On Writing The Braided Prescription by Beth Ricanati, MD

A conversation, a meal, a ritual, an ordinary moment – small acts in and of themselves; and yet powerful enough to alter the trajectory of my life. Small acts that remind again and again that I don’t always know in the moment what will happen, then or later. And this, a reminder therefore repeatedly to be present.

To be in the moment. For taken together, these small acts and [inconsequential] moments have pointed to a larger truth in my life. Recognizing the power of these small acts has afforded me the opportunity to lean into a nontraditional career, first as a physician blending western medicine with lifestyle modification, and now also as author and speaker. While I can talk about the power of taking a deep breath in my clinic all I want, I have found it resonates while making challah – braided bread – with others. Together, we stop and breathe. We pause and reflect. We feel better.

In looking more closely at these conversations, rituals, ordinary moments that were anything but ordinary, I came to see what has become The Braided Prescription. It is a virtuous circle, this participation in these small acts (in my case, making and sharing challah); this focus on the larger meaning. I keep at it.

Writing my first book – a memoir, Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs – afforded me the opportunity to drill down and be extraordinarily attentive to small moments in my life that it turns out weren’t so small. I hadn’t always seen the connections that began to emerge as I wrote.

Writing my second book – this narrative nonfiction book, now, The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah – has broadened my lens, allowed me to see the impact a simple act has had on others. 

Writers have a variety of different ways of organizing their thoughts, mapping out their work. I often start with an idea of where I am going, but until I have a scaffold, I have found it difficult to find my flow state.

As I conducted workshops around the country, first virtually during the pandemic and then back in person, seven practices began to emerge that were similar for participants. Schenectady or Santa Monica, Shaker Heights or Silicon Valley. What had worked for me when I first began to make challah was working for others too! 

Workshop participant and readers of my memoir’s notes and messages often surprised me: where we each find meaning in small acts is not universal. Over time, I began to recognize that these seven powerful practices that I was seeing occur over and over can help us all do just that.

The Braided Prescription illuminates these practices through story and explores how the ancient ritual of making challah can serve as a catalyst for living with greater intention, strengthening our relationships, managing stress, and reconnecting to what matters most.

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BETH RICANATI, MD, is a board-certified internist, expert on women’s health, and author of the multi-award-winning memoir Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs (2018). She has spent her career focused on improving the well-being and lives of her patients in traditional medical clinics and wellness programs, and now also as an author and speaker. She lives in Southern California with her family.

The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah 

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.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing