13 books like The Starch Solution

By John McDougall, Mary McDougall,

Here are 13 books that The Starch Solution fans have personally recommended if you like The Starch Solution. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure

Glen Merzer Author Of Own Your Health: How to Live Long & Avoid Chronic Illness

From my list on healthy cooking, eating, and lifestyle.

Why am I passionate about this?

Heart disease ravaged both sides of my family. When I was a teenager, my mother developed heart disease and her two brothers died of heart attacks. In response, at the age of seventeen, I gave up meat. Now, after a career writing comedy for the stage and television, I write books on health, and all my extensive research on nutrition has vindicated my instincts from the age of seventeen but taught me that there is far more to a healthy diet than just avoiding flesh foods. I have authored or co-authored eleven books that, in different ways, make the case for the health benefits of plants. 

Glen's book list on healthy cooking, eating, and lifestyle

Glen Merzer Why did Glen love this book?

Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., is a soft-spoken giant of modern medicine who has revolutionized the treatment of heart disease. The studies he has conducted on the role of diet in reversing heart disease, reported on within the book, are the most significant heart studies of our time. Esselstyn writes simply and clearly; when you finish reading his book, you understand everything you need to know in order to nurture and protect, through diet, a healthy heart. 

By Caldwell B. Esselstyn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Reading books is a kind of enjoyment. Reading books is a good habit. We bring you a different kinds of books. You can carry this book where ever you want. It is easy to carry. It can be an ideal gift to yourself and to your loved ones. Care instruction keep away from fire.


Book cover of How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

Marta Zaraska Author Of Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism, and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100

From my list on reads if you don't want to die (any time soon).

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a science journalist published in The Washington Post, Scientific American, The Atlantic, etc., and the author of bestselling Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100. I’m also a slightly obsessive parent who really cares about her family’s health—that’s how “Growing Young” was born. To write the book, I’ve read over 600 scientific studies, talked to dozens of scientists and had some experiments conducted on myself (some a bit painful, some rather fun)—and ended up changing my own outlook on what it means to live healthily. 

Marta's book list on reads if you don't want to die (any time soon)

Marta Zaraska Why did Marta love this book?

While friendship, ikigai and optimism are important for our health and longevity, diet and exercise still matter—a lot. For me, How Not to Die is a go-to book when I want to check the science on what works—and what doesn’t—in terms of nutrition, physical activity, supplements, etc.

By Michael Greger, Gene Stone,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked How Not to Die as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'This book may help those who are susceptible to illnesses that can be prevented with proper nutrition' - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The international bestseller, Dr Michael Greger's How Not To Die gives effective, scientifically-proven nutritional advice to prevent our biggest killers - including heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes - and reveals the astounding health benefits that simple dietary choices can provide.

Why rely on drugs and surgery to cure you of life-threatening disease when the right decisions can prevent you from falling ill to begin with?

Based on the latest scientific research,…


Book cover of Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes

Glen Merzer Author Of Own Your Health: How to Live Long & Avoid Chronic Illness

From my list on healthy cooking, eating, and lifestyle.

Why am I passionate about this?

Heart disease ravaged both sides of my family. When I was a teenager, my mother developed heart disease and her two brothers died of heart attacks. In response, at the age of seventeen, I gave up meat. Now, after a career writing comedy for the stage and television, I write books on health, and all my extensive research on nutrition has vindicated my instincts from the age of seventeen but taught me that there is far more to a healthy diet than just avoiding flesh foods. I have authored or co-authored eleven books that, in different ways, make the case for the health benefits of plants. 

Glen's book list on healthy cooking, eating, and lifestyle

Glen Merzer Why did Glen love this book?

Mastering Diabetes explains the nature of the disease, and why the standard treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in particular is counterproductive. The authors draw from their own personal experience and the experiences of those they have counseled, but they provide evidence from a raft of scientific studies. They have had striking success, which they report with energy and enthusiasm. With confidence born of that success, they stand conventional diabetes wisdom on its head.

By Cyrus Khambatta, Robby Barbaro,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The instant New York Times bestseller.

A groundbreaking method to master all types of diabetes by reversing insulin resistance.

Current medical wisdom advises that anyone suffering from diabetes or prediabetes should eat a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. But in this revolutionary book, Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, and Robby Barbaro, MPH, rely on a century of research to show that advice is misguided. While it may improve short-term blood glucose control, such a diet also increases the long-term risk for chronic diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, and fatty liver disease.

The revolutionary solution is to eat a…


Book cover of Diet for a New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness and the Future of Life on Earth

Glen Merzer Author Of Own Your Health: How to Live Long & Avoid Chronic Illness

From my list on healthy cooking, eating, and lifestyle.

Why am I passionate about this?

Heart disease ravaged both sides of my family. When I was a teenager, my mother developed heart disease and her two brothers died of heart attacks. In response, at the age of seventeen, I gave up meat. Now, after a career writing comedy for the stage and television, I write books on health, and all my extensive research on nutrition has vindicated my instincts from the age of seventeen but taught me that there is far more to a healthy diet than just avoiding flesh foods. I have authored or co-authored eleven books that, in different ways, make the case for the health benefits of plants. 

Glen's book list on healthy cooking, eating, and lifestyle

Glen Merzer Why did Glen love this book?

This is a truly spiritual look at health. It is bolstered by a ton of science, but what stays with you is the instinctive decency of the author, appealing to the instinctive decency of the reader to embrace what it means to be human, and apply that lesson to diet. It’s hard to imagine that anyone could read this book and not be moved and changed by it. This book has undoubtedly improved the lives and health of millions.

By John Robbins,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Diet for a New America as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From John Robbins, a new edition of the classic that awakened the conscience of a nation. Since the 1987 publication of Diet for a New America, beef consumption in the United States has fallen a remarkable 19%. While many forces are contributing to this dramatic shift in our habits, Diet for a New America is considered to be one of the most important. Diet for a New America is a startling examination of the food we currently buy and eat in the United States, and the astounding moral, economic, and emotional price we pay for it.
In Section I, John…


Book cover of The Omnivore's Dilemma

A. Whitney Sanford Author Of Living Sustainably: What Intentional Communities Can Teach Us about Democracy, Simplicity, and Nonviolence

From my list on the industrialization of and fight for the future of food.

Why am I passionate about this?

I became fascinated by the intersection of food, sustainable agriculture, and culture when I moved to Iowa. I had long been an environmentalist, but moving to the land of big corn forced me to rethink food production. I wrote a book that explored agricultural narratives in India (Growing Stores from India) and developed a class on Religion and Food. I then became curious about how people and communities translate their values of sustainability into practice. For example, how do you decide what to eat, and who gets to decide? These books helped me think about links between food, sustainability, and culture and the power to decide what to eat.

A. Whitney's book list on the industrialization of and fight for the future of food

A. Whitney Sanford Why did A. Whitney love this book?

What should we eat, and how do we choose? Where does our food come from?

In Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan traces the origins of four meals to help answer this question. Each of these meals represents a food production system, big organic, industrial agriculture, for example. He takes us from a McDonald’s meal (hint: it’s corn) to a hunt.

In reading this book, I especially loved his investigative journalism, how he explored the environmental, social, and economic ramifications of each food and its system of production. 

By Michael Pollan,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Omnivore's Dilemma as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestseller that's changing America's diet is now perfect for younger readers

"What's for dinner?" seemed like a simple question-until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young readers' adaptation of Pollan's famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices.

In a smart, compelling format with updated facts, plenty of photos, graphs, and visuals, as well as a new afterword and backmatter, The Omnivore's Dilemma serves up a bold message…


Book cover of The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity

Donald Firesmith Author Of A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams

From my list on future world of ai and robots.

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent over forty years developing complex, software-intensive systems, and the Association of Computing Machinery honored me with the title of distinguished engineer. AI and robotics have been my main technical focus for the last 5 years. For the last couple of years, I have been binge-watching videos on advances in AI and robotics and binge-reading books on the topic. I am also a multi-award-winning author of science fiction novels and short stories. Most of the short stories in my coming book involve AI and robots.

Donald's book list on future world of ai and robots

Donald Firesmith Why did Donald love this book?

I really liked this book because, besides covering the potential ramifications of AI and robots, it also provides interesting insights explaining why different people hold radically different views on how they will affect the future.

While I don’t agree with all the author’s statements, it nevertheless provides much to consider.

By Byron Reese,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

As we approach a great turning point in history when technology is poised to redefine what it means to be human, The Fourth Age offers fascinating insight into AI, robotics, and their extraordinary implications for our species. "If you only read just one book about the AI revolution, make it this one" (John Mackey, cofounder and CEO, Whole Foods Market).

In The Fourth Age, Byron Reese makes the case that technology has reshaped humanity just three times in history: 100,000 years ago, we harnessed fire, which led to language; 10,000 years ago, we developed agriculture, which led to cities and…


Book cover of The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide

Thomas J. Elpel Author Of Foraging the Mountain West: Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat

From my list on gourmet wild food foraging.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I spent summers and weekends with my grandmother, who introduced me to wild food foraging. Grandma Josie and I harvested purslane and lambs quarters weeds from her garden, dandelions and meadow mushrooms from the pasture, and watercress from a nearby spring. On daily walks we gathered peppermint, yarrow, and other wild herbs for tea. She cooked on a wood stove and kept a pot of tea warm at all times. Grandma nurtured my interest in wild plants, wilderness survival, and self-sufficiency. Inspired by her, I built my own stone and log house, teach survival skills and botany, and I still cook on a wood stove just like she did. 

Thomas' book list on gourmet wild food foraging

Thomas J. Elpel Why did Thomas love this book?

The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide is full of surprises. Author Linda Runyon lived semi-primitively without plumbing or electricity for thirteen years and foraged for the majority of her food. As a vegetarian she was truly dependent on wild edible plants for survival and sustenance. I was taught that real survival required plants rich in carbohydrates, oils, and calories, but Runyon showed that it is possible to survive and thrive by turning salad plants into real food, such as drying and grinding wild clovers and grasses into flour. There is protein in these plants, like beans and grains, and Runyon proved that you can really live off of them. One hour spent reading Runyon's book changed my view of what's edible and how to truly live off wild edible plants. 

By 9780936699103,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Author Linda Runyon lived off of the land in the wilderness of Upstate NY for years, feeding her family with wild edible plants. She has paid her dues and learned the hard way so you don't have to. With this book, you will learn how to see and use the abundance that surrounds us everywhere plants grow. You won't look at the world the same way again, and you will never fear hunger. The book is 320 jam-packed pages, profusely illustrated by the author. You will learn how to identify, gather, prepare, store and enjoy an endlessly nutritious and renewable…


Book cover of Transition to Vegetarianism: An Evolutionary Step

Ron Pickarski Author Of The Classical Vegetarian Cookbook

From my list on vegetarianism, food history, health, and politics.

Why am I passionate about this?

A former Catholic, raised in the restaurant business, becoming a Franciscan, and with a passionate love of art, they collectively integrated and came to define my life. I was sent to culinary school. Suffering from a chronic lung condition and obesity, I learned that an animal-based diet was the primary cause and became a vegan in October 1976, regaining my health. Vegan culinary art, as my life’s passion, led me to compete in the International Culinary Olympics five times in Germany, winning Seven medals, including gold, writing for magazines, authoring four books, and working with the United Nations to help humanity improve its health with a plant-based vegan diet.

Ron's book list on vegetarianism, food history, health, and politics

Ron Pickarski Why did Ron love this book?

Dr. Ballantine leads the reader through the transition process and nutritional elements of becoming a vegetarian. In his thoughtful approach, he addresses macro nutrition (protein, carbohydrates, and fatty acids) and the biological impact of consuming meat. I found it interesting how he addresses it, starting with red meat and proceeding on to poultry and finally fish as protein elimination phases to becoming a vegetarian. Radical changes to one’s diet may create biological abnormalities.

Dr.Ballentine’s dietary preference is primarily plant-based, with vegetarianism as the foundational principle. The Greeks, who initiated a vegetarian diet, ate eggs and drank milk. Their objection was the unnecessary killing of animals. Meat and dairy are very acidic (butter is an exception) and can contribute to respiratory congestion which compelled me to become a vegetarian and eventually a plant-based vegetarian..

By Rudolph M. Ballentine,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

This book explores the health issues surrounding vegetarianism and helps the aspiring vegetarian make the transition in a way that provides the greatest benefits. Well-researched and easy-to-read, this is an excellent resource for both seasoned and would-be vegetarians.


Book cover of Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals [A Cookbook]

Lukas Volger Author Of Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose

From my list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been writing vegetarian cookbooks for almost 15 years, and have had many different jobs in the world of food – cooking in restaurants, running a small food business, working food photography shoots, and much more. While in my day-to-day eating, I go on and off following a strict plant-based diet, it’s long been my default style of eating because I find it to be so healthy, affordable, and fun! I’m never not excited and inspired by the abundance and diversity of vegetables and the incredible techniques and dishes that cuisines around the world have done with them. 

Lukas' book list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit

Lukas Volger Why did Lukas love this book?

This is the book I always recommend to people at the beginning of their vegetarian or vegan journey when they express concern about getting all their nutritional needs covered in their diets. Each recipe is designed to be nutritionally balanced – with a focus on nutritionally dense whole foods, healthy plant-based proteins, fats, and fibers – and they always leave me full and satisfied. But rather than reading like a dry health book, it’s brimming with fresh, colorful, and exciting ideas and recipes that are smart and streamlined, and actually feasible for weeknights.  

By Gena Hamshaw,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Focused on the art of crafting complete, balanced meals that deliver sustained energy and nourishment, this book features 100 compelling and delicious recipes that just happen to be vegan.

These 100 recipes for wholesome and nourishing vegan food from blogger, nutritionist, and Food52 author Gena Hamshaw help you make delicious vegan meals that deliver balanced and sustained energy. Every recipe contains the key macronutrients of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and proteins, which together make for a complete meal--things like Smoky Red Lentil Stew with Chard, and Falafel Bowls with Freekah and Cauliflower. Photographs accompany each recipe, showing how Gena's simple…


Book cover of Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public

Roy Taylor Author Of Life Without Diabetes: The Definitive Guide to Understanding and Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

From my list on type 2 diabetes: making sense of muddled advice.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, I’ve wanted to find out how things work. The human body is an amazing combination of mind and body. As Professor of Medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle University, I’ve been fortunate to be able to find out what goes wrong to cause type 2 diabetes. It was not the complex mystery believed by other experts, but just one simple process. A little too much fat inside the liver caused insulin not to work properly, and an overspill of fat prevented enough insulin to be made. Growing a wild idea into a proven NHS programme involves sleepless nights, disbelief of colleagues, gratitude of patients, and hugely enjoyable team-working. 

Roy's book list on type 2 diabetes: making sense of muddled advice

Roy Taylor Why did Roy love this book?

First published in 1869, this short account describes the outrageous effects of ‘corpulence’ on the author’s daily life and his search for a solution. Routine advice was ineffective. For a decade he rowed a heavy boat on the river for two hours every morning. He ‘gained muscular vigour but with it a prodigious appetite’ and his weight increased. But eventually he found a doctor who had wise insight. He was advised to avoid foods that were easy to eat in quantity but did not satisfy appetite—bread, butter, beer, milk, sugar, and potatoes. He lost 50 pounds in weight, and over the course of the next four editions of his book, chronicled his long term return of good health. This is a parable for our time. 

By William Banting,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public is a booklet by William Banting, who is known for being the first to popularize a weight loss diet based on limiting the intake of carbohydrates, especially those of a starchy or sugary nature. The booklet contains the particular plan for the diet he followed. It was written as an open letter in the form of a personal testimonial. Banting accounted all of his unsuccessful fasts, diets, spa and exercise regimens in his past. His previously unsuccessful attempts had been on the advice of various medical experts. He then described the dietary change…


Book cover of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure
Book cover of How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
Book cover of Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in vegetarianism, obesity, and nutrition?

Vegetarianism 35 books
Obesity 31 books
Nutrition 27 books