Hi Reader,

One thing I really love about nutrition is that you’re never really “finished” learning.

Even after years of university and working as a dietitian, I’m still constantly reading, listening, questioning things and sometimes changing my mind when better evidence comes along.

I’ve had quite a few comments lately asking for nutrition book recommendations, so I thought I’d share some of my favorites today.

But first, there’s something I’ve changed my mind about over the past few years.

I used to say “knowledge is power.”

In fact, that idea was part of what motivated me to start my YouTube channel in the first place.

I wanted reliable nutrition information to be available to everyone, because access to healthcare and nutrition support isn’t equal. Seeing a dietitian can be expensive, not everyone has health insurance, and socioeconomic circumstances can be one of the biggest barriers to good health.

So I thought: if I can make good nutrition information available for free, surely that helps.

And I still believe it does.

But over time I realised something else.

We actually have more health information available to us than ever before.

Most people already know that vegetables are good for us, exercise is important and getting enough sleep probably beats scrolling on our phones until midnight.

The problem often isn’t knowing.

It’s doing.

So these days, I prefer:

“Applied knowledge is power.”

Learning is important, but the real value comes from taking what you learn, trying it in your own life and figuring out what actually works for you.

Which brings me to books.

Some of the books that have shaped how I think about health have surprisingly little to do with nutrition.

📚 A few favorites outside nutrition

​Feel-Good Productivity – Ali Abdaal​

A really interesting take on getting things done without feeling like you constantly need to hustle or push yourself harder.

​Atomic Habits – James Clear​

Probably one of the books that has influenced how I think about behaviour change the most. Tiny changes done consistently usually matter far more than dramatic changes you can only maintain for two weeks. I feel like most people have read, or at least heard of, Atomic Habits by now, so another habit-related book I really enjoyed is The Habit Revolution by Dr Gina Cleo.​

It’s a great book for understanding why habits stick, why they sometimes don’t and how to make behaviour change feel more realistic. And Gina is a dietitian too!

​Supercommunicators – Charles Duhigg​

This is my most recent read and I loved it.

How we communicate probably affects our lives much more than we realize. It can influence everything from getting a promotion, to making a good first impression, to simply handling conversations with your partner better. If you’re interested in relationships, communication and understanding people better, I’d definitely recommend it.

​How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie​

An old one, but there are lessons in this book that are still surprisingly relevant today. I actually go back and reread the summary of this one quite often, especially if I’m going into a social situation where I’ll be meeting lots of new people. More on book summaries in a minute...

​Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki​

I think everyone should read something about personal finance at some point.

Financial health is incredibly important, but it’s something many of us don’t really learn about properly. I think women in particular can sometimes shy away from talking about money and investing, so I’m a big believer in educating yourself and planning ahead.

🥑 When it comes to nutrition books...

I’m actually much more sceptical.

I’ve read plenty written by highly respected doctors and researchers that I really didn’t enjoy.

Not necessarily because everything in them was wrong, but because nutrition is incredibly nuanced, and some books take one area of research and turn it into the answer to everything.

One food becomes the villain.

One diet becomes the cure.

One biological pathway supposedly explains every health problem.

And nutrition just doesn’t work like that.

That’s why I often gravitate towards books written by dietitians and other authors who are comfortable saying:

It depends.

I’ve put together a list of my favourite nutrition books here, covering everything from gut health and constipation to menopause and intuitive eating.

NUTRITION BOOKS ->

And this brings me nicely to this week’s sponsor. Shortform.

I love learning, but realistically there are far more books I want to read than hours available to read them.

Shortform creates detailed guides to popular nonfiction books, pulling out the main ideas and explaining them in a way that’s much quicker to get through.

I mainly use it in two ways:

1. To explore a book before deciding whether I want to read the whole thing.
2. To revisit the key ideas from books I’ve already read.

That second one is probably my favourite.

There are books I read years ago where I loved the ideas but definitely couldn’t remember all of them now. Instead of rereading the entire book, I can go back through the Shortform guide and refresh my memory really quickly.

And because my interests go well beyond nutrition, I can dip into books about psychology, habits, business, communication, money and plenty more.

But remember, sometimes one useful idea that you actually put into practice is worth far more than another ten books sitting on your shelf.

So learn.

Stay curious.

Change your mind when the evidence warrants it.

But most importantly, take what you learn and do something with it.

Applied knowledge is power.

And now I want your recommendations too!

Hit reply and tell me the best book you've read recently. It absolutely does not have to be about nutrition. I’m always looking for something new to add to my list.