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Healthy Readers Book Club – 2022 Book Review

by Mirareviews, Uncategorizedbook club, Books, review

Happy 2023 - It’s a brand new year and that comes with the profound opportunity to become a brand new you!

What am I looking most forward to this year?

That’s easy! I can’t wait to dive in deep with the Healthy Readers Book Club and all of the amazing books we are going to read this year.

I mean, I just can’t help but reflect on all of the fantastic books we went through in 2022 - there were so many things that really opened my eyes and captivated my interest, so let me share some of the things I liked—and some of the things I didn’t like as much—in the books we covered last year…

There was a stack of them! It was truly an amazing year for the Healthy Reader’s Book Club - we read such an incredible variety of really impressive books.

1. Finding Yourself In The Kitchen by Dana Velden

Starting with Finding Yourself in the Kitchen by Dana Velden. I love how this book started the year out perfectly with its kitchen meditations and information that really makes you think.

Let’s not forget about all of the delicious and good-for-you recipes to choose from!

And believe me there were some really terrific recipes in this book. I have even gone back and made some of them, including the simple weeknight curry, which was explosive in flavor and so easy to make!

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was that it was a quick and easy read which made it perfect to kick off the year. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for ways to incorporate more mindfulness into their daily living as well as a few delicious recipes.

2. The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone

Then there was the Food Explorer: The True Adventures of a Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone.

This was a seriously transformative book - simply amazing. It reminds us of all the things we take for granted, all the foods that we have that were from other places originally, how they were discovered and shipped back to the United States where farmers were encouraged and taught to grow the, All so that we can stock our pantry with the and now we take them for granted.

Not to mention how the travels and getting the plants back were done during a time when global transport was much more inconvenient and not nearly as easy as it is today… Talk about remarkable things!

Reading about David Fairchild’s adventures, the man who traveled the world to bring us so many wonderful and tasty things was such delight - and so much fun! Isn’t it just the best when you can learn so much from a book and ENJOY it at the same time?

3. Consider The Fork by Bee Wilson

And then of course there was Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson and WOW, another really great book.

This book was AMAZING. We learned so much about technology in the kitchen (which was fascinating to learn the science behind so much of what goes on!), how we eat, and why different cultures eat the way they do. There were also so many interesting little stories, highlights and a plethora of annotations throughout, making it such an exciting and fun book to read.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in food and how our culture came to be…

And again, so many delicious recipes! If you love to read about travel adventures, history, and/or food this is definitely the book for you.

4. The Seven Culinary Wonders of The Word by Jenny Linford

Then we had The Seven Culinary Wonders of the World: A History of Honey, Salt, Chili, Pork, Rice, Cacao, and Tomato by Jenny Linford. Again, more wonderful and delicious recipes - plus truly beautiful illustrations and loads of interesting information.

However, while I really did like this book, I was not so happy with the layout, it was a bit disconcerting.

Let me explain. The recipes were kind of thrown in randomly and I didn’t understand the reasoning behind how they were being inserted. Sure, the pork recipes were in the pork section and so on, but you would literally be reading and then BAM a recipe would be placed right in the middle - so it was just a little strange in my opinion.

But, as I mentioned, there was a lot of really fascinating information about each of these foods plus the really lovely illustration pages that were such a delight to look at - and it was a good book, I just think I personally would have preferred the recipes to be at the end of each section instead of scattered throughout.

5. Waste Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristam Stewart

That leads us to the next book, Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart.

Let me just start by saying, this was a REALLY hard book to read.

But I chose this book for the book club because I wanted us to learn more about this topic. For instance, did you know that 40% of the food that is grown in the world ends up being discarded?

I think the most eye opening takeaway from this book is that the vast majority of the waste is not due to consumer habits—although they are encouraged to bear the brunt of responsibility for it. Sure, as consumers we could do better, but there’s a whole lot more going on in the world of food waste than we realize.

And here’s the thing that really gets me - we’re constantly being told that we need to save more, waste less, reduce, reuse, recycle, etc. But as it turns out, there’s a whole raft of waste happening… from where it’s grown to the manufacturing process to the grocery stores - there must be a better way to reduce the waste! And this book certainly has suggestions about things we can do to help.

For anyone who wants to learn more about food waste and see the bigger picture of what’s going on, this is definitely a book you should read.

6. Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry

Up next, Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry. What a great book - but I will note that the most difficult thing about this book was that it took us 2 months to read because it is LOADED with information.

I mean there is A LOT of valuable information, which was a lot to take in. At times it felt like drinking from a firehose to wrap your brain around all of the information, stories, and resources. It’s not a bad thing by any means! Just something to take into consideration.

I will say how appreciative I am about all of the resources Beth put into this book and how mindful she was about everything she was talking about; how she highlighted some of the people who are really making it their mission to help reduce plastic. So inspiring!

By the way, did you know that book covers have plastic in them? I had no idea! But what’s very interesting about this particular book is that they’ve used a paper cover instead and a non-glue binding.

I was so inspired by this book that I actually changed some things in my house based on what I read—and we have decided to definitely incorporate a more plastic-free approach into our lifestyle. This book is now on my resources shelf so I can refer to it over and over as our family works on reducing our plastic habit.

And I must say, out of all the books we read last year, this one had the biggest impact when it came to making lifestyle changes.

7. Eat Like A Human by Dr. Bill Schindler

Now, for my favorite book of the entire year last year, Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health by Dr. Bill Schindler.

I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Schindler at a national nutrition conference and was blown away by his talk. Which is what led to my choosing this book for the book club.

How To Eat Like A Human is definitely not a dry, academic tome filled with reams of dusty anthropological data about human development. Instead it is a fascinating journey through our human development wrapped in the adventures and journeys he and his family have been through. It felt very relatable. Plus the book is chock full of recipes—we’re talking upwards of 70 different recipes! Which is not something I was expecting in this kind of a book.

Dr. Schindler has an engaging way of laying out how we eat, how we need to eat, and some of the critical things that are missing in our modern-day diet.

AND how we can make the healthy changes that are necessary for living our best life!

This was really an outstanding book, so well written, filled with interesting information—and that’s why this was my favorite book of all the great books we read last year.

8. Pandora’s Lunchbox, How Processed Food Took Over The American Meal by Melanie Warner

After Eat Like a Human we read Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner, which is a very compelling book sharing about all the different ways our food system gets co-opted by the various things that food producers do to them.

This book is filled with a lot of industry background. I found it intriguing to learn how our food is modified. This in turn helps drive home the point that sometimes our food is changed for the benefit of the producer and it does not necessarily represent such a great choice for the consumer. .

I know what you may be thinking, “Something like this sounds dry and boring to read,” but I assure you, this was not a dry read whatsoever—it was an engaging read and I learned a few new things.

9. Thanks a Thousand, a Gratitude Journey by A. J. Jacobs

Next we read Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A.J. Jacobs, which is another super sweet book.

I just love the way A.J. Jacobs writes, I think I’ve actually read all of his books!

For this book, he had a thought come to him one day about what it would be like to thank a thousand people who were somehow connected to his morning cup of coffee.

Now this is truly amazing, I mean just think about all of the people involved: the lid manufacturer, the cup sleeve manufacturer, the growers, the harvesters, the roasters, and so on. It becomes an enormous chain of people… and most of the time, that whole process tends to go unnoticed in our everyday life.

It was thought-provoking to read about his process in identifying the people connected with his project. Then to read about the journeys he went on to interact with all of those people to simply say thank you.

This story was very moving, and actually helped me to deepen my own gratitude practice, and for that, I am appreciative. It’s a sweet book and a quick read, I highly recommend it.

10. Cooked by Michael Pollan

The last book of 2022 was Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan.

FIrst of all, I really like Michael Pollan and I enjoy his books a lot. He’s such a talented writer, his use of language is just phenomenal!

This book is the story of the incredible journey that he went on to learn about the different elements, and finding a food that represented that element, and then diving into it. The entire thing was so very enjoyable. I think you’ll agree that he is a very amusing writer - in addition to the wonderful information he shares, this book is loaded with laughs!

And the way he presents the information and helps you think about it in a way that you can fully absorb it and learn from it is astounding.

I can honestly say that this was the perfect book to end the year with because it lined us up to think about the way we interact with our food and all of the different elements involved.

I personally also really enjoyed all of the adventures that Michael took us on and all of the hidden gems during the guided Healthy Readers Book Club process. Things like video interviews with various people or different aspects of the science behind what he was talking about. If you’re looking to read about foodie adventures this is definitely a good book to choose.

All-in-all we had 10 AMAZING books last year…

And we have 10 more coming in the brand new year ahead of us!

I hope you’ll join us on this exciting and informative reading adventure this year, become a member of the Healthy Readers Book Club and enjoy the guided process to get to a new level—a deeper dimension—of reading a book and not only enjoying it, but learning from it too.

And be sure to check out some (or all) of these incredible books I’ve mentioned to begin the transformative process of understanding the principles of healthy living and eating!

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2021 Healthy Readers Book Club Roundup

by Mirareviewsbook club

It's been another fascinating year in the Healthy Readers Book Club. There are so many wonderful books out there that cover the topics of health, wellness, the environment, and holistic living. In some ways it can feel overwhelming because there are just so many books out there. Taking the time, however, to simply read one book at a time, it's amazing how many you can get through. This is the third year that I've had the bookclub; I find myself astonished at how much I've learned by spending time in the group and reading together.

For those who aren't aware of the Healthy Readers Book Club, it's an annotated book club where we typically read 10 books per year. The annotation part is me spending time looking up studies, asking questions, finding other information about what the author is talking about and sharing it with everyone. This year real life interfered and we wound up reading only nine books. It was still an adventure and we covered a lot of territory.

I've decided to do a brief overview of what we read. I'm not going to give star ratings, or assign the books any order of important ranking. After all, my perception, and understanding, of what we've read may be different than yours. However, some of these books were truly amazing and I want to share them with even more people than those in the book club.

Note: All the books have Bookshop.org links. I prefer Bookshop to larger booksellers because it supports small, independent booksellers. While I did not buy all of the books through Bookshop I do always look there first. And just like with any of the other booksellers, if you purchase a book using my link I do, at no extra cost to you, make a small commission.

US Plastic Waste

1960 = 0.4%

2018 = 12.2%

Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Edward Humes

An enlightening look at just how much garbage we generate. Often without realizing it. This books was a fascinating dive into the history of garbage in America and the way we don't see all the trash we make. While modern sanitation practices are good from a hygienic point of view, if you don't work in or live near a garbage dump, they also serve to make our trash nearly invisible. And not all communities handle their trash the same as others.

Some difference in trash collection were highlighted when I talked with my friend and colleague, Erin Knight.

I've learned that attention to how much trash we generate is an ongoing issue and needs to regularly be revisited.

The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz

I learned a lot about the science behind fat and consumption of it. This is a very detailed, thoroughly researched look at how we got to the whole low-fat/no-fat/fake-fat dietary theory that was promoted for decades. The author spent nine years researching the book. It may be a bit heavy for some readers but is definitely fascinating and informative.

Because I started with the same premise as the author, we need fat and that meat, cheese, and butter, are part of a healthy diet, I didn't make any changes based on what I read. I did, however, learn a lot about how the whole industry was upended.

It is possible to think of the recommended low-fat, near-vegetarian diet of the past half-century as an uncontrolled experiment on the entire American population.

If you don't like the texture or flavor of something, change it.

Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater's Quest to Understand Why We Hate The Foods We Hate by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic

I'm fortunate in that I'm not a picky eater and none of my children were either. However I was amazed to learn how many people are and how challenging it can be to deal with in every day life. The author took us on her own person journey, including genetic analysis, visiting food labs, and interviewing feeding experts.

As with other health conditions, there can be complex reasons why people have picky palates. We often forget how we tend to perceive foods as simply being prepared one particular way. Especially if it’s a food that we think we don’t like.

One strategy the author shared was modifying the foods. By taking the time to find alternative ways to prepare foods we think we don’t like and give them new flavor profiles, or cooking them in a different way, or modifying the texture, we may actually find that we like them.

Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li

I've always known that I love being among the trees. There's something peaceful and wonderful about that setting. And the opportunity to hug trees or even just caress them is always a good thing. Dr. Li talks about the scientific benefits of being among the trees. However it's even possible to “forest bathe” in a park or other natural setting.

We need a connection with nature and, unfortunately, many of us are spending too much time indoors. It's not healthy for us from a mental, physical, and emotional point of view. This book encouraged me to start a nature notebook and be more mindful of the time I spend outdoors.

I also had the opportunity to interview two Certified Forest Therapy Guides and we had a great chat about spending time in nature

Do you have nature deficit disorder?

Five years ago, I stopped showering.

Clean: The New Science of Skin by James Hamblin

The book starts with a startling admission by the author that he stopped showering five years ago. We are then taken on a very wild ride though the science and commercialization of skin care, cleanliness and hygiene. Plus we learned a lot about our microbiome. Even though all the media push is on the gut microbiome we have a skin microbiome (we actually have different microbiomes for different areas/parts of us).

While I'm am advocate of reading the label and being aware of environmental toxins, I learned to rethink some of the commercial messaging around skin care that we've all been exposed to.

I also interviewed my friend, colleague, and skin care expert Rachael Pontillo to get her thoughts

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook

Note: This book now has a third edition available: Tomatoland: From Harvest of Shame to Harvest of Hope. I have not read this third edition.

This was the hardest book I've read in the book club to date. The descriptions of modern slavery conditions and how tomatoes have come to be grown in Florida were quite disturbing. There was a lot of fascinating history about tomatoes themselves, but the manipulation required to grow them in a state with weather conditions that are not conducive to that type of produce was startling.

Once again I was struck by how tasteless and cardboard-like store-bought tomatoes are. There's a reason why fresh tomatoes are so mouthwateringly delicious. This reminded me of the quote by Lewis Grizzard, “It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”

And I'm determined to improve my ability to grow a larger crop of tomatoes in my home garden.

What's on your tomatoes?

Your child's lunch isn't healthful, fresh, or environmentally sound because it wasn't designed for children. It was designed for soldiers.

Combat Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat by Anastacia Marx de Salcedo

Easily the most startling book we read all year, this book shared astounding information about just how much our food purchases are influenced by the needs of the military. Food choices that are all around us and seem to ordinary and every day.

One mind-boggling example is when you stop to realize that the process of canning food for preservation has only been around since 1803. The idea of preserving food in glass was originally invented by a young French confectioner named Nicholas Appert who came up with the idea in response to Napoleon Bonaparte‘s offer of a prize for anyone who could figure out how to preserve food to take with the military on campaign.

Even protein bars, lunch meat, and more; these are military-inspired items we don’t necessarily think about that have become part of our everyday. It makes you look at the aisles of the grocery store very differently.

The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food by Ben Hewitt

This book was a heartfelt look at what is possible with food when we give the power for it's production back to the people that actually work the land. It was a thought-providing exploration of how food production has become so decentralized and how difficult it is for farmers to make a living.

It was also interesting to read how much farmers need to diversify and create cross-production models in order to have a viable farm. One interesting example in the book was a dairy farm that began to grow sunflowers in order to create biofuel for their equipment.

Although it focused primarily on one area of the country, Hardwick, Vermont, it's not difficult to see how this model could spread to other areas with focus on decentralized food production instead of the current model of global planning and production. However the book clearly pointed out that the farmers are only part of the equation. They need their consumer partners to support them in order for both parties to enjoy the benefits of the farm labors.

The problem is, we've got a seed industry that's basically encouraging bad farming.

Rodents are slaves to sweetness

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

The funniest book we read all year, this book was both highly educational and immensely entertaining. It turns out there's a lot more going on inside us than we realize. Her efforts to put herself in the middle of the experiments and to actually experience many of these things as personally as possible is, quite frankly, more than a little mind-boggling. The discussions aren't limited to humans either, as she talks about dogs, cats, seabirds, cows, mice, etc. By the way, rodents aren't the only ones who are slaves to sugar, so are humans.

I have a particular way I annotate non-fiction books when I read them. You can see the video below. This book had more smilies than any book I've ever read before. If for nothing else than the laughs, this is definitely worth reading. This was my favorite book of the year.

The book for February is The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats

Did you ever think about where food comes from? How is it that in the everyday American grocery store we think nothing of eating locally grown kale but don’t realize it originally came from Croatia. Or mangoes from India? Or avocados from Chile? It turns out many of the foods we think of as regular options exist in America thanks to David Fairchild, a globe-trotting botanist who transformed the food culture in America.

Read along with us—join the Healthy Readers Book Club!