Help for Living Well: Devotions for a Healthier You {Book Review}

This post is a bit unusual for me. But it’s become apparent I need to be more intentional about living well in all areas of my life: spiritually, emotionally and physically.

All areas hold their unique challenges. So, I jumped at the chance to take a closer look at a recently released healthy-living devotional that addresses all areas, mind, body and soul.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect in this book. But I enjoy devotionals and love recipe books. Combining two of my favorite books in one sold me. And I’m certainly glad I checked it out!

Devotions for a Healthier You: Feeding Mind, Body, and Soul by Katie Farrell is an invitation to live a healthier lifestyle. And it’s a compelling invitation, with a cover that begs to be opened.

Katie, creator of the popular lifestyle blog Dashing Dish, desires to help others “experience a healthier, balanced, and more joyful life.” To that end, she opens her devotional with 10 Steps to a Healthier You. Honestly, many of the steps are ones we’ve heard before. Still, they are good reminders.

Power of Scripture

The next two sections are favorites of mine: Prayers for Health and Identity Scriptures. Katie writes, “Creating a healthy mind and body starts with nurturing your relationship with God.” This belief is evident in these two sections.

The first turns Scripture verses into powerful prayers reminding us of who we are in Christ and the victory we have in Him. The second is a list of identity scriptures to aid us in believing and speaking truth into our lives.

Recipes

Recipes are sprinkled throughout the devotions, and at the back of the book is a one-week meal plan and recipes. The recipes all look amazing (evidenced by the abundance of tabs I’ve used to mark them, as shown in the picture above), and I’ve found several of the dishes to be delicious, like the 10-minute black beans & corn quesadillas (although I did add meat) and (surprising to me) the Flourless Peanut Butter Chip Brownies.

However, other recipes fall short with my family, such as the pumpkin chili, cheesy broccoli chicken casserole and the baked french toast sticks. Still, there are many more we haven’t yet tried that look promising.

I love pictures in recipe books, and Devotions for a Healthier You doesn’t disappoint in that arena. The photos are large and beautiful.

Devotions and Inspiration

Katie also does an amazing job on the 71 devotions. They are short, applicable, engaging and encouraging. Each begins with a Scripture passage and ends with a short prayer.

Periodically, there’s a Dash of Inspiration, a personal note from the author. They are indeed inspiring.