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The Braided Prescription
Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah
Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
For fans of celebrated self-help books The Power of Now and Atomic Habits, an MD’s soulful exploration of healing, tradition, and spirituality through the grounding and nourishing habit of baking challah.
What if an ancient ritual could transform the way you live today?
In her beloved first book, Braided, Dr. Beth Ricanati shared how making sacred bread, challah, every Friday for over a decade transformed her life. Now, in The Braided Prescription, she shares insights from her subsequent challah workshops with groups all over America and even abroad, distilling what she’s learned into seven attainable and powerful practices for managing stress in our daily lives.
Blending personal stories, scientific research, and timeless wisdom, Ricanati demonstrates how these seven practices can restore presence in a distracted world, strengthen bonds with family and community, and teach resilience through imperfection. With warmth and wisdom, she shows how the weekly ritual of making challah bread can help us mend what feels frayed, anchor what feels uncertain, and create space for what truly matters.
For readers from every walk of life—including those who have never made dough or even seen yeast—The Braided Prescription is a powerful reminder that small acts, repeated with care, can lead to profound transformation.
What if an ancient ritual could transform the way you live today?
In her beloved first book, Braided, Dr. Beth Ricanati shared how making sacred bread, challah, every Friday for over a decade transformed her life. Now, in The Braided Prescription, she shares insights from her subsequent challah workshops with groups all over America and even abroad, distilling what she’s learned into seven attainable and powerful practices for managing stress in our daily lives.
Blending personal stories, scientific research, and timeless wisdom, Ricanati demonstrates how these seven practices can restore presence in a distracted world, strengthen bonds with family and community, and teach resilience through imperfection. With warmth and wisdom, she shows how the weekly ritual of making challah bread can help us mend what feels frayed, anchor what feels uncertain, and create space for what truly matters.
For readers from every walk of life—including those who have never made dough or even seen yeast—The Braided Prescription is a powerful reminder that small acts, repeated with care, can lead to profound transformation.
Product Details
- Publisher: She Writes Press (September 1, 2026)
- Length: 184 pages
- ISBN13: 9798896363873
Raves and Reviews
"In an age where loneliness is an epidemic and where people struggle with burnout, this book offers the perfect antidote."—Readers' Favorite, 5-star review
“The perfect combination of traditional wisdom, modern knowledge, and the warm embrace of a trusted friend. Listen to this doctor’s orders and follow her recipe for ritual reconnection.”—Bruce Feiler, New York Times best-selling author of A Time to Gather and Life Is in the Transitions
"Dr. Ricanati warmly braids together both medical and lifestyle science to create a path to wellness through an ancient ritual. In this, she shows us that the kitchen can be one of our greatest teachers."—Dean Ornish, MD, #1 New York Times best-selling author of UnDo It!
"The Braided Prescription is Beth Ricanati's direly needed journey through the act of creating sustenance in a manner that is as old as the eons. We need this beautiful book now more than ever to remind us to slow down and step into the kitchen with intention and love. A lovely and practical meditation, it is a prescription for a weekly ancient ritual that very well may change your life."—Elissa Altman, author of Permission and Motherland
“The Braided Prescription reminds us that we can bring the ancient wisdom of intentional food preparation into everyday life. It’s the perfect invitation to slow down and connect deeply, practices that research shows can foster more flourishing in daily life.”—Laurie Santos, professor of psychology at Yale University, host of The Happiness Lab podcast, and coauthor of Psychology
“In her inventive and insightful book, Beth gathers us around her table to feel the quiet power of warm challah, tended, baked, and shared with the people we love. We need that healing and hope now more than ever . . .”—Rabbi Steve Leder, New York Times bestselling author of The Beauty of What Remains and For You When I Am Gone
“If you are hungry for meaning and true sustenance, you will find it within this book—it is a joy to read and as irresistible as freshly baked bread. Beth Ricanati shares her antidote to stress through practices that ground and connect us, inviting us into a timeless space that heals and transforms.”—Sarah Livia Brightwood, president of Rancho La Puerta and founder of the culinary center and cooking school La Cocina Que Canta
“Dr. Beth Ricanati's confident and gentle voice offers a recipe for navigating acute and chronic stress so familiar to us all. The simple practice of baking and sharing bread, when done with intention, reminds us that we have the potential to nourish one another. What a gift.”—Aliza Kline, founding CEO of OneTable
“So many rituals revolve around food and its preparation. We don’t always notice that these rituals can be healing—enabling us to feel better, be calmer—and actually be a kind of self-care. But Dr. Beth Ricanati does. And she shares her wisdom, drawn from her experience as a doctor, a patient, a parent, a wife, and a challah baker in The Braided Prescription.”—Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills and coauthor of Moments That Matter
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Book Cover Image (jpg): The Braided Prescription
eBook 9798896363873
