This page contains many of the tools and resources that have shaped my view on health and wellness. Except where noted, and very infrequently, there may be a product that I recommend that I do not own, YET! For example, because my family has been renting apartments and homes the past 6 years, we do not own a whole-home water filtration system. But, priority #1 for a new home that we own, will be a whole home water filtration system. Another example may be a company or product that I am very interested in, have done quite a bit of research and that product is on y “wish-list”, in this case, feel free to purchase two of whatever item is listed and send me one!!
Full disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you choose to purchase through my web site. This does not cost you anything extra. I recommend these resources because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commission I make if you decide to purchase any of these resources. Except where noted, I own every product or book (or wish to), and find value in the information or product that helps me lead a more healthy life. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
I love to read! Never before in human history have we had access to so much knowledge. I try to read a book per week, but I admit, I fall short most weeks.
I devote much time to research, read, and study. Not everyone has the time to do so, but I want to provide you with the resources that have shaped my thoughts and beliefs.
Below is a list of some of the most influential books I have read in the past regarding, diet, nutrition, and habits. The knowledge gained from reading these texts (along with thousands of articles) has been life transforming for me.
The New Primal Blueprint
The New Primal Blueprint : Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health and Boundless Energy: The Definitive Guide to Living an Awesome Modern Life!
CPW: This is The Primal Blueprint. If you want to learn about the program, this is the book. Well thought out, easy read, and highly recommended.
Amazon: Mark Sisson’s 2009 release of The Primal Blueprint was the catalyst for the primal/paleo/ancestral health movement to gain mainstream awareness and acceptance. Both the hardcover and paperback editions enjoyed a seven-year run at the top of the primal/paleo charts and selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Sisson, publisher of the acclaimed MarksDailyApple.com, the acclaimed and most-visited primal/paleo blog, has spent the past six years diligently researching and evaluating recent the most up-to-date science and reflecting on thousands of users’ experiences going primal. The second edition of The New Primal Blueprint offers a comprehensively revised, expanded, and updated message from the original runaway bestseller. Click here to read more.
Grain Brain
Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers
CPW: I read Dr. Perlmutter’s books when I first heard him on Bulletproof radio with Dave Asprey.
Amazon: Dr. Perlmutter’s #1 New York Times bestseller about the devastating effects of gluten, sugar, and carbs on the brain and body — updated with the latest nutritional and neurological science. When Grain Brain was published in 2013, Dr. Perlmutter kick-started a revolution. Since then, his book has been translated into 34 languages, and more than 1.5 million readers have been given the tools to make monumental life-changing improvements to their health.
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brainfor Life
CPW: I read Dr. Perlmutter’s books when I first heard him on Bulletproof radio with Dave Asprey.
Amazon: In BRAIN MAKER, Dr. Perlmutter explains the potent interplay between intestinal microbes and the brain, describing how the microbiome develops from birth and evolves based on lifestyle choices, how it can become “sick,” and how nurturing gut health through a few easy strategies can alter your brain’s destiny for the better. With simple dietary recommendations and a highly practical program of six steps to improving gut ecology, BRAIN MAKER opens the door to unprecedented brain health potential.
The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet
CPW: One of the best books I have ever read. Nina Teicholz changed the way I thought about food and what conventional wisdom has been saying about food and why for decades. A great read!
Amazon: A New York Times bestseller, Named one of The Economist’s Books of the Year 2014, Named one of The Wall Street Journal’s Top Ten Best Nonfiction Books of 2014.
In The Big Fat Surprise, investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reveals the unthinkable: that everything we thought we knew about dietary fat is wrong. She documents how the low-fat nutrition advice of the past sixty years has amounted to a vast uncontrolled experiment on the entire population, with disastrous consequences for our health
Fat for Fuel: A Revolutionary Diet to Combat Cancer, Boost Brain Power, and Increase Your Energy
CPW: Dr. Mercola has the longest most successful Health and Wellness website. I get a daily email from his site everyday that has led to many very healthy changes in my life.
Amazon: For over a century, we’ve accepted the scientific consensus that cancer results from genetic disease due to chromosomal damage in cell nuclei. But what if cancer isn’t a genetic disease after all? What if scientists are chasing a flawed paradigm, and cancer isn’t a disease of damaged DNA but rather of defective metabolism as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction? What if that startling truth could revolutionize our understanding of other diseases as well—and show us a radical new path to optimal health?In this groundbreaking guide, the first of its kind, New York Times best-selling author and leading natural-health practitioner Joseph Mercola explains how nearly all disease is caused by defective metabolic processes.
CPW: Robb Wolf’s book was a very quick read for me. I was not overwhelmed with technical jargon and it is a great book for those who are interested in being exposed to the Paleo Diet, its origins and health benefits.
Amazon: Do you want to lose fat and stay young, all while avoiding cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and a host of other illnesses? The Paleo Solution incorporates the latest, cutting edge research from genetics, biochemistry and anthropology to help you look, feel and perform your best. Written by Robb Wolf, a research biochemist who traded in his lab coat and pocket protector for a whistle and a stopwatch to become one of the most sought after strength and conditioning coaches in the world.
The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting
CPW: There is so much information out there regarding Fasting and Intermittent Fasting. This book discussed the history of fasting (every major religion incorporates some sort of fasting), fasting’s effects on your body, and then all of the different types of fasts.
Amazon: Fasting is not about starving oneself. When done right, it’s an incredibly effective therapeutic approach that produces amazing results regardless of diet plan. In fact, Toronto-based nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung has used a variety of fasting protocols with more than 1,000 patients, with fantastic success. In The Complete Guide to Fasting, he has teamed up with international bestselling author and veteran health podcaster Jimmy Moore to explain what fasting is really about, why it’s so important, and how to fast in a way that improves health.
What would we do without our morning (or mid-morning or afternoon) coffee or tea fix?
According to the Huffington Post “Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, equivalent to 146 billion cups of coffee per year.”
And according to National Geographic, tea is the world’s most popular drink (except for water of course).
And like all things that are so well known and popular, there is a spectrum for each, some products making you stronger and some make you weaker.
We are only interested in products that promote Health and Wellness (which makes us stronger).
I have been following Dave Asprey for many years. His books and podcasts are truly what brought me down the rabbit hole of Health and Wellness. I have been drinking Dave’s version of Bulletproof Coffee for years. And for me, it allows me to skip breakfast and not be hungry until around 3:00pm every day.
Here is a link to an article on Dave Asprey’s site regarding Bulletproof Coffee.
And below is a video that a great friend and I made on Super Bowl Sunday, 2017 showing my version of Bulletproof Coffee. I add a lot more to mine!
Below the video are some products that I use in my daily coffee/tea routine. I do not always use Bulletproof coffee beans but I always use single source and organic!
Behmor Coffee Maker
Behmor Coffee Maker
We have to begin with how we make our coffee. I did way too much research on coffee makers and for many many reasons I ended up with the Behmor. Some of the features include:
pre-soak (which makes it more like an electronic French Press)
stainless steel water reservoir
thermal carafe
temperature control from 190F-210
permanent filter
oversized shower head and pulsed water flow
More important is their commitment to the small coffee farmers. Behmor began as a company that only made coffee rosters. After realizing that most of the coffee farmers had never tasted coffee (a crop they grow) he begin providing coffee rosters and coffee makers to the farmers. It is a program called Behmor Inspired and you can read about this program here.
French Press
French Press
While I have my Behmor at home, while traveling, I use a French Press (yes I travel with both a French Press and my own water heater). And although my Behmor Coffee maker allows me to change the water temperature for when I brew tea (which hardly ever should have water at the boiling point, see this great article on tea brewing temperatures), on the road I needed something for my loose coffee and my tea as well (yes I often combine them).
I began the tour with a Bodem French Press but the glass cylinder was shattered very early in my travels so I went with a Secura stainless steel model which served me well and now sits next to my Behmor coffee maker.
The link to the left will take you to the general French Press page. These items are not too expensive and are very similar.
Bulletproof Coffee
The Original Medium Roast Ground Coffee – 12 oz
As mentioned above, with anything as ubiquitous as coffee, there are some products that are just not good for you. The age old question “is fat good for you or is fat bad for is answered, good fat is good for you and bad fat is bad for you”. The same is true for coffee. Bad coffee, coffee that contains excess mold and mycotoxins, is the coffee that gives you the jitters (and can cause many other health problems over years of ingestion). Good coffee has all the great benefits of coffee (read this article which has cited references about the 13 Health Benefits of Coffee) without the mold and other toxins from bad coffee. A scientific paper published on PubMed found that more than 91% of coffee beans contain mold and other toxins.
Here are some things to look for when shopping for coffee:
Organic
Single source (avoid the word “blend”
Freshly roasted (hmmm Farmers market of local coffee roaster who has single source organic coffee)
Buy whole beans and grind them yourself
Remember you are a N=1 experiment. It does not matter what I suggest or use (or any advice anyone gives you), if you switch to a new coffee and you feel better, GREAT, but if you switch to a new coffee and you get the jitters or loose stools, then move on to something that agrees with YOU. That is all that matters.
Coconut Oil (MCT & Caprylic Acid)
The following paragraph is from Dr. Mercola’s book “KetoFast” (p. 131). “Coconut oil has been a dietary and beauty staple for millennia. It fights all kinds of microbes, from viruses to bacteria to protozoa, many of which can be harmful, and is a fabulous source of high-quality fat. Around 50 percent of the fat in coconut oil is lauric acid, which is rarely found in nature. In fact, coconut oil has a greater proportion of lauric acid than any other food. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, a monoglyceride (a single fat attached to a glycerol molecule, unlike three fats which would be a triglyceride) that can actually destroy many lipid-coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, influenza, measles, gram-negative bacteria, and protozoa such as Giardia lamblia.”
MCT Oil is equal parts Caprylic Acid (MCT-8) and Capric Acid (MCT-10). MCT oil is less expensive than straight Caprylic Acid (MCT-8). Many (including Dr. Mercola, and Dave Asprey prefer straight Caprylic Acid to MCT oil because it converts to Ketones more rapidly.
MCT Oils
IMPORTANT: 1. You must start slow (only a teaspoon per day and build up to avoid “disaster pants”). 2. No matter what brand you choose make sure it is hexane and chemical free or the words “expeller pressed”. If it doesn’t say it on the label, then choose another brand. We only want to put food in our bodies that will make us stronger.
Handheld Frothers
How to blend Bulletproof Coffee
It is important to blend your coffee or tea in a non-plastic container. I have a very expensive blender that only has a plastic container so I went out and purchased a $20 glass blender from one of the big box stores that I use exclusively for my morning coffee/tea.
What is very popular is Hand Held Coffee Frothers. So I have listed some options to the left. One frother that has been highly recommended to me is the PowerLix Milk Frother Handheld Battery Operated Electric Foam Maker For Coffee that can be found on the link to the left as well.
As always, I want to inform you when I do not own a product and this is the case here. I had not thought of a frother before and it is now on my list.
Water Filtration Systems
“When the water we consume is inadequate or impure, every cell in our body suffers.” (Sheldon Saul Hendler, M.D. PhD.)
According to National Geographic “…just 1 percent of our freshwater is easily accessible” Read full article here.
What we drink is of utmost importance. I have invested in four different water filter or purification systems. I believe so strongly in this topic that I am listing the products that I own before I have made any videos or linked what I feel would be the best resources for you to read and make your decision. If you are reading this, and I still have not uploaded any resources (such as articles or videos), please feel free to email me directly (chris@chrisparkswellness.com).
My family has lived in rental homes and apartments for the past 6 years. Because of this, our water purification systems are ideal for apartments or rental homes. I will however, recommend whole home systems below even though I do not own a whole home system yet (because we are renters). I made a pledge to you to be very transparent about only making recommendation for resources that I own or have used. In this case, a whole home system is something that is on the top of our list when we to purchase a home.
Big Berkey Water Filtration System
Our family owns two Berkey Water Purification systems. When my wife moved to Philadelphia for a college teaching job, we needed to add another water purification system to our family. I had read much about Berkey and decided to go with a Big Berkey system with the extra fluoride filters. We love this system and it works great for our family.
When my 10-year old daughter was offered the opportunity to tour with a First National Broadway show for a year, we were beyond excited, but I was terrified about the water quality in all the different hotel rooms. I did research and we purchased a GO Berkey Kit, which holds a quart of water, but can filter up to a gallon per hour. We both have our water bottles and fill as needed. The cost may look to be too much at first, however, a few months into the tour I saw how much money the other members of our tour were spending on bottled water at every new city (not to mention the many comments about how the water in certain hotels smelled so awful). This unit will also be an incredible addition to your office to ensure you are drinking nothing but the most purified water for your Health and Wellness. Berkey offers many different sizes for you and your family’s needs.
Click on the photo to the left or here to see all the different Berkey models.
Aqua Tru Water Purification System
The Aqua True was the first Water Purification System we owned. It is a powered countertop Reverse Osmosis System. We still own it. It sits next to our Big Berkey in our apartment. When my wife moved to Philadelphia and my daughter and I stayed on Long Island for a year, we already owned the Aqua Tru and loved it and sent the Aqua Tru with her to Philly and we purchased the Big Berkey for us to try in New York. It is very consistent and works very fast. It is faster than the Big Berkey, but needs to power. The Big Berkey and the Aqua Tru are both incredible water purification’s systems that I highly recommend. Click on the photo to the left to see the Aqua Tru product page on Amazon.
Cooking Gear
Instant Pot
For those of you who have been following my year of cooking all of my food in hotel rooms (Healthy Hotel Hacks) you know that I rely on the Instant Pot for almost everything (except salads). I cook meat, steam fish, make rice, eggs, bacon, almost all of our meals are created in the Instant Pot. I travel with the smallest one available, but when we get off the road I will probably purchase a bigger model. I have also purchased many accessories to make our cooking experience even better.
Instant Pot Accessories
I obviously do not own every single Instant Pot accessory. I do however own a steamer basket, glass lid (for sauté function), and the stackable steamer insert (allows me to heat or cook two different dishes at the same time). Any questions about the items I own, email me at chris@chrisparkswellness.com.
Stand up Desks
I rarely if ever put an Amazon link up for any product that I do not own. This is one time that I am. I do not own a stand up desk yet, because I live in hotel rooms, but I look forward to purchasing or building one soon.
The evidence that standing more is helpful and that “sitting is the new smoking” is too profound to ignore.
And here is a great article on the link between sitting too long and obesity.
