Below is a compilation of our suggested reading list for better understanding. It includes works by medical practitioners, nutritionists, and registered dietitians, as well as a few books on the topics of the environment and sustainability.
Now Available, our new book is available on Amazon.com and at our eStore below, where we offer a $4 discount to our readers. Use LRNTTR8G, enabling you to purchase this book in paperback for $9.88, a discount of $4 off the list price of $13.88. Also available soon in the Kindle format on Amazon. Check out the Praise from Around the Globe that appears on the first few pages.
Purchase 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health, by Kerry Graff, MD and J. Morris Hicks. This is the only book in the world where you can learn not only why we must change our eating habits (for our own health AND the health of the planet), but also exactly how to do it. This book was inspired by Dr. Graff’s patients, who wanted to know the quickest and easiest way to take charge of their health. Use the 4Leaf $4 Discount Code LRNTTR8G at our eStore link above. For an introduction to the book, click here: Intro to the 4Leaf Guide
Healthy Eating, Healthy World, by J. Morris Hicks with J. Stanfield Hicks. By reading this one book, you can experience your own “blinding flash of the obvious” when it comes to what we should be eating and why. A “big picture” book about the staggering impact of the way we eat on so many global issues, it can be read and easily understood in less than one day by the average 8th grader. Now available in Kindle and Audio.
The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. This great book provides scientific proof that the natural, and best, diet for our species is whole plant-based foods. This book has sold more than one million copies worldwide and has done more than any other book in history to help us all learn the simple, yet powerful truths about nutrition. This is the book that influenced President Clinton to change his diet in 2010.
Stop Feeding Your Cancer, by John Kelly, MD. This powerful book documents the clinical success in stopping cancer that was achieved by simply applying the science that Dr. Kelly learned by reading The China Study. His results were astounding. Almost every patient in many dozens of cases was able to basically starve their cancer—resulting in the slowing, arresting or reversal of this horrible disease.
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, by Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD. Dr. Esselstyn provides a powerful message packaged with the ultimate in credibility, legitimacy and authenticity. Olympic gold medal winner, veteran Cleveland Clinic surgeon and near 100% record in reversing heart disease, this man and his book are the real deal. His slogan is that heart disease is like a paper tiger than need never exist.
Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes, by Neal Barnard, MD. Born the son of a physician in the cattle raising country of North Dakota, he graduated from the George Washington School of Medicine in Washington, DC, where he later founded the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which he still directs. In this great book, he can help anyone who no longer wants to “manage” their type 2 diabetes but would rather get rid of it.
WHOLE, Rethinking the science of nutrition, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. After this book launched, it soared to the New York Times bestseller list as one of the top 100 books in the world. As a member of the T. Colin Campbell Foundation Board of Directors, I was privileged to have the opportunity to write this endorsement: “Why is the most expensive health care system in the world not working? This book provides scientific “big picture” clarity amidst a sea of confusion about how commercially driven “disease management” is costing us millions of lives—while wasting trillions of dollars. Understanding how this “health care monster” operates is the first step toward creating a system that truly promotes health.”
The Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn. Rip is one of the lucky ones; he got to learn about the powers of plant-strong eating when he was growing up in the Dr. Esselstyn household. Now, after a career as a triathlete and firefighter, he is big-time into his new career as one of the primary leaders in the grassroots revolution of promoting plant-strong health. He published this book in 2009 and is now working closely with two of the greatest plant-based leaders in the USA: John Mackey of Whole Foods Market and Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition, by Julieanna Hever, RD. This makes a great companion to our new book. We summarize the preponderance of evidence supporting a plant-based diet, and Julieanna shares many helpful secrets that will help you make your journey the best that it can possibly be. There should be no sacrifices involved with moving to the natural diet for our species- it should be fun, effortless and delicious, not to mention a way to save money on your grocery bill and your medical bills. This is a “must read” for anyone who wants to have fun eating at the 4-Leaf level.
The Low Carb Fraud, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. This book addresses the “high protein, low carb” craze that has been ongoing since Robert Atkins wrote his first book many decades ago. The commonality of most low-carb diets is a focus on carbs as bad, and the importance deriving your calories from meat and fat. Dr. Campbell explains how the importance of carbs, and how they’re not all created equal; something that the low-carb diets fail to address.
The Starch Solution, by John McDougall, MD. This book is filled with powerful information, recipes, and success stories of people who fuel their bodies with carbohydrates instead of fats and proteins, and look and feel great because of it. One of the heroes in the plant-based world, Dr. McDougall has touched millions of lives since first learning the truth about nutrition (from his patients in Hawaii) way back in the 1970’s.
Diet for a New America, by John Robbins. Although this book was first published in 1987, its content will remain relevant forever. The author’s father was one of the founders of Baskin-Robbins, but John wanted to do more with his life than sell ice cream. Since walking away from that lucrative career decades ago, he has become one of the leading environmentalists and lifestyle experts in the world. This is a great book for learning more about the big picture of what we should be eating, touching on topics like water shortage & pollution, animal suffering, energy crisis, etc.
Mad Cowboy, by Howard Lyman. A former cattle rancher turned vegan and activist, Lyman was once sued (along with Oprah) after telling the public the truth about the downside of eating meat and dairy three meals a day. He and Oprah successfully defended themselves against the Texas Cattlemen who sued them, and he has gone on to become a lobbyist, author and speaker on the topic of sustainable farming and healthy eating. After beginning his life in the business of raising beef cattle, then almost dying from eating them, his story delivers a powerful message with authenticity and legitimacy.
Eat to Live, by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. This book is a very well-documented, easy read with lots of great recipes and meal plans to help get you started. Like all the other medical doctors featured in “Healthy Eating, Healthy World” above, Joel didn’t learn the truth about nutrition in medical school. He learned it on his own after a serious injury that left him bedridden during his quest to make his name as a world-class figure-skater.
Skinny Bitch, by Rory Freedman and Kim Karnouin. Written by two former models, this book tells the readers exactly what they need to do to look good, feel good and lose weight. It also provides a lot of meal planning information. I love their confession in the form of a P.S. on the last page of the book: “We really couldn’t care less about being skinny. Don’t get scared or upset; you will definitely lose weight if you adopt the Skinny Bitch lifestyle. However, our real hope is for you to become healthy. We don’t want anyone to become obsessed with being skinny.”
The Spectrum, by Dean Ornish, MD. Dr. Ornish is of the most famous physicians in the world; he teaches medicine at UCSF, was the first to prove that heart disease was reversible for almost everyone with simple diet and lifestyle changes, and he shows you exactly how to do that in this book. Lately, he has drawn a lot of attention for his participation in the Sanjay Gupta “Heart Attack” special on CNN (8-29-11). One of Bill Clinton’s consulting physicians since 1993, Dr. Ornish is a powerful force in medicine worldwide. His book contains over 100 pages of recipes.
Thrive, The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. Many athletes have found this great book invaluable in helping them deal with the high calorie requirements of their seriously active lifestyles. One of my son’s friends, an M.D., said, “As a triathlete myself, the idea that a whole foods plant-based diet could allow an athlete to compete and do well at such a high level was very exciting. I bought the book and devoured every word. Brendan’s words were right in line with the research I had done for my thesis. The lifestyle he promotes is one in which the body utilizes nutrient-rich foods in their natural state, as opposed to the refined, processed foods of the traditional Western diet.”
Disease Proof Your Child, by Joel Fuhrman, MD. This is the book that did the trick for my son, Jason Hicks. The father of three young children, he immediately cleaned out his kitchen after reading this book. Fuhrman discusses the powerful impact of a nutrient-rich eating plan on the health of your children. When you think about it, there is no more valuable gift that you can give your children than to simply teach them how to use food to provide them with vibrant health for the rest of their lives.
What Happy People Know: How the new science of happiness can change your life for the better, by Dan Baker, PhD. Dr. Baker (of The Canyon Ranch) takes the mystery out of psychology; he helps people choose happiness by focusing on the positives instead of their most horrible memories. For many people, his book can do for the mind what our book does for the body.
Comfortably Unaware by Dr. Richard Oppenlander. The single biggest problem that humankind faces is the rapid pace with which we are consuming our finite natural resources, with land and water topping the list. Oppenlander begins by defining that urgent problem in great detail. He then tackles Problem #2: virtually all of our citizens (including our world leaders and environmental experts) are comfortably unaware of the extent of the problem, the most powerful driver of the problem, and the obvious solution.
TEN BILLION, by Stephen Emmott, PhD. This is my most recommended book for people who are interested in learning more about the sustainability of humankind. Dr. Emmott is a scientist who heads up computational for Microsoft in the UK. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Oxford. Wanting his message to be a wake-up call to leaders everywhere, he paints a bleak (almost hopeless) picture in this book. But I am more optimistic because I see a plant-based solution out of the global mess that he so brilliantly describes.
Full Planet, Empty Plates, by Lester Brown. One of the most prolific environmental writers in history, Brown describes a host of environmental issues, none of which are getting better. He describes an almost impossible situation as it relates to global depletion of our essential natural resources, for which he offers no plausible solution. He did, however, agree that if the most affluent two billion people in the world replaced 75% of their meat, dairy, egg and fish calories with plant-based calories, that “It would be a substantially positive impact”.
Bulk Sales for “Healthy Eating, Healthy World”
Minimum order is one case (34 units) and the discount in the USA is 50%; resulting in a price of $7.48 per book. Shipping from MN, the average shipping cost per book is $ .50. For international, the discounted price is $5.98 (60% off cover price). Average shipping cost to U.K. for USPS or FedEx is less than $5 per book.
How to place your order: Contact Aida Herrera (or assistant Laura Alberter) at the BenBella HQ in Dallas. Her contact info:
Administrative Director | BenBella Books, Inc., 10300 N. Central Expy., Suite 400 | Dallas, TX 75231, T 214 361 7901 | F 214 750 3645 — Email: aida@benbellabooks.com
4Leaf Global, LLC 