[00:00:00] Welcome to Planet Spoonie, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world. Together, we explore what it means to live with chronic illness, and why all chronic illness is intimately linked to the climate crisis. We take a close look at traditional nutrition, herbal medicine, nature connection, and all things related to holistic living.

[00:00:23] These are the same four foundations that helped me find healing while living with chronic Lyme. I'm your host, Kelsey, the herbalist. Let's dig in. Okay, so today I want to talk to you about books to read in 2024. I know if you follow me on Instagram that I said today's episode was going to be about the seasonal medicine of winter, where we explore some of the different herbs as well as herbal medicines and different kind of energetics of winter and how to work with our bodies during this season of the year.

[00:01:00] However, because it is the start of the new year, I thought it would be really fun to ring it in with a episode all about books to read this year so that you can maybe plan out. your schedule for reading these or just to add these to your list. So next week's episode or the one following is where we'll talk about seasonal medicine.

[00:01:24] So for today, instead, I want to talk about these books. I am an avid reader. I really enjoy reading. I imagine many of you who are listening to this, who also live with chronic illness. Also enjoy reading books. It is something that generally feels pretty accessible and can be a whole lot of fun. So I want to go through some of my favorite books that either sparked my own healing journey and passion for nutrition and herbalism and nature connection, as well as a few others.

[00:02:01] So there will be some bonus books in here, but let's go ahead and just dive right in. The first book is Nourishing Traditions, and this is actually a cookbook, but it is a cookbook that goes into different aspects of nutrition, and in the early chapters, and then throughout the book, talks about historical and cultural significance of different types of preparation of food and different foods themselves.

[00:02:33] While I don't necessarily agree with every single thing in this book, it is incredible. It truly, this is a landmark cookbook that really sparked a whole new generation of Cooks and a whole new conversation in the world of nutrition and often I don't think the authors Sally Fallon and Mary Enig get enough credit because so many other people are talking about things that they talked about in this book way before they got trendy and definitely spurred, spurred a lot of trends as well.

[00:03:11] So I think you can take. Take this all through kind of your own lens and filter. But what I will say is really special about this book in particular is the discussion of traditional preparations of food traditional methods for preparing food. Including really exploring fermentation and different types of fermentation, as well as the preparation of harder to digest foods like seeds and nuts and grains and legumes.

[00:03:47] This book also explores just really, truly covers. Everything that you can imagine, all of the different sections of the cookbook cover everything from like appetizers to meals to preparation of kind of staple things like making your own cooking fats and how to prepare vegetables from A to Z, how to make healthier dessert options and drink options, including fermented ones.

[00:04:17] This book is also really well known. for talking about preparation of both organ meats, meat, stock and bone broth, meat, stock and bone broth are different things. Though they both, traditionally were made with the bones. These, this book really, truly just explores so many of the essentials that Most of us weren't aware of several decades ago.

[00:04:47] It wasn't being talked about very much. And this book really was one of the first to open to new ways of thinking by really looking at traditional methods of food preparation, meaning what people did and have done for a very long time. It goes way more into it than this. Again, but I just highly recommend you check it out.

[00:05:09] It's not that you have to agree with it or even subscribe to everything that this book says. However, it will teach you so much about concepts of why we might prepare foods in certain ways, like why for certain people, pre soaking grains and legumes is helpful. And and just all these different things and how they contribute to.

[00:05:32] And. Again, take it with a grain of salt, take it for what it means to you. But this will really open your eyes and open a lot of doors for different ways that you can cook food and start to explore how your body responds to different ways of preparing food. Okay. So nourishing traditions, that book completely was one of the very first books I read.

[00:05:55] I think I got this book 12. I'm sorry, 14 years ago, but I didn't read it until 12 years ago and it really changed my entire life. So that's why I recommend this as like the number one nutrition book to start with. There are definitely newer books. There's newer research. However, you will not regret reading this book.

[00:06:16] You will learn a lot from it. Okay, the next book, this is a bonus book I was really debating between any other books that talk about concepts of nutrition. There are many popular ones out there. They all say different things. And I think, reading a wide range helps you to distill what is meaningful to you.

[00:06:37] And where, what kind of the current research is showing and what that actually means to eat ancestrally or eat traditionally, there's a lot of myths and misnomers about how people used to live and eat. And, the goal isn't to go back, it's to move forward and to come up with the best preparation methods, the best diets possible with everything that we know now.

[00:07:05] So with that being said, I just picked this bonus book because I think it's a fun one. It's a pretty quick read and that is Brain Maker. So Brain Maker was written by Dr. David Perlmutter. He also wrote Grain Brain, which is a pretty popular book as well. And this book really focuses specifically on nutrition through the lens of supporting brain health and cognitive health and The discussion, talks again, similarly to the previous book about different important nutrients, important foods how powerful fermentation can be, how powerful a wholesome and varied diet can be, and again, Like always I won't keep saying it, but like always take this for what it means to you, right?

[00:07:53] Just because the research objectively shows something or just because historically people used to do something That doesn't mean that you should do it or anyone else should do it really Take this for what it can offer you and what it can give you and implement that into your own life.

[00:08:10] Just experiment with it and that's really the best way for you to figure out what works is to experiment. And so Brain Maker is just an awesome book for you to learn and gain new tools and maybe add a few recipes. Maybe experiment with some of his recommendations and just see how it impacts you.

[00:08:28] It's just another book for learning. Again, it's going to say slightly different things than Nourishing Traditions because every nutrition book out there is going to say something a little bit different. So the next book is on herbal medicine. And this book is called Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs, a Beginner's Guide.

[00:08:49] So this is one herbalism books that I ever read. I absolutely adore this book because I think it really makes herbal medicine feel very accessible and clear. Rosemary Gladstar, of course, is an extremely well known herbalist. She is a wonderful teacher, and she was one of my first herb teachers, and I am so grateful for all of the books and teachings that she's contributed.

[00:09:22] Because she has influenced so many herbalists and this book is at one of my favorite that she's written. There are many others out there, so feel free to check any of those out as well. But I think this specific beginner's guide is great to start with because it's split into a few sections.

[00:09:40] So at the beginning it walks you through the different types of herbal preparations that are out there, meaning teas, tinctures, vinegars, infused oils, that kind of thing. Okay. And then. It's divided into a Materia Medica, which is essentially like an A to Z of plants, and each plant, it talks about that plant, how to use it how it's traditionally been used, what it might be good for, and includes a couple recipes.

[00:10:08] And she further divided this Materia Medica, this A to Z of medicinal herbs, into culinary herbs, and then very common. common herbs used in Western herbalism, many of which are considered weeds, like dandelion. And I like that she divided it in this way, because I think even if you're not familiar with some of these more common medicinal herbs like calendula or nettles or dandelion, and you don't have access to them, the culinary herbs are probably something you do have access to at your local farmer's market or your local grocery store.

[00:10:44] So culinary herbs, meaning things like garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, that sort of thing. So I love that she includes those as well because I think for many of that, many of us, those are more accessible. She also includes pictures. So I 10 out of 10 recommend this. If you are curious about getting into herbal medicine, this is the best beginner book.

[00:11:06] There are of course, many. Other books that go in, in more depth and more detail that maybe are written with specific regions in mind or specific cultures in mind. And those are all wonderful. This was just similar to Nourishing Traditions, a book that I purchased and read many years ago at the start of my journey.

[00:11:28] So it feels very sentimental and I think it's really beginner friendly. The next book is called Buddha's Brain. Buddha's Brain is another book that I read quite a while ago, but I love it so much and that's why I thought I would include it here. Buddha's Brain is a little bit more focused on mindfulness, neuroscience, and emotional health and emotional intelligence.

[00:11:57] Buddha's brain really talks a lot about mindfulness and mindfulness practices and how these can influence our brain and our mental state through the lens of neuroscience. It is really an enjoyable book. Again, this is a pretty simple and easy read. It's not very thick or very long by any means. And I really like the way that These authors incorporated these different elements of kind of psychology and neuroscience and contemplative practice.

[00:12:28] I think there's something really special to that and it really helps people to begin to understand mindfulness in a way that maybe doesn't feel so intimidating. I think we can get these kind of stereotypical ideas around what meditation might look like, what mindfulness practices might look like, that it needs to be this really strict and strategic thing.

[00:12:53] But really at the end of the day, the gist of this book is that your brain is very flexible and you can really learn to influence your brain in a positive way through simply practicing mindfulness. So I highly recommend this book. I think it is a really fun one. It's really interesting, especially with and through the lens of mental health.

[00:13:20] There are so many other ways that this applies specifically to people with chronic illness, because Of course, we know that chronic illness is influenced by stress. And that is one of the most frustrating experiences. If you are someone that has any kind of chronic health condition, you know that stress often is a trigger that makes it worse.

[00:13:47] Just like when you're experiencing that symptom, or whatever issue that might be that you have, that then triggers more stress. And it can be this like, Really overwhelming positive feedback loop. There's tons of other books out there about mindfulness. This was just one that I really enjoyed, and I know many other folks who have enjoyed it as well and gotten a lot out of it.

[00:14:09] I think it's very practical and so if you are interested in learning how to cultivate mindfulness and experience more mindfulness to improve your own quality of life, especially with regards to navigating life with chronic illness. This is an awesome book. The next book that I would love to talk about is, again, one that's in the psychology realm.

[00:14:36] This book is called Ecopsychology, and it actually has several authors and editors because each chapter it's is really a series of essays or a series of chapters written by different authors. And Ecopsychology is really an incredible book because it. It explores this relationship between person and planet that I love to talk about so much on the podcast and in my work.

[00:15:03] And it's of course really especially focused on mental health, but really explores concepts of deep ecology and nature connection and how our relationship to nature really impacts our health and wellbeing and especially. Our mental health. So I love eco psychology again, it's an easy read because you can just read one chapter like one essay at a time and then put it down for months and pick up at the next essay or just read whichever one is interesting in the moment.

[00:15:34] You don't necessarily have to read it all at once or in order. So I think it's really enjoyable with that regard. It's a great bedside book. The next book is called Your Brain on Nature, and this one is really fun. I used this book in my undergraduate thesis. There is, it's really, if you are not someone who enjoys reading, like brief summaries of studies.

[00:16:04] This probably isn't the book for you but it's really just this great compilation of a ton of Research into how nature impacts our brain and impacts our physical health and being On a very literal level. So the author is basically compile all this information relating to not just Ecotherapy or eco psychology, but really quite literally how different elements of nature, like the light how water, how greenery, how just seeing nature or breathing in nature, walking in nature, how each of these many myriad ways that we can interact with our environment influences our body on a physiological level.

[00:16:50] And for that reason, it's a whole lot of fun because if you don't really understand all the hype and all the talk around. Nature based healing, natural medicine forest bathing, all of these different concepts that come, come back to nature connection and why nature connection is so important to really quality of life, but especially quality of life for those with chronic illness.

[00:17:15] Then this is a really good book for you to read because it really It just digs in and shares tons of data and information and studies. It doesn't necessarily go super deep, but will really give you a broad understanding and make it really clear just how impactful nature can be on our healing and recovery down to like literal recovery after a surgery.

[00:17:44] When people have a window in their room or a picture of nature in their room versus nothing. Just really interesting stuff. It's a really fun read. Again, it's called Your Brain on Nature. And I didn't mention so far, which I should have, but I am going to be linking all of these in the show notes. So don't worry.

[00:18:02] You don't need to remember them all. The next two books are bonus books, but these similar to your brain on nature, these kind of relate more to nature connection and to folks who are trying to. develop a deeper understanding and relationship and connection to nature but don't necessarily understand maybe the history or the significance or just find it really interesting.

[00:18:29] The first one is called If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie. Sharon Blackie is an incredible author and she has a couple of other books as well. But If Women Rose Rooted is a really lovely book for women in particular to read, though it is great for really anyone to read. She has Celtic heritage, so she talks a little bit more about that, specifically Celtic mythology and stories.

[00:18:54] And she presents a, an idea of Almost a counter to the hero's journey as proposed by Joseph Campbell. She talks about the heroine's journey and presents an alternative that is just really interesting and enjoyable for any women out there who might be interested. The other kind of bonus book in the realm of nature connection is pertaining to children and the importance of nature connection to children.

[00:19:25] and this is called Last Child in the Woods. It's a very famous book by Richard Louv. It is really important and something to consider when it comes to our kids and to the next generation. He talks a lot about how interaction with nature and immersion within nature affects children's health and being, everything from critical thinking and decision making to their literal physical health.

[00:19:56] Louv also has a couple of other really interesting books. Any of them, honestly, they're all worth a read but Last Child in the Woods is probably the most famous of the books that he has written. And if you have children or work with children, this is a really fun read or makes for a great audio book as well.

[00:20:16] The next book is all about chronic illness and this book is called Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness by Ilana Jacqueline. I hope I pronounced that she wrote a wonderful book about what it's like to live with chronic illness, specifically an invisible chronic illness. I know all of my listeners who are living out there with chronic Lyme disease.

[00:20:41] or POTS or chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmunity chemical sensitivity. There are so many other diagnoses out there that have become increasingly common. And this is just a really quick, simple, light and deeply enjoyable read about what it's like to live with chronic illness and really how to step into your power and begin feeling more confident and as it's titled, actually thrive while living with chronic illness.

[00:21:11] I think that it is underappreciated how important it is for those of us living with chronic illness. To get support, learning how to navigate kind of this lifestyle, to begin shifting the expectations we put on ourselves, the behavior, how to deal with kind of the behavior and treatment we might get from other people about our chronic illness.

[00:21:37] And overall, it's just a really enjoyable book, particularly because it's so brief. It's so quick and easy to read. It's one that you can go back to and read again and again. And she even explores different aspects of managing all of your medical care. And I really enjoy this chapter in particular. I think she does such a great job articulating this and really empowering readers to.

[00:22:01] began stepping back into the driver's seat with their chronic illness because it's a wild ride. So that is a really highly recommended book. The next book I absolutely adored, it was probably one of my favorite reads of the year is The Intersectional Environmentalist, and this is written by Leah Thomas.

[00:22:27] This is the most amazing book. She talks about so many different aspects of climate justice, but specifically how climate justice and social justice really are inseparable and so deeply. interlinked and intertwined. So she talks about different aspects of race and privilege, as well as disability and illness, and how these things really tie together with what's happening to our environment.

[00:23:00] And of course, that is so much of what we talk about here on Planet Spoonie, and in the work that I do, because we know That so many different chronic illnesses are directly tied to or caused by the damage that we have done to our earth, to our environment. And she just does an amazing job with this book, such a wonderful writer and author.

[00:23:28] She incorporates the voices of many other people throughout this book, but she explores this topic. a way that very few have before her. And so she really has raised so much awareness around how these. How people and planet can't be separated. I can't recommend this high enough and I dare say that if you are only going to read one book from this entire episode, this is the book to read.

[00:23:57] It's amazing. It's great as an audiobook or get a physical copy because there are some resources and exercises, practical things for you to do in here. I really deeply enjoyed that. On the topic of environmentalism, I thought I would share another little bonus book that's, part environmentalism, part also just self care.

[00:24:20] This is one that I read last year and I really loved it. It is super interesting and I think, again, really applicable to people living with chronic illness. And it's called The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. She talks about basically how she stopped shopping and began living a much more simple life.

[00:24:41] This is of course really important when we think about environmentalism and consumerism and how So much of the climate crises that we are facing relate to consumerism and waste. And of course, not all of these things are things that we can personally help or change, but this book really goes, it explores that, but it also goes beyond that to how.

[00:25:09] So walking away from a certain level of consumerism, and I don't know if binging is the right word, but overconsumption just in general can really impact us negatively. And I think that this is especially important for people with chronic illness, not because she's saying oh, to eat or drink or do a certain thing, but more in that.

[00:25:35] But a lot of us with chronic illness really have a hard time setting boundaries and knowing our boundaries and tend to overdo things and overwork and overcommit and overstretch ourselves right into flare ups. That is we all do it. And I think this book really touches on how we can permission ourselves to begin to walk away from that mentality.

[00:25:59] And so for that reason, and the environmental reasons, I think this is a really great read and just super enjoyable, again, simple, short, great to read physically or listen to an audio book, whatever works for you. The next book that I want to talk about is called Healing Grounds, and this is another book that talks about climate justice, but also has deep ties into nutrition and personal health and planetary health through the lens of particularly indigenous land management and exploring the ways that people used to Live, garden, farm and just really, collaborate and live with nature in a very different way.

[00:26:47] She splits the book into different sections based on different regions. And they are all equally fascinating if you live in one of those regions like the Midwest or down south in Mexico or in the Southeast. It will be even more fun for you to read. But they even if you don't, it is still a really deeply enjoyable book and will really help reframe the way that you think about the land specifically here in North America and how peoples have been living on this land for 10, 000+ years, how they have been working with it.

[00:27:23] She interviews so many different incredible teachers and leaders who explore different aspects of farming and agriculture and then how that impacts the nutritional quality of our food, how that impacts our diet and how that of course impacts the planet. As well as our community. This is another really fun one that kind of is interdisciplinary.

[00:27:46] That's definitely the theme of all these books. It is very interdisciplinary. It explores different concepts, but I think if you are interested in how the way we treat the earth impacts our food's nutritional value, and then how it impacts our health and then how it impacts environmental health, then this is a really fun and interesting book for you to read.

[00:28:07] Okay, the last book or books, I should say, this isn't necessarily a specific recommendation. I will give you a specific recommendation. However, the point of this last one is really just to read any fantasy or fiction novel that gets you excited. Literally anything. I don't care what it is. I think that reading, especially when you're a spoonie is such an enjoyable.

[00:28:37] activity and hobby. You can learn so much and it really. is a different way of approaching healing than some of the direct ways that we're always talking about, like drinking enough water, getting enough steps, getting enough sunlight, all of that stuff, things like play and having enjoyable hobbies, spending time with friends and your community and doing things like reading books and learning and expanding your mind.

[00:29:06] Also are so important to the healing journey. So for this book the idea is more just to read any fiction or fantasy novel that excites you or allures you or just feels really intriguing. It can be anything. The point is to get yourself imagining to open your brain up to get you to be in a little bit more of a.

[00:29:27] curious and playful and flexible mind state. I think a lot of us probably enjoyed reading when we were younger and got out of it because of the ideas that we should read certain things. I of course love to read things that further my awareness and connection to nature, so I enjoy fiction and fantasy that kind of falls along those lines.

[00:29:50] So So, a few recommendations. One of the main ones I have is a novel, it came out a couple years ago, I can't remember exactly when, I think in 2022 by Charlotte McConaghy called Once There Were Wolves. This is a really enjoyable fictional novel about a woman who has a very interesting connection to nature and to animals in particular.

[00:30:18] And it's really, it's a really fun, somewhat mysterious story of this woman who's basically trying to reintroduce wolves into a particular area in Scotland. There are so many other fun fantasy and fiction novels, though, that can be equally enjoyable. I recommend picking whatever excites you.

[00:30:43] This may seem like really indirect and random or not related at all to health and healing in some of the other books that I mentioned, but I promise you it is, for me, truly one of the things that got me into this world of nutrition and herbal medicine, nature connection. Ancestral and traditional ways of living and healing was through reading certain books, book series that I really loved.

[00:31:13] When I was a teenager, I read The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. There are so many other wonderful fantasy authors, like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler. There are tons, but this, finding something that excites you and is really fun and enjoyable and pleasurable and just opens your mind to getting out of the literal world.

[00:31:39] I think it can really change our brain, which was definitely the theme of some of these books. I know it did so for me. I yeah, like I said, there were other fantasy novels that I read as well, but they did really actually have a huge impact on me. And It's, can be hard to describe, but I think when you read these really inspiring stories that they can change your perception of the world and yourself and there's just so much that we can learn and experience through reading a really good book, even if it doesn't feel related to all the other things we talked about.

[00:32:19] That one's just a fun one that I think you will enjoy and hopefully will make you a little bit happier. And that is always the goal. So there are many other books that I thought about talking on this podcast and ultimately I ended up just having to make a decision because it really doesn't matter which ones you read or where you start or if you find something else entirely that you're interested in.

[00:32:43] The point is just to start reading, to start learning, to opening yourself up. to growth and experiencing new things. And I love these books because these books have taught me a ton about myself and they have really had an enormous impact on my healing journey. And I know they have for so many others through talking to fellow lovers of these books.

[00:33:06] So I cannot recommend them highly enough. There are many other wonderful ones out there and I will definitely do future episodes or post more on Instagram about. Some of my favorite books relating to particular topics like going deeper into herbal medicine, maybe working with animals in herbal medicine, really good books about Lyme disease.

[00:33:27] There are so many others about play and movement and the climate. And yeah, there's a ton out there. I love books. So hopefully you enjoyed this. Hopefully, you are excited about reading one of the books that we talked about today. Ultimately, the goal of the podcast is to help our community to feel more empowered, embodied, and connected to ourselves, our heritage, and our local ecosystems.

[00:33:56] When we remember and we connect, when we begin to work with our bodies and nature, healing becomes inevitable. Because the journey to healing is a mutualistic endeavor. And I'm so grateful that you're here walking the path with me. As always. If you feel ready to make big magic happen and you are looking for deeper one on one support, click the link in my bio to book a call with me, or head over to my Instagram to follow along and learn about more about what I do if you don't already.

[00:34:30] I have client openings right now and I would love to meet you and talk to you about what's going on to help you learn to manage your symptoms right at home and begin feeling like yourself again. Our bodies are a direct reflection of the ecosystems we inhabit. And just like this earth, our bodies know how to heal.