If you want one book and no deliberation: Health Power, R630. It makes the case that health is decided by choice rather than chance, and it sets out the changes that measurably reduce chronic disease. It is the one most likely to change what you do on Monday, which is the only useful test for a health book.
Everything below is for readers who want something more specific than that.
The four Healthy books, and which one you actually want
A word of restraint: these are reference works, not a course. Bought together, they come to just under R4,000, and most households will use one of them ten times more than the other three. Buy the one that answers the question you have now. The others will still be here.
If you are dealing with something specific
Four titles written for the person living with the condition, or caring for someone who is — not for clinicians.
- Cancer by Dr Raniero Facchini — understanding the disease, reducing risk, and coping with a diagnosis. Written for patients, families and caregivers. R1,120.
- Diabetes by Dr Ramón Gelabert — how the disease develops, how diet and lifestyle change its course, and how to manage it day to day. R570.
- Free from Addiction — addiction as a pattern rather than a substance, covering gambling, pornography, work and media alongside drugs and alcohol. R650.
- Cracking the Stress Problem by Richard J. B. Willis — what stress is, what it costs, and the coping strategies that hold up. R400.
These books are educational. They are written to help you understand and participate in your own care, not to replace a doctor, and none of them claim otherwise.
If it is for the whole household
Two books, at opposite ends of the shelf.
Encyclopedia of Health and Education for the Family is a four-volume illustrated reference covering physical health, mental wellbeing, child development and family life, organised so you can find what you need while something is actually happening. R2,940, and the most substantial thing in the section.
If you want to cook from it
Juicing for Life by Beverley Ramages offers over a hundred juice and smoothie recipes, with the reasoning behind each—what ingredients do what, and how to build a drink for a specific goal. R600.
If you want the Adventist health message applied
If you are buying to give away
- Your Health in Your Hands — short enough to read in one sitting, covering what you eat, how you move, how you rest and how you handle stress. R170.
- Enjoy It! — Pamplona-Roger’s short, positive introduction to healthy living as a way of life rather than a list of restrictions. R120.
- Home Health Care — the first aid book again. It makes a better gift than most people expect. R70.
Two more worth knowing about
Enjoy Life, also by Melgosa, is about thriving after retirement — health, wellbeing, relationships and purpose in later life. Adding life to the years rather than only years to the life. R1,120.