Want to shop less and live more? Maybe reading about how companies entice you to buy stuff you don’t need will help you avoid their pull. Martin Lindstrom’s book “Brandwashed” could help you do just that. Martin, a guy often hired by major companies to convince people open wallets to products, shares his trade secrets in this book — arming readers with the knowledge to figure out when they’re being taken advantage of.

“Brandwashed” is full of both hilarious and shocking stories of how companies get people to buy. Sure, you may think you’re above all the ads that unrealistically promise everlasting love and fantastic sex — yours simply for buying a product. But did you know companies start grooming you for their goodies — while you’re still in utero? Some of the crazy tactics companies use — from stealth social marketing to skeevy online info mining — will likely shock you.

Buying unnecessary products means buying into more enviro damage — so greenies have a clear impetus to avoid such clandestine marketing ploys. But “Brandwashed” will open your eyes to even more reasons to avoid conventional products, to shop less, and to opt for eco-friendlier products on the occasions you do need to buy. Did you know, for example, that some conventional lip balm products actually contain ingredients that chap your lips? Or that Silk, when it started selling conventional soy milk, simply kept the same packaging while swapping out the word “organic” for “natural,” thereby fooling harried shoppers into buying their unorganic stuff?

The news in “Brandwashed” isn’t all doom and gloom for environmentalists. Sure, there’s a lot of greenwashing going on, and even more goods being marketed quite fantastically without even a nod to eco-friendly ideals. But one of the strongest form of marketing, according to “Brandwashed,” isn’t even done by companies. Instead, it’s done by individuals like yourself, through word of mouth.

Walk your green talk then talk about your walk — in an attractive, non-creepy, non-judgemental manner, of course — and you’ll be able to influence your neighbors into doing the same.

“Brandwashed” is available at bookstores now — and online. Amazon has it for $15.39.

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Want to take an academic look at fair trade coffee? Pick up “Confronting the Coffee Crisis: Fair Trade, Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecosystems in Mexico and Central America” — a collection of academic essays, published by The MIT Press, that looks at coffee issues from a variety of disciplines — agroecology, environmental studies, latin american and latino studies, and more.

If short news articles and clips about fair trade just aren’t cutting it for you, this book’s where you can get a lot of great raw data and serious evaluative studies. Considering the fact that a lot of the impetus behind the fair trade movement relies on anecdotal or single-case stories, the more in-depth, numbers-based studies in this book lend a welcome, somewhat less biased perspective on the problem.

The examples and stories in the essays in this book are less sugarcoated. Because while there are communities where fair trade has shown a clear difference — sent kids to schools, health, community development, empowerment, etc. — that get featured in Fair Trade USA’s brochures, there are also communities that have participated in fair trade programs where concrete changes are tough to see.

One study in the book takes Venezuela as an example. There, fair trade helps mitigate crises and softens economic blows, but the coffee industry’s still full of problems. Farmers are selling 70% via conventional market due to the difficulty of finding buyers — and are struggling for those and other reasons. This study shows that while fair trade can help, a community or country embracing fair trade isn’t necessarily a magic bullet solution that suddenly and significantly improves people’s lives.

In fact, some of the studies more honestly deal with some of the current conflicts between the fair trade model and the organic models — mainly by pointing out that eco-friendly practices aren’t always financially viable, especially in countries where environmental laws are few. One essay studying Veracruz, Mexico notes that the ecofriendliest farms there have the lowest harvest output — not a financially sustainable model, even with the price premiums from organic or fair trade labels.

There is encouraging stuff in these essays too, of course, about increased yield after converting to organic farming — and especially about “intensified” organic farming that can boost yields.

But more than anything, the essays in this book show how complicated everything is. There are, for example, very many different ways of coffee growing — beyond just organic vs. conventional, sustainable vs. technified. And there are many other issues to consider in most coffee growing countries — from the histories of colonialization to transitional farming possibilities to all sorts of other technical and political stuff we usually aren’t faced with in the supermarket when buying a bag of coffee.

The studies do make you wish things were simpler. If only we had solid data — i.e. something like how fair trade certification allowed for an x% incrase in the standard of living of producers — consumer choices would be easier to make. But nothing like that’s available. In fact, what many of the essays emphasize is the necessity of dealing with things on the micro level — looking closely at the diversity of issues, and citing the need for local and regional focus.

Compared to all of that, the current quibbles about fair trade certification seem — small.

Confronting the Coffee Crisis is a heavy read, but there’s lots of interesting stuff to interest the coffee lover — from an essay on the difficult paradoxical work of organic standards inspectors in Oaxaca to a more poetic essay about landscapes. And of course, the book provides a general overview of history of coffee crisis that answers background questions.

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Looking for recipes that are rich and decadent — both in taste and nutrition? Now you can get how-tos for bringing a whole variety of potent superfoods into your diet — all in one book. Just pick up L.A. chef Julie Morris’ “Superfood Cuisine: Cooking With Nature’s Most Amazing Foods” to get started, fast.

This cookbook’s full of recipes — accompanied by mouth-watering photos — that boost both the yum and health factors with delicious superfoods. Many dishes simply show you how to add on an extra nutritional kick to the dishes you know and love. Lasagna your favorite dinner? Make a Garden Lasagna layered with eggplant and a rich lentil-hemp filling. Can’t live without risotto? Try the Kabocha-Quinoa Risotto with Sage Cream and Sun-Dried Yacon Root.

But “Superfood Cookbook” isn’t just about revamping comfort food favorites. In fact, many of Julie’s recipes cater to the raw-gans — many of whom already consider themselves superfoodies too. Even if you’ve got a bunch of rawlicious dishes under your culinary belt, this cookbook’s worth picking up. Julie’s recipes add that extra touch that turn basic raw dishes into tantalizing concoctions. Thought my raw chia pudding looked a little boring? Now that I’ve tried making the Spiced Chia Porridge (below) in “Superfood Cuisine,” I do too!

The photo doesn’t do the taste justice. This recipe’s base isn’t simple nut milk, but a sweet and creamy blend of cashews, hemp seeds, dates, and spices. Let the chia seeds plump up overnight in this rich shake along with goji and mulberries, and you get a deliciously thick pudding with a complex, nutty-sweet flavor — that’s full of superfruits, omega 3s and 6s, and lots of other vitamins and minerals.

I also loved the Mango & Berry Parfait (below) — A delicious creamy raw vegan tropical delight you could enjoy for breakfast but is really sweet enough for dessert.

Don’t know your chia from your camu camu? That’s fine — “Superfood Cookbook” has got a descriptive pantry list you can refer to at the front of the book, a resources list at the back, and a smattering of FYI facts throughout — all explaining the origins, pointing out health benefits, and offering cooking (or uncooking) tips for superfoods.

Superfood Cuisine‘s available now for $29.99. Want to try making a few dishes before buying the book? Vital Juice has a recipe for raw Maca-Macaroons, and Julie Morris’ own blog has one for Quinoa with Secret Pesto & Sun-dried Tomatoes.

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Raw-curious — but don’t know where to start? Pick up a copy of Going Raw: Everything You Need to Start Your Own Raw Food Diet & Lifestyle Revolution at Home. This book’s the best I’ve found that explains all things raw and simplifies a raw lifestyle to a doable level for a raw newbie — while also offering up delicious-looking recipes with tantalizing, full-color photos to inspire and awe the already-converted.

Written by L.A.-resident Judita Wignall, Going Raw begins by covering all the basics, starting with what raw is (and the fuzzy definitions people quibble over) and why raw food can be beneficial. Then she goes on to basic raw kitchen techniques — from picking out a high-speed blender to using a mandoline to sprouting grains.

Then it’s on to the recipes! All the raw basics like green smoothies, juices, and kale salads are covered — as well as more complicated fare — like Coconut-Curry Samosas with Plum Chutney and Spinach-Walnut Pesto and Pignolia Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms! Judita includes raw versions of many comfort food favorites — including Spaghetti Bolognese and Vegetarian Homestyle Chili.

And you won’t have to give up your favorite desserts to go raw with this book either. Just opt for dehydrator-crafted Mexican Spiced Brownies, Ice Box Chocolate chip Cookies, and White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake instead — a la mode with raw Maple-Pecan Ice Cream!

I gave away my dehydrator and don’t have an ice cream maker — so I haven’t been able to try those desserts. I did, however, make myself a cool Asian Noodle “Stir-Fry” — rawlicious! The tamari-ginger-sesame oil sauce — with a kick of red pepper — made a perfect savory marinade for the juicy shitake mushrooms, fresh organic veggies, and soaked arame. I loved this foolproof recipe, which really included all the steps a newbie might not know to do — like soak the kelp noodles in lemon water first to soften them up and get rid of that “squeaky” texture — a tip I could have used when making Ani Phyo’s Korean Jap Chae.

I plan to try more of Judita’s recipes soon. What I really loved about this book, though, was the down-to-earth practicalness of it. Her tips to make enough salad dressing, hummus, nut milk, and a couple snacks every weekend to last the whole week makes a lot of sense. She advises making flax crackers, raw granola, and raw chocolate in big batches to last a whole month — instead of becoming a slave to the dehydrator.

Judita tells her own raw story — which basically started as an attempt to clear up her skin. Apparently, after a month of going all raw, she lost 15 pounds. After two months, her skin cleared up. Now, after four years of eating raw, she says her tastebuds crave a very simple diet — green juice and fruit before noon, a green smoothie for lunch, a small raw snack in the afternoon, then a green salad or soup for dinner.

That sounds like a rather austere diet to me, but it seems to work for her — and certainly makes eating raw sounds a lot easier. Making a Classic Veggie Pizza by sprouting kamut, mixing it with other ingredients to dehydrate into a raw pizza crust, then blending up pizza sauce, soaking nuts to blend into nut cheese, marinating mushrooms, and cutting up toppings to dehydrate the final creation for three hours before sitting down to dinner seems like a raw deal — but perhaps not if it’s only for special occasions.

Judita’s quick to point out that a 100 percent diet is not right for everyone. In fact, some of her recipes aren’t all raw. The stir fry I made, for example, makes liberal use of toasted sesame seed oil. She emphasizes small raw goals — and setting just one goal at a time to ensure long-term success.

So if you’ve wanted to incorporate more raw food into your life, grab a copy of Going Raw to get started. The softcover book costs $24.99 — and comes with a bonus DVD demo-ing simple raw techniques like spiralizing veggies and blending up nut milk. Want to try a couple recipes before parting with your cash? Judita’s shared her recipe for Mexican Spiced Brownies on her own blog, and Vital Juice has Judita’s recipe for Orange-Chocolate Mousse Parfait.

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Have a strong belief in karmic destiny? Then a new book may convince you to go vegetarian. Called “The Compassionate Diet,” this slim volume urges people to consider vegetarian diet — lest they accrue “heavy karmic penalties.”

I picked up “The Compassionate Diet” because it’s written by Arran Stephens, co-founder of Nature’s Path Organic Foods — a company I adore. As a former vegetarian turned ethical omnivore who eats about 95 percent vegan, I thought perhaps this book might convince me to return to vegetarianism or even try total veganism, and opened it with an open mind.

Alas, “The Compassionate Diet” is heavily inspired by Arran’s spiritual beliefs — that are highly unconvincing to an atheist like me. Arran kicks off the book by pushing for lacto-vegetarianism — which he clearly believes to be the best diet. Eating dairy’s just fine, but in his opinion, ovo-vegetarianism is a contradiction in terms. How so? Well, Arran’s best argument is a quote from a “poet-saint” called Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, who argues that even infertile eggs “represent a form of life which cannot fulfill itself” and eating them “stupefies the mind and enflames the passions.” That sounds — scientific!

To attract readers to his version of vegetarianism, Arran spends a big chunk of his book naming famous people who happened to be vegetarians — as proof that the choice didn’t hold them back in their field. As you may have guessed, Hitler does not nab a mention in his roster of star vegetarians. He also devotes a big chunk of the book to linking various religions to vegetarianism — including making a case for why Jesus was really a vegetarian — which also didn’t do much to convince a nonbeliever like me.

When I read Arran’s argument that if people gets sick on a vegetarian diet, they shouldn’t blame the diet but know the illness was caused by other reasons like “karmic destiny,” I actually laughed out loud. His suggestion for avoiding B12 deficiencies on a vegetarian or vegan diet? Eat processed foods manufactured by companies with B12 artificially added in!

Of course, I still agreed with Arran on a lot of issues — from the evils of factory farming to the health problems associated with meat-heavy diets. Those are facts backed up by many studies by environmentalists and health professionals. But as with many pro-veg books, Arran extrapolates from the fact that a diet of mostly plants makes for better health and environment to argue that a diet with no meat (and eggs) is the best choice. He big ups organic farming, but stays mum on how on organic livestock often take a central role in keeping farms sustainable.

As you can tell by now, I wasn’t moved by “The Compassionate Diet.” Still, the book managed to nab jacket quotes from eco-luminaries like Jane Goodall, Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey, and “Diet For a New America” author John Robbins. Want to give “The Compassionate Diet” a read yourself? The book is available now for $17.99.

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