CHECK IT OUT:Reading for mind and body fitness

The typical Numero Uno New Year’s resolution in America: This year I must diet and stop eating junk food.

It sounds grim, especially in print. As with many topics, it’s easy to read about, much harder to put into practice. For a different approach, forget the traditional diet and focus on your positive, physical wellness.

“You on a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management” by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz — Following up their bestselling, “You: The Owner’s Manual,” Roizen and Oz want you to control abdominal fat rather than using body weight only as a wellness guide.

In addition to practical discussions about exercise and diet that can be adapted for any individual, they explain how chemicals, hormones and digestive organs work together to signal hunger. Gain control through understanding.

“Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think” by Brian Wansink — Cornell University doctor and food psychologist, (yes, you knew there had to be one) writes about the hidden emotions, motivations and “cues” such as food packaging, smell and size that can lead you eat or drink excessively.

Practical and effective solutions can help you avoid traps and enjoy food more, without putting on pounds.

“French Women for All Seasons: More Secrets, More Pleasures” by Mireille Guiliano — Author of “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” Guiliano offers healthy food habits for women and men. This title covers seasonal shopping and cooking tips, as well as tricks for living with style, a la francais.

Her alternative strategy to the psychological aspects of food may be summed up as “don’t gain weight, instead live with pleasure.”

“Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any Diet” by Suzanne Havala Hobbs — New York has banned public cooking with trans fats by law. Find out the truth about this type of unsaturated fat created industrially through partial hydrogenation of plant oils.

The risks associated with increased heart disease and LDL, the bad cholesterol, necessitate the intake of trans fat be as low as possible. Registered Dietician Hobbs explains grocery shopping, meal preparation and dining out in this handy book.

“Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating” by Dr. Walter C. Willett, with P.J. Skerrett — Confused about the updated USDA Food Pyramid? Harvard Nutrition Professor Willett is here to help. Using a tremendous amount of solid research to demystify food intake and wellness, Willett clarifies conflicting nutritional guidelines, lists foods with hidden dangers and talks about cancer prevention, heart disease and other ailments. This is a recent, classic guide to nutrition for all ages.

“Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition” by Andrew Weil — A classic among his many titles on nutrition, health and wellness, the well-known and popular Weil discusses healthy eating based on his seven principles.

His main thrust is that eating should be pleasurable and food should be delicious. He analyzes popular diets and conscious food-buying decisions, and offers recipes and suggestions for dining in restaurants.