The Power of the Downstate, by Sara C. Mednick, PhD, 2022
University of California Irvine sleep researcher Sara Mednick has found that if we spend some more of our energy on reaching what she has termed a “Downstate,” we could improve cognition, productivity, mood and overall health. In her new book, she shares evidence-based guidance on how to make the most of our “Upstate/Downstate” rhythms, and how all of our body’s systems benefit from recovery and rest time. Beyond simply sleep, Mednick goes into detail about how breathing, exercising and eating all impact how our bodies are able to recover from the stresses of our “Upstate” lives. Written with humor and including a simple four-week plan to reset your rest time, this book makes great reading for your next Downstate time.
Healthy and Delicious Instant Pot, America’s Test Kitchen, 2021
If you love your electric pressure cooker, but would like to use it for lighter, fresher meals, give this book a look. Rather than just swapping ingredients to reduce calories, the recipes instead focus on nutrient-dense, vegetable-packed meals with easy prep, execution and cleanup. Never skimping on flavor, recipes range from global fare such as caldo verde – a Portuguese soup with smoky sausage, greens and potatoes – to comfort classics like roast chicken with mashed root vegetables or smothered pork chops. With the multi-function ease of the pressure cooker, dishes come together with minimal effort, and fewer dishes to clean up afterword. For pressure cooker experts and beginners alike, the recipes in this book will liven up your recipe rotation.
The Joy Choice, by Michelle Segar, PhD, 2022
For nearly three decades, Michelle Segar has been researching sustainable behavior change, exploring the complexities of habit forming and what can derail people from their food and exercise goals. In her latest book, she has formulated her findings into a new way of thinking about your health habits. Our lives can be challenging and stressful, overwhelming our brain’s ability to make the “good-for-us” choice (whether to eat that donut or not) and throwing our plans off track. Segar believes that if we can learn how to navigate these “choice points” better, keeping in mind compromise rather than an all-or-nothing approach, we are more likely to sustain our healthy choices. Instead of becoming overwhelmed when faced with a choice that could derail our plans, we can use Segar’s simple reframing tool to help us make the joyful choice. When we feel truly in control of our decision making and make choices that meet our needs, we are able to more easily stick with our goals.
What Your Food Ate, by David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, 2022
We all know that a salad loaded with flavors, fiber and nutrients is a better choice than a plate full of fries. But is that salad as nutritious as it could be? In What Your Food Ate, a geologist and a biologist join together to examine how soil health and farming practices ultimately impact the health of us all. Due to the impacts of mainstream farming practices, foods that we consume today often contain significantly less of the nutrients that they did just a few generations ago, and it all starts with the soil. When the soil we use has a rich population of fungi and bacteria, the food we grow in it develops with more of the nutrients that are important to our health. Could the rise of modern health issues such as food allergies and inflammatory diseases be, in part, linked to how our food is grown? Montgomery and Biklé look at the science of how our soil and health are tied together, as well as ways we can change how we farm to ensure we all have access to healthful foods.
The Workout Bucket List, by Greg Presto, 2022
Fitness journalist Greg Presto has compiled more than 300 workouts that will transport you from another ho-hum session at the gym to a new and interesting fitness experience. Each section of The Workout Bucket List finds the light-hearted and fun side of moving your body, whether you’re traveling to a new location, changing up your gym routine or just want to challenge yourself. “Workouts To See the World” is organized by region: You can bike the steepest street in America (Pittsburgh), hike Mississippi’s “Little Grand Canyon” or kayak in San Francisco Bay to watch a Giants game. “Workouts that Let you Be Somebody” features routines that famous people or places in the past (Titanic weight room, anyone?). “Workouts that are Ridiculously Fun” are just that: playing muggle Quidditch with brooms, drawing a fun GPS picture with your run or mashing a giant tire with a sledgehammer. “Workouts to Challenge You” gives you the chance to see how you compare to elite athletes with Simone Biles’s warmup or an ultramarathon running Navy SEALs endurance challenge. Fun to flip through, this title will get your imagination rolling when it comes exercise.
Glucose Revolution, by Jessie Inchauspé, 2022
Biochemist Jessie Inchauspé is on a mission to help us all flatten our curves, our glucose curves. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy and we need it to function properly and feel our best. However, most Americans are living on a glucose roller coaster, with sharp spikes and dips in blood glucose levels that result in negative symptoms like weight gain, mood changes, brain fog or, for some, Type 2 diabetes. Written in an approachable and entertaining style, Glucose Revolution breaks down what causes glucose spikes, why they matter to our health and easy ways to keep blood glucose levels balanced. Helpful charts illustrate how different food choices
can impact our glucose levels throughout the day, as well as how easy it is to make a small change for a positive result. Inchauspé is clear that there any many facets to our health, but that taking better control of one tiny molecule in our bodies can help us in a multitude of ways.
