Leather Bound Books and Rich Mahogany

I am not a nutritionist, registered, licensed, certified, or knighted. I do read a lot of books though. And websites. And journals. And I love JAMA! Total nerd sites, opinion sites, and everything in between.

When I get a chance, I ask other people where they get their knowledge from. Hands down the best source I was pointed towards is Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook by, you guessed it, Nancy Clark (who is, by the way, a registered dietician).

It's pretty incredible. Did I have to read parts of it 4 or 5 times to understand it? Yes. But I'm not the sharpest tool in the box! You might have better luck. I highly recommend reading the sections that cover how much to eat, when to eat, and what you should be eating. She pushes a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and beer, so you know it's legit! It’s science!

This was the first fitness book I’d actually read from cover to cover and I’ve used it as a benchmark ever since. If I read something that doesn't stack up against what Nancy wrote, it's probably bullshit.

I've come across a couple of great cookbooks along the way as well.

One of my favorites is The Bodybuilding Meal Prep Cookbook by Michelle Vodrazka. It definitely passed the smell test and even dropped some extra knowledge that wasn't in Nancy's book. I’ve found that everything in it about calculating macros is spot on and it includes some great recipes for both plant eaters and omnivores.

I highly recommend both of these books to anyone that takes the time to log their nutrition and/or meal prep. If you're going to go through all that effort, it really does help to know why.

What books out there have you found particularly useful on your fitness and health journey?