If you’re like me, you’re always eager to learn more about health and wellness—especially if you can find new ideas that inspire you or just make it easier to lead a lifestyle that brings out the best in you. While I’ve been traveling around the country talking about my new book—The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet—I’ve had some extra time to read. These are a few of my recent favorites, because their authors’ passion for healthy living inspires me. They also echo many of the principles I’ve written about and use in my medical practice to help people transform their health. I’ve picked up some great ideas from every one of these books—and you can, too. Here’s a quick take on each title. The Hormone Cure: Reclaim Balance, Sleep, Sex Drive, and Vitality Naturally with The Gottfried Protocol by Sara Gottfried, MD This book does for hormones what I do for food: It helps women understand how chronic stress has hijacked their hormone balance. Women lead such busy lives that they often don’t realize how the main stress hormone—cortisol—is depleting the brain chemicals that make them happy. Not to mention that women are simply more prone to hormonal imbalances than men. It’s just a fact. And when your hormones are imbalanced you can feel lethargic, irritable, weepy, unsexy, anxious and depressed. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Dr. Gottfried, a Harvard-educated, board-certified OB/GYN, developed a three-step process to naturally balance hormones: The Gottfried Protocol. She believes it’s far easier to get your hormones in balance than to live with the consequences of hormonal chaos. She uses a science-based correction for hormonal balance in women in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Instead of prescribing synthetic hormones, she identifies the small changes that will have the biggest impact for each woman, using whatever approach works best, including science, nutrition, botanical remedies and more. Dr. Gottfried’s New York Times bestseller, The Hormone Cure, is now out in paperback—with 50 pages of new content based on the questions women have asked most since the publication of the hardcover edition. If you’re wondering how hormones may be affecting your body and mind, you will find the answers here. The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts, and Drinks—100 Gluten-Free, Vegan Recipes! By Tess Masters One of the things that’s so great about Tess—and her debut cookbook—is that she takes ideas from all the healthy diets she’s tried and tailors them to her own nutritional needs. She learned a long time ago that food is medicine, and she not only practices what she preaches. Tess makes it easy for anyone to do the same. All her recipes involve a blender, although they’re not all smoothies and soups. There are also appetizers, snacks, salads, main dishes and desserts, all with a blended component that makes it a breeze to whip up tasty, healthy dishes. They all start out packed with good-for-you ingredients, and you can easily modify them to suit your own tastes or nutritional goals. You’ll be amazed how delicious nutrient-dense dishes can be. Try this recipe from The Blender Girl cookbook and you’ll definitely want more where that came from. Incredibly Edible Edamame Dip Makes 2-1/2 cups (550g)

• 3 tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups (320g) shelled raw edamame beans
• 2 cups (54g) loosely packed baby spinach
• 1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (yellow, white, or Vidalia is good, but not red)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon natural salt (Celtic sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt), plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
• 1/4 cup (12g) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Throw the oil, edamame, spinach, lemon juice, tahini, onion, garlic, cumin, pepper flakes, and salt into your high-speed blender or food processor and blend on high or process for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Stop the machine periodically and scrape down the sides of the container to fully incorporate the ingredients. A food processor will give the mixture a coarse consistency, which some people prefer. Tweak flavors to taste. (You may like more lemon juice, garlic, pepper flakes, or salt.) Serve topped with sesame seeds and parsley. Tess is offering some great pre-order bonuses, click here to learn more. Miracles Now: 108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow, and Finding Your True Purpose by Gabrielle Bernstein Your emotional and spiritual well-being is just as important as your physical health when it comes to leading your most vibrant life. In fact, they’re completely interconnected. With Miracles Now, this New York Times bestselling author offers 108 techniques to help busy, stressed people feel better fast. Gabrielle’s techniques can help you address the most common problems people face today, from addiction and anxiety to burnout and resentment. The exercises are inspired by lessons from A Course in Miracles and Kundalini yoga—the yoga of awareness. This book is action-oriented, offering short exercises that can be done anywhere, any time you need to release stress, boost your mood and create positive change. You can read it all the way through, or pick an exercise that inspires you in the moment. Inviting miracles into your life can make an amazing difference to your mind, body and spirit, and this book is a great guide. The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast by JJ Virgin, CNS, CHFS JJ and I think a lot alike. We both believe that being fat is not your fault—and that giving up foods most likely to cause food intolerance, including gluten and sugar, can transform your health. A companion to The Virgin Diet, JJ’s New York Times bestseller, The Virgin Diet Cookbook is chock-full of easy and delicious recipes free of gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, corn, peanuts, sugar and artificial sweeteners. In addition to great-tasting recipes, you’ll find tips on stocking your kitchen, swapping out ingredients and more—all from a board-certified nutrition expert. Check out this simple sample recipe from the book. Scallion Shrimp Stir-Fry with Snow Peas Makes 4 servings

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces snow peas
• 1-1/2 pounds wild shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or reduced sodium wheat-free tamari
• 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the snow peas and cook, stirring, until they are bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook until pink, about 1 minute. Add the coconut aminos (or tamari) and chili garlic sauce and cook for 15 seconds. Stir in the green onions and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer. Serve over steamed brown rice. Share your thoughts Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear what you think. Please share your experience with me and the community in the comments—tell us how one of these books made an impact on your health and your life.