The next step on my journey into nutrition was How Not To Die by Michael Greger, M.D., with Gene Stone. This book is filled with interesting information whether you are working toward a healthier you or if you just like general knowledge about the society we live in. The focus is on the 15 leading causes of death in the United States and each chapter focuses on an individual disease, what pharmaceutical options have been created to address it, and what foods have been used to address and reverse the disease. Basically, this book discusses using food, or diet, as medicine with plenty of interesting facts that may surprise you. The second half of the book is Dr. Greger’s daily dozen foods he recommends to promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle that will add years to your life.

I’m not recommending this book because I want to shift your entire focus to your diet or make you feel bad for wanting to eat a burger. Why read a book about diseases if you are healthy? Well, this book is more than just about diseases (though many of the diseases discussed can begin years before being detected). I am recommending this book because it is an interesting read and can be a very useful reference tool to help you or perhaps someone you know. To put it simply, the standard American diet is not healthy and often leads to the leading causes of death in this country. If a few small changes to your eating habits can drastically improve your health, why wouldn’t you give it a shot?

With nearly 150 pages of notes (out of the book’s total 560 pages) that reference the many papers, studies, and other medical and historical publications, Dr. Greger took evidence from the vast resources of medicinal studies and created an easy-to-read book to help us better understand how our diets impact our health. He doesn’t promote any fad diets or specific eating restrictions. He even promotes eating foods in less healthy forms if that is what it takes to help you eat healthier than you are now and hopefully help create a trend upward towards an even healthier you.

It is crazy how little the average person knows about nutrition. I remember growing up learning about the Food Pyramid which has since been debunked, and I wouldn’t dare follow it given what I know now. My recent dive into nutrition proves how little I knew, and I am glad my current focus is creating a better future for me. I know many people want to be healthier and many know how to be healthier, but they just don’t have the motivation or commitment to make it happen. If you fall into this category, I think books like this can help with motivation because it helps you focus on your future with encouragement to act now. Reading about studies on heart disease makes you want to ensure you don’t develop heart disease. Dr. Greger’s daily dozen foods is available in an app simply titled the daily dozen. The best part is you don’t need to sign up or create an account. It is simply a checklist with access to other information about the food groups to help you begin healthier habits. He has a website NutritionFacts.org which is filled with short videos and articles centered around nutrition. Interested in a new type of food or a natural way to decrease blood pressure? There are dozens of videos averaging 3-4 minutes long to help you learn and better understand your body and how the food you eat can help or hinder your health.

I’ve been focusing on my health recently for a multitude of reasons, but primarily to build a sustainable nutritional and physical regiment to maintain a healthy body and mind. My aim is to be healthy and live as long as possible for my family. The fact I have more energy and feel much better physically and mentally is a testament that it is working. I’m even starting to exercise and eat healthy because I enjoy it. My hope is that you also want to feel great and live as long as possible. I may not know you, dear reader, but I care about you nonetheless. You matter, and I want you to live a happy life.

Happy Reading.