily a lack of willpower or an incorrect understanding of what to eat. Rather, our appetites and food choices are led astray by ancient, instinctive brain circuits that play by the rules of a survival game that…


Book cover of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

Owen Lewis Author Of Core: A Science-Backed Approach to Exercising and Understanding Our Central Anatomy

From my list on anatomy and movement at books core.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to move and help others move. Movement is at the core of everything I do. In my clinic, I improve the movement of elite athletes and people in pain. I was determined that writing, usually a sedentary occupation, would further my movement exploration. My book reflects my physical and cognitive journey towards a flexible, fluid, and adaptable core can deal with the day-to-day requirements of life. It outlines principles for tailored, individualistic training to improve core function and enhance the movement of everyone. 

Owen's book list on anatomy and movement at books core

Owen Lewis Why did Owen love this book?

It seems I read either novels or scientific papers—page-turners or ‘can I get through this? ’ papers. Then, a book arrives that reads like a novel with the content any scientist would love.

Instantly applicable, it created questions where once I had only accepted norms. This book allowed me to question if I, too, was exercised about exercise. The militant and provocative nature of doing the ‘right’ thing without questioning the status quo. This book becomes a philosophical work that has driven my own understanding of the why that now underpins my own movement. 

By Daniel Lieberman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Exercised as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If exercise is healthy (so good for you!), why do many people dislike or avoid it? These engaging stories and explanations will revolutionize the way you think about exercising—not to mention sitting, sleeping, sprinting, weight lifting, playing, fighting, walking, jogging, and even dancing.

“Strikes a perfect balance of scholarship, wit, and enthusiasm.” —Bill Bryson, New York Times best-selling author of The Body

• If we are born to walk and run, why do most of us take it easy whenever possible?
• Does running ruin your knees?
• Should we do weights, cardio, or high-intensity training?
• Is sitting really…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in diabetes, obesity, and nutrition?

Diabetes 28 books
Obesity 31 books
Nutrition 27 books