If you were to combine medical knowledge, nutritional advice, a guide to mindful eating, a self-care manual, and fitness suggestions into one book, you’d come up EAT WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU EAT WITH DIABETES: A MINDFUL EATING PROGRAM FOR THRIVING WITH PREDIABETES AND DIABETES by Michelle May, MD with Megrette Fletcher, MEd, RD, CDE. For those of you in either category, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

Dr. May is well known in the field of dysfunctional eating as the author of EAT WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU EAT: HOW TO BREAK THE EAT-REPENT-REPEAT CYCLE (a book I heartily recommend). In this new book, she and Fletcher map out a plan for managing pre-diabetes and diabetes that is both sensible and doable. They emphasize curiosity, not judgment, and focus on empowering readers to get out of victim mode and take charge of their health.

There is a great description of how to break the diet-binge cycle and throughout the book an emphasis on changing not only what you do but how you think. For example, the authors don’t tell you what or what not to eat, but teach you what will help you feel better and be healthy and encourage you to experiment. From a psychological perspective, I value how the authors provide information and support you in being curious to make up your own mind about how to take care of your body. They do this by asking reflective questions to help you get to know yourself, your habits, and your attitudes toward your condition and by offering up lots and lots of suggestions.

There is a good deal of valuable medical and nutritional knowledge in the book which is presented in a factual, non-lecturing manner. Everything from blood glucose monitoring to medications are covered, providing you with up-to-date information so that you can decide what will work best for you. You’ll learn what you need to do to become a “normal” eater as well as how to choose and enjoy activity and exercise and why it’s important to your mental and physical health.

Having prediabetes or diabetes need not be scary. This book gives you all the pieces of the puzzle, with a special focus on harnessing your innate power to take care of yourself. It will help you change your misguided thinking about food and resolve your dysfunctional eating habits, while helping you get and stay healthy. What more could you ask?