Book and Movie Recommendations

I love reading books and watching movies that help educate, motivate and inspire me.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal 
One of the first books I read about what I'll call the massive "bad" food industry - how they make our food, what we're really eating, etc. I used to eat a lot of fast food and learned a lot about what I was putting in my body when I read this book. I still eat fast food from time to time so one of the things I liked about this book is that it isn't preaching, just giving you the harsh facts.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals 
Another education in what goes into the production of processed foods and what it's doing to the environment. Part of my journey included educating myself on the item that was causing me so much difficulty - food. This book was both eye-opening and inspirational.

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto 
In his next book, Michael Pollan makes the case for whole foods, that the problem with the American diet is not too much food, but too much processed foods. At least that's what I remember reading. Don't think about what to eat in terms of fat grams or the number of carbs but in terms of processed vs whole. Pretty simple message and I like it, made a huge impact on my day-to-day choices.

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite 
David Kessler took on the tobacco industry (as a former FDA commissioner) and now he's taking on the food industry. In this book he makes the case that - much like tobacco - the super-processed, hyper-palatable, unnaturally "good" food being produced by food companies today have hijacked our brains and turned us all into food junkies. After telling us how we lost control of our diet, with the help of food makers/marketers, he tells us what we can do about it.


The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person 
By the time I found this book I'd already come to a lot of the conclusions myself - it's not about finding the right "diet", it's about changing the way we think about food and exercise. You can use whatever food/diet/exercise plan you wish (or none at all, really, though she doesn't say that in the book, it can be done) in combination with the tools she teaches you to, basically, get out of your own way and start behaving in a way that is in alignment with your goals. I don't use every tool she advises but I have incorporated many of them in my life and teach them to others in my private practice.


Slow Fat Triathlete: Live Your Athletic Dreams in the Body You Have Now When 
When I purchased this book I had NO intention of doing a triathlon. I'd heard the book was funny and inspirational and that seemed like reason enough to read it. Well, by the time I was done I'd registered for my first triathlon. I was just under 175 pounds but that didn't stop me. Jayne has had an interesting journey herself, one you can read more about in my Fat Acceptance post (link below).

I also wrote about the book in my Where's the Pool? post

Your First Triathlon, 2nd Ed.: Race-Ready in 5 Hours a Week

Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength

Running For Dummies Run to Overcome: The Inspiring Story of an American Champion's Long-Distance Quest to Achieve a Big Dream 

Movies:

King Corn
Food, Inc.
Forks Over Knives

Fat, Sick and Out of Control
Weight of the Nation