11 Must-Read Books on Conscious and Sustainable Living

Sustainable living is what the world needs right now. Many of us have thought about living an environmentally conscious life but we often do not know where to start. So, here are 11 must-read books that can get you started as well as upscale your efforts on sustainable living

 

1. Plant Based Indian Cook Book by Mala Barua & Nandini Gulati

This cookbook addresses the challenging times that our planet is going through. Human health and the health of the planet are both in crisis. One of the proven solutions to both these crises is whole plant-based food. By switching to this way of eating we will:

- Contribute to the reduction of our carbon footprint.
- Prevent and reverse food related lifestyle diseases.
- Be more compassionate towards animals.

 

This book presents everyday recipes for the urban Indian home and anyone interested in making Indian food. This wholesome food is made without using processed ingredients like oil and sugar, yet not compromising on taste. It is also suitable for those who are sensitive to gluten and lactose.

 

2. Pure & Healthy: Healthy Indian Vegetarian Cuisine by Vidhu Mittal

Nutritious food cooked with clean and fresh ingredients brings together well-known author Vidhu Mittal and nutritionist Radhika Karle to devise a plan for your health and well-being.

Presented in an easy- to-follow format and step-by-step photographs, these recipes will help you rediscover and explore traditional Indian vegetables and ingredients like millets, sorghum and ragi all packed with vital nutrients and Minerals. With its blend of traditional dishes and innovative renditions, pure & healthy is packed with recipes suitable for everyone, including practical weekly menu suggestions for those with medical conditions such as diabetes, gluten allergies and thyroid issues. It also helps how food groups and serving can be determined and distributed. Connecting with the cycle of nature by eating fresh, seasonal and local, pure & healthy is a joyful celebration of Indian food that is delicious and wholesome.

3. Yoga and Spiritual Retreats by Sibylle Kramer

Modern life is marred by hectic pace, stress and negative environmental influences. Places to get away from the routine, where body and soul can find harmony again, to breathe deeply and feel good with oneself are sought out more and more. Beautifully designed retreats are turning up across the globe usually in special locations in the midst of breathtaking, pristine nature.

 

This volume presents buildings and spaces devoted specifically to contemplation, meditation, regeneration and the enjoyment of quietude. The designs are guided by lighting and colour schemes, natural materials and views into nature, providing energy on the way to complete relaxation, self-awareness and inner illumination. Architecture creates the connection between the human being, space and nature.

4. The Novel Cure : An A - Z of Literary Remedies by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin with Indrajit Hazra

The Novel Cure: An A - Z of Literary Remedies is an authoritative guide to finding new books to read and revisiting the books on your bookshelves.
Whether you are feeling a little under the weather or you just want to chase away the blues, The Novel Cure will help you find a cure in the form of a novel or a combination of novels to comfort you.

These books will cheer you up and provide invaluable advice on how to tackle common reading ailments, such as what to do when you feel overwhelmed by the innumerable books in the world or when you are just about to give up on a book halfway. A novel can influence you immensely if you read it at the right moment in your life. Written with a lot of wit and passion, this book is a unique and best way to introduce literature lovers to some of the best books in the world.

5. Home Doctor: Natural Healing with Herbs & Condiments by Dr P.S. Phadke

Home Doctor, as the name suggests, is your very own health-care book an indispensable companion you can turn to at all times. The culmination of an allopath doctors long-term involvement with alternative and complementary therapies, it contains over 200 simple and time-tested remedies for every conceivable ailment under the sun: from the nuisance value and discomfort of a common cold, cough and fever, to the severely debilitating effect of diarrhoea or heatstroke.

6. Should We All Be Vegan?: A primer for the 21st century by Molly Watson

As concern grows over the environmental costs and ethical implications of intensive factory farming, an increasing number of us are embracing diets and lifestyles free from animal products. Has the time now arrived for us all to reject the exploitation of animals completely and become vegan? Would adopting a wholly plant-based diet be beneficial for our health? How would a majority vegan population affect the global economy and the planet? Does it make any sense to go flexitarian or vegetarian?

Molly Watson explores the history, rationale and impact of veganism on an individual, social and global level, and assesses the effects of a mass change in diet on our environment, the economy and our health.

7. Yoga for the Family : A Holistic Approach by Bharat Thakur

Yoga is simply the synthesis of an awakened spirit and a healthy body. The practice of yoga increases the body strength and resilience, and improves its overall well-being, without aggressively interfering with its natural functioning. It makes one shift from dependence on physical attributes to a more intellectual plane of being. It is a practical science aimed at the ultimate realization moksha. Yoga for the Family is an effort to introduce the whole family to the enjoyment of the effects of yoga, which leads to the last door of knowledge. The purpose of the book is to remove the misconception that yoga is only for the elderly and the sick.

The book is divided into separate sections such as yoga for couples, yoga for pregnant women and yoga for children. Yoga for the Family also offers a 41-day transformation process Kayakalp which aims at reversing the ageing process, in the tradition of the ancient masters and scholars. This book is a holistic approach that aims to foster growth at all levels: physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual.

8. Indian Botanical Art: An Illustrated History by Martyn Rix

This book brings together striking botanical art of Indian origin spanning a period of three hundred years, focussing on the 18th and 19th centuries. Drawn mostly from original works held in the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, some of the paintings have never been published before. They showcase the richness and variety of art commissioned from talented, mostly unknown, Indian artists who made a substantial contribution to the documentation of the flora of the Indian subcontinent.

A foreword written by Sita Reddy places the collections in contemporary context. The book concludes with works from a new generation of botanical artists in India, who excite interest today.

9. Tibetan Yoga by Ian A. Baker

Tibetan yoga is the hidden treasure at the heart of the Tibetan Tantric Buddhist tradition: a spiritual and physical practice in pursuit of an expanded experience of the human body and its energetic and cognitive potential. Ian A. Baker progressively introduces the core principles and practices of Tibetan yoga in this pioneering overview.

In addition to meditations, visualizations and practices for the breath and body, these include elements rather less familiar to yoga initiates in the West, including sexual yoga, dream yoga or lucid dreaming, and yoga practices enhanced by psychoactive plant or mineral substances. Baker draws on contemporary scientific research and contemplative and humanitarian traditions to enable the reader to understand these practices. The book includes ethnographic photography and works of Himalayan art that have never been published before, as well as illustrations of yogic practice and theory from historical books of instruction.

 

10. Healthyish | Lindsay Maitland Hunt

Healthyish is recipe developer Lindsay Maitland Hunts totally doable, delicious, and dead-simple cookbook, helping us to eat how we all want to eat - healthy, but with an occasional bit of decadence. Lindsay Maitland Hunt is an expert recipe developer who has created recipes for everyone from college students to busy families to seasoned home cooks. Now, she brings her trademark skillset to her debut cookbook, Healthyish. For anyone on the move, working long hours, and trying to eat a bit more healthfully, Healthyish offers 131 satisfying recipes with straightforward instructions, using as few pots and pans as possible, and ingredients that wont break the bank. Not to mention, you can find the ingredients at your everyday grocery store (no garam masala or acai berries here!).

11. Guilt-Free Vegan Cookbook | Nandani Gulati | Mala Barua

The ultimate, reader-friendly guide into the world of food that is free of sugar, gluten, oil, dairy, and of course, guilt! This book features carefully curated, delicious, and healthy recipes covering a range of cuisines including Indian, Thai, Italian, Mediterranean, and American.


Easy-to-cook and requiring ingredients commonly found in every kitchen, these whole plant-based recipes have been known to cure a variety of lifestyle diseases and also keep the bulge at bay. With the focus being on mindful, conscious, and sustainable eating, the authors successfully de-mystify the world of healthy food without compromising on taste, style, or simplicity.

Conclusion

Humanity has overcome many overwhelming challenges in the past. Saving our environment may seem like an insurmountable task but it is doable. We need individual as well as collective efforts to do so. We hope that this article helps you do your part. You can find 

Amala Earth is a one-stop curated marketplace for all things earth-friendly in BeautyFashionHomeFoodWellnessFestiveGifting and much more! Shop from a wide range of books on sustainable living at  Amala Earth.