As a Faith-Based Health Coach, I’ve been recommending so many different things on my YouTube channel lately that I thought it would be helpful to add a list of my Favorites to my blog. These include some really wonderful books, fantastic wellness products, and a few miscellaneous things that have really blessed my health. If you struggle with weight loss, emotional eating, sugar addiction, binge eating, compulsive eating, hormone issues, or even chronic pain, take a look and see if anything strikes your fancy. 🙂 🙂
FAITH-BASED HEALTH & WELLNESS BOOKS
Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction by Asheritah Ciuciu – If I could only recommend one book on this topic, it would be this one. My favorite thing is that Asheritah makes the food struggle a spiritual journey, not just a physical one. I especially love her focus on learning to hunger for Christ instead of our favorite treats, and finding the ultimate source of satisfaction through Him instead of a salty or sugary counterfeit.
The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation by Wendy Speake – In this powerful book, Wendy captured exactly what I experienced in my own journey out of sugar addiction. Like Asheritah, Wendy puts the focus on Christ, not food–especially turning to Him for help and strength to overcome. She also hosts a yearly sugar fast with thousands of Christian women in this Facebook group.
Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food by Lysa Terkeurst – Lysa hit a homerun with this Bible study. Based on her own personal struggles, she walks you through the process of turning to God to find the support and strength to break free from an attachment to food. (Lysa also just condensed this same content into her new book, I’ll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Satisfaction.)
I Deserve A Donut: And Other Lies That Make You Eat by Barb Raveling – This book is a gospel-centered, biblically-based look at emotional eating. Barb uses over 150 Bible verses and 37 sets of questions to help you identify thought patterns in your mind that need to be broken, and shows you how to reframe those thoughts to focus on God rather than food. (Barb also has some other wonderful books on emotional eating and Christian weight loss here and here.)
GENERAL HEALTH BOOKS
The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program by Kathleen DesMaisons – This was the program that revolutionized my life & eating back in 2005. Dr. DesMaisons not only discusses the emotional & physical effects of sugar addiction, but outlines a powerful plan to balance the brain chemistry in a way that calms sugar cravings and heals the body naturally (I did tweak it a bit to fit me). Her revolutionary book, Potatoes Not Prozac, was also recently revised and updated, and covers similar information.
Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease–and How to Fight It, by Benjamin Bikman is FANTASTIC on insulin resistance and blood sugar balance. With our modern diet of processed carbs, studies are showing that a BILLION people in the world now have prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes, but most don’t even know it (diabetesatlas.org). This book explains not only the causes and effects of our modern-day diet, but offers recommendations for how to stabilize our insulin levels, thus avoiding not just diabetes, but weight gain and all kinds of chronic disease.
I absolutely love Lara Briden’s Metabolic Repair for Women: A Compassionate, Science-Based Guide to Balancing Insulin, Losing Weight, & Improving Health. Easy to read, hits all the key points, and offers really easy ways to self-assess what will best heal our body. Her explanation on the dangers of ultra-processed food is worth the price of the book alone. I also LOVE her holistic view that the healing journey is not one-size-fits-all, and her chapter on clearing away the shame.
Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel, by Dr. Will Cole is such a refreshing, holistic, BIG PICTURE view of health! He looks at many different aspects that I believe are often left out by general practitioners. In the book, he uses the term “shameflammation” to talk about how stress and shame negatively impact our entire body and our health, and also what we can do to find wholeness and healing.
SUPPLEMENTS (I take all of these daily)
Berberine (promotes blood sugar balance, and studies are showing it’s comparable to Metformin to help balance blood sugar): https://amzn.to/3NFq7tT
Vitamin B Complex (helpful for SO many things, including blood sugar balance, hormone balance, increased energy, heart health, & calming stress): https://amzn.to/44foc6y, https://amzn.to/46AECYB
Omega 3 Fish Oil (SUCH AN IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENT to calm inflammation, reduce pain, and improve brain & heart health): https://amzn.to/46xEIAp, https://amzn.to/3pBWXDZ, https://amzn.to/46G6QB8
Vitamin D (improves mood drastically and also memory & concentration. There’s a reason it’s called the sunshine hormone!): https://amzn.to/3pvOK4p, https://amzn.to/3XWDbA5
Magnesium Glycinate (a wonderful supplement to promote hormone balance, calm stress, and help you sleep): https://amzn.to/44dlgaA, https://amzn.to/3pGiCuY
Vitex Hormonal Support (has done wonders to help with hot flashes and other symptoms as I move through the menopause transition): https://amzn.to/4bi6O3y
BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE CREAMS (Also Use Daily)
Smoky Mountain Estrogen Cream: https://amzn.to/3KUQTxp
Smoky Mountain Progesterone Cream: https://amzn.to/45ESwZy
FOR CHRONIC PAIN
I damaged my neck in a car accident several years ago, so I’ve battled chronic pain for a very long time. These two resources have been a game-changer in helping me calm tension, relax inflamed muscles, and reduce chronic pain:
THERA CANE MASSAGER: https://amzn.to/3zbOJqF
TRIGGER POINT THERAPY WORKBOOK: https://amzn.to/3KSLZkG
*DISCLAIMER: Affiliate links are included on this page, which means I will make a small commission from any purchases. There’s no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! It helps me continue to provide uplifting and encouraging content.
