You know that physical health is important for your body, but did you know it’s also crucial for your mental functioning? More than ever before, experts recognize that healthy eating habits are essential to our physical and psychological well-being.
It’s time to create new healthy habits that you can make last for the long term. But if you don’t have experience with preparing healthy foods, you need the right information and recipes. That is where these healthy food cookbooks and books about food will help.
Don’t fall for the misconception that nutritious food must be bland. It can be quite the opposite when you use the right herbs and spices. We’ve compiled this list of 13 books to give you all the inspiration and knowledge you need for better body and brain health.
Let’s dive into the 13 best healthy cookbooks and get cooking!
Best Cookbooks for Healthy Eating Habits
1. You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food: A Cookbook
By You Suck at Cooking
Amazon Rating: 4.8 stars (3,315 reviews)
Ever watched the “You Suck at Cooking” YouTube channel? If you’re not “the cooking type” and usually stay away from the kitchen but want to start making healthy meals, this is the perfect place to learn. Even budding chefs can get new tips and simple recipes to try.
You Suck at Cooking is a cookbook with more than 60 mouthwatering recipes, including Beanshuka Marinara, Cheddar Quiche Cupcake Muffin-Type Things, Curry Chicken Thighs, and many more.
Plus, one section gives you information on “things you might need.” This gets pretty basic (and even a little tongue-in-cheek). Yes, a stove or oven is a good idea! If you look for humor in your cookbooks, this is a great pick. It’s illustrated, too, and offers plenty of tips and tricks that may transform your kitchen experiences.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
2. Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep: 100+ Make-Ahead Recipes and Quick-Assembly Meals: A Gluten-Free Cookbook
By Lisa Bryan
Amazon Rating: 4.8 stars (2,254 reviews)
One of the best ways to cut down on your meal preparation time is to make your food in batches. With this method, you make all the dishes for a whole week all in one day. Many busy professionals like this because when you prepare or cook your food in advance, you don’t have to worry as much as mealtime approaches.
Author Lisa Bryan recognizes that preparing your meals in one day can feel a bit boring and like an enormous task, but the benefits of this technique can outweigh the disadvantages. Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep also shows you interesting and exciting ways to use your pre-prepared food.
Bryan offers more than 100 ways to improve your pre-prepared meal skills for easier and more enjoyable mealtimes. She also guides you on what containers to store your pre-prepared food in and how to thaw frozen food.
With the food pre-preparation skills you learn in Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep, you’ll be all set to learn how a better diet can help you stay healthy and vibrant for years to come.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
3. Truly Simple: 140 Healthy Recipes for Weekday Cooking
By Kristin Cavallari
Amazon Rating: 4.7 stars (442 reviews)
Kristin Cavallari, the bestselling author of True Roots and True Comfort, brings us Truly Simple, a cookbook with 140 easy, healthy recipes. This book focuses on the meals Kristin makes for her family on weekdays, and she focuses on spending less time in the kitchen but a lot more time at the table with the people you love.
Truly Simple is a great cookbook for making simple, flavorful and healthy meals. Some of the recipes you’ll discover here include Skillet Carrot Cake, Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole and Blueberry Cinnamon Sugar-Baked Oats.
Cavallari shares a recipe for Cashew Butter Espresso Bites from her new book—her favorite on-the-go snack—below.
“I love snacks that are quick and easy, especially if I’m at the office, running around with the kids or traveling. I always have a snack on me, no matter what, and these are healthy, easy to throw in your purse and give you a little energy boost. Just be careful your kids don’t get a hold of these! Mine have eaten them—and they loved them—but coffee is the last thing they need!” —Kristin Cavallari
And here’s the recipe!
Makes 14
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashew butter
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
Directions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cashew butter, coconut flour, coffee, maple syrup and hemp seeds. Roll the dough into 14 golf ball-size balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the fridge until the bites harden, about 30 minutes. Enjoy right away or store in a zip-top bag in the fridge.
- The espresso bites will keep well in the fridge for up to 14 days.
Recipe from TRULY SIMPLE. Copyright © 2023 by Kristin Cavallari. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
4. Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals: A Cookbook
By Melissa Clark
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars (1,054 reviews)
You’ll never find a person who doesn’t enjoy delicious and nutritious meals. It’s usually the work (or perceived work) of preparing these dishes that can get between you and a healthier brain and body.
That’s where this book comes in. Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals is a cookbook where every recipe requires just one pot (or sheet pan, casserole dish, instant pot, etc.). They also usually require a minimal number of utensils and mixing bowls. And there are plenty of recipes that feed multiple people. Preparing a meal in just one pan, pot or dish makes the process easier and less messy. With this book, you’ll never feel like clean-up is more work than cooking.
This versatile cookbook offers no shortage of mouthwatering dishes. Roasted chicken and savory bread pudding are just two examples. Are you getting hungry yet? If you’re a vegan or want to try vegan food, you’ll love how Dinner in One offers vegan-friendly variations for many recipes. Plus, you can prepare some of these recipes in less than an hour.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
5. Help Yourself: A Guide to Gut Health for People Who Love Delicious Food
By Lindsay Maitland Hunt
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars (230 reviews)
Lindsay Maitland Hunt hopes to help her readers improve their gut health by eating healthy and delicious meals and better understanding the science and health impact of gut flora. In this book, she shares the knowledge she has gained in her own journey in learning how to support her healthy gut microbiota and provides gut-friendly recipes to help you do the same.
Help Yourself: A Guide to Gut Health for People Who Love Delicious Food offers recipes such as Matcha-Raspberry Energy Bites, Poached Shrimp Caesar Salad and Spiced Vanilla Pear Crumble. Yum! The book will help bring more plant-based ingredients into your diet, featuring over 125 recipes, many of which use veggie-based foods.
And don’t worry—Help Yourself isn’t about diets or cleanses. Instead of telling you what to do and making you feel limited, this book reveals how to make better eating practices a regular part of your life without restricting yourself.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
6. The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100
By Dan Buettner
Amazon Rating: 4.5 stars (13,060 reviews)
The foods you eat can have a major impact on how long you live. Dan Buettner has researched and visited the five “blue zones,” places in the world where people tend to live longer. Sardinia, Italy, and Okinawa, Japan, are examples.
In The Blue Zones Kitchen, you’ll discover recipes directly from (or inspired by) the diets that Buettner found in the blue zones. He peppers the book with fascinating personal stories that entertain and inform.
How do Italian Sweet Potato Tarts, Grecian Winter Ratatouille and Costa Rican Horchata sound? Read The Blue Zones Kitchen to discover 100 tasty and healthy recipes that could be just the ticket to improving your physical well-being and longevity.
Of course, you may want to bring someone you love into your health and longevity journey. In the next book, you’ll learn how healthy eating can help you spend more time with someone you care about.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
7. Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships: A Cookbook
By Liz Moody
Amazon Rating: 4.5 stars (524 reviews)
Enjoying a delicious meal together is one of the best ways to bond with the people we love. In that spirit, Liz Moody brings us Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships.
OnePoll has researched (on behalf of brioche brand St. Pierre) and found that “the way to a man’s—and woman’s—heart really IS through their stomach.” Liz Moody clearly agrees! Look at the book summary, and you’ll see that “mincing garlic and sautéing onions together eventually led [her and her boyfriend] to marriage—proving that good food really is the universal connector!”
Take some time to connect with someone you love over a meal made with a Healthier Together recipe. Moody presents more than 100 healthy recipes designed to serve two. And if you’re looking for plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free recipes, you’ll discover plenty here. How do Banana-Bread Cardamom Pancakes with Candied Coffee Walnuts, Stone Fruit & Basil “Mascarpone” Bruschetta, and Zucchini Latkes sound?
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
8. Milk Street: Cook What You Have: Make a Meal Out of Almost Anything (A Cookbook)
By Christopher Kimball
Amazon Rating: 4.4 stars (214 reviews)
With food prices surging, we’re all looking for ways to use our leftovers and make meals out of just about anything in the fridge. Milk Street: Cook What You Have is the book you need to get full use of everything you buy at the grocery store.
This book offers 225 nutritious dishes, such as frozen veggie-based meals, soups and more. And if you’re busy and don’t have much time for cooking, that’s no problem. Christopher Kimball ensured that all the recipes require “fewer than 10 ingredients,” and many take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
Books About Food
9. This Is Your Brain on Food
By Uma Naidoo
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars (2,756 reviews)
The importance of a healthy diet extends far beyond just filling your stomach. It’s also key to your overall health, including your brain health. That’s why when you decide what to eat, you need to think healthfully and holistically.
Your brain health is key to your success. So, when you adopt a healthier diet that provides holistic nourishment, you take an essential step in improving your overall health, well-being and happiness.
But maybe you’re not sure how to get started. Author Uma Naidoo, M.D., has researched the connection between food and mental health and writes about her findings in This Is Your Brain on Food. She discusses the science of how food affects brain health and shares 40 recipes you can try for better holistic health.
You’ll discover that the foods you eat can affect your brain and mental health, potentially having an effect on conditions such as depression, anxiety and insomnia. Adopting healthier meal plans gives you a real chance of better mental health and brain functioning.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
10. Unapologetic Eating: Make Peace With Food and Transform Your Life
By Alissa Rumsey
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars (182 reviews)
All too often, food is tied up with feelings of guilt. This can be especially true with women. Have you ever beaten yourself up over breaking a diet because you’re desperate to fit a social ideal? These are the kinds of issues that Alissa Rumsey explores in Unapologetic Eating: Make Peace With Food and Transform Your Life.
This book is unique. It doesn’t tell you what to do. Instead, it encourages you to discover what you should do yourself. The book is organized into parts, focused on “fixing,” “allowing,” “feeling” and “growing.” It aims to help you learn how to create a healthier connection with your body. It will encourage you to think about your relationship with food and how to use your intuition to make better eating choices.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
11. Good for Your Gut: A Plant-Based Digestive Health Guide and Nourishing Recipes for Living Well
By Desiree Nielsen
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars (115 reviews)
This book boasts over 90 recipes divided into three categories: “soothe,” “heal” and “protect.” There are snacks like Easy Asparagus Fritters and breakfast treats like a Calming Rose Smoothie and Sticky Sesame Tofu.
Whatever recipes you choose, everything you find in Good for Your Gut is based on scientific research. You can be sure that they will help support your gut health, which is important for your mental and physical health and well-being.
It has been shown that good gut (digestive) health can improve mind health. This book provides potentially life-changing information and insights on everything from “everyday gut stuff” to “gut-healing nutrition.”
If you want to try and enjoy plant-based, anti-inflammatory and even brain-boosting recipes, give Good for Your Gut a try. Author Desiree Nielsen shows that we should think about our diets holistically, sharing how better digestive health can benefit your mind and body.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
12. Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life
By Mark Hyman
Amazon Rating: 4.5 stars (3,065 reviews)
The food you eat has a significant impact not only on your health but also on your longevity. In Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life, Mark Hyman, M.D., explores the science of aging and what you can do to improve your health and live longer. You’ll also find tips from the author’s “Young Forever Program.”
You’ll learn how to use Hyman’s “Pegan Diet” to boost longevity and get a glimpse into the future of aging research. This book is an easy-to-understand resource for the best ways to get healthier and live longer.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
13. Why We Eat (Too Much): The New Science of Appetite
By Andrew Jenkinson
Amazon Rating: 4.5 stars (2,180 reviews)
One of the most effective ways to lose weight is by first learning about your body and metabolism. In Why We Eat (Too Much), Andrew Jenkinson reveals that understanding your metabolism can be the key to losing weight.
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight without much success, this book could be exactly what you need. Jenkinson is a consultant surgeon at the University College London Hospital and has the expertise to guide you in achieving better health.
He helps us understand the roles our body and environment play in determining our weight and strategies for losing weight the right way. Jenkinson combines science, case studies and clear explanations and tips to help you embark on a new (and improved) weight loss journey.
Buy this cookbook on Amazon.
Tips for Making Healthy Eating a Permanent Part of Your Life
The books here contain recipes and information that will help you make healthy eating a part of your life for the long term. Additionally, here are several tips and strategies to help you use the information in these books to create beneficial habits that last.
- Don’t underestimate leftovers or “boring” food in your fridge. Use the information you find in Milk Street: Cook What You Have: Make a Meal Out of Almost Anything by Christopher Kimball to get ideas and inspiration.
- Make a meal plan at the start of each week. If you know you’ll be busy, look for some recipes in Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals by Melissa Clark to make delicious and nutritious meals in just one pot or pan.
- Try healthy meal prepping in advance, as seen in Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep: 100+ Make-Ahead Recipes and Quick-Assembly Meals. It’s a great way to prepare your meals before the busy upcoming week begins.
- Enjoy meals containing foods proven to encourage better longevity. You can find information on this in The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 by Dan Buettner and Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life by Mark Hyman.
- Make gut health a priority in your healthy eating routine. As Lindsay Maitland Hunt explains in Help Yourself: A Guide to Gut Health for People Who Love Delicious Food, good gut health and healthy gut microbiota are beneficial to your body and brain. Use the knowledge you gain from this book to add gut-friendly foods to your diet.
- Get educated and informed on nutrition, and use your new knowledge to choose foods that will benefit your health. For example, read Good for Your Gut: A Plant-Based Digestive Health Guide and Nourishing Recipes for Living Well by Desiree Nielsen to learn about the benefits of plant-based meals.
- If you have problems with overeating, use the information in Why We Eat (Too Much) by Andrew Jenkinson to help you overcome this problem and lead a healthier, more balanced life.
- Improve your brain health by learning about how foods affect your brain and using the recipes in This is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo.
Embrace Healthy Eating Habits for a Better Life
We highly recommend reading the healthy cookbooks mentioned here to help you develop a more beneficial diet that will nourish your body and brain long-term and encourage a new diet and healthy eating habits that last.
Whether you want a plant-based diet, want to try healthy meal prepping, are keen to focus on gut health, or all of the above, all the books we’ve listed here will help. So start your journey to healthy eating habits by picking one of these top cookbooks today.
This article has been updated. Photo by Marcos Elihu Castillo Ramirez/iStock.com
