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Vegan For Life: Everything You Need To Know To Be Healthy And Fit On A Plant-Based Diet (2011)

by Jack Norris(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0738214930 (ISBN13: 9780738214931)

languge

English

genre

Food & Cookbooks

publisher

Da Capo Lifelong Books

review 1: A n00b vegan or someone who eats a little closer to a north American-style of diet would get more out of this than I did. There are assumptions made about readers that colour the recommendations for supplementation, and so the suggestions are inconsistent. I thought there was a stronger case presented for zinc and iron supplementation than iodine, but they recommend the latter rather than the former, and looking at my own dietary intake I see no need for any of these: I get a lot of everything. They go harder on the calcium recs than other countries, as is the American style, too. As an overview, it's great. I'd take the fine details with a grain of (iodised) salt, however. I much rather getting on over to cronometer.com to check out my intakes occasionally and shovelling ... moresome more greens, nuts, lentils, and all the things in my face... but as a long-term (ethical) vegan with an interest in health issues (and a nutrition certificate from TCCF/Cornell), I've got the hang of what a good wholefood diet looks like. I worry that books like this with a single-nutrient approach, while useful when keeping a broad perspective in-mind, might push some susceptible or less-informed readers towards neurotic pill-popping, which is an expensive habit and not always harmless... but again, it certainly reflects the food culture of the United States, and to a lesser extent some Australian/British/Canadian health trends: quick fixes from on-high in pill-form, rather than a critical examination of lifestyle and how we define "food."The best parts of this book are the discussions of B-12 and vitamin D, and the runners up are DHA and the lists of calcium-rich foods (and the reminder to aim for 6-8 serves a day of these - but they include supplements, and given the USA recs are high we can knock that down a peg to 5-8 at least), but nothing that you won't find on the author's blogs (The Vegan RD and Jack Norris RD) and veganhealth.org. The sports recs are good, and is one place where I agree several supplements may be beneficial for some individuals, but again it's on their websites, and there are better vegan athlete guides out there like Thrive and Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness, which - while not scientifically perfect - are better guides for putting sporty veganism into practice.Their attitude to oil is a little more reasonable than T Colin Campbell and other plant-based doctors generally: for the average (particularly long-term) vegan who isn't a n00b battling chronic or deadly diseases, scant oil (1-2 tsp/day) and wholefood fats daily aren't going to end the world, and might even save it a bit. So I'll give them that! (I'd even give more oil/fat than that rec'd thinner-to-average folks who are so inclined, perfect bloodwork permitting... but eat more of everything else first, too, you guys.)I skimmed the Why Vegan sections because, well, after 9 years I've read the basics 100 times. But they seem well-articulated, welfarist-leaning rather than abolitionist I think, given they refer to the dubious HSUS and PETA organisations.Along with cruising this book OR their websites (you don't need both) if you think you could do with a plant-based nutrition education/re-education, I'd suggest reading T Colin Campbell's book Whole over this, to really drive home the benefits of food over supplements, calorie-counting, and n00b meh-nus. Another good vegan blog is Plant-Based Dietitian, which focuses more on wholefood nutrition sources, and is a little more relevant to those of us outside of north America. NutritionFacts.org is a sciencey powerhouse of awesome tidbits gathered from a vast number of peer-reviewed sources, and after some time surfing the site and subscribing, you'll find your mind expands rather significantly.3 stars from me, possibly 4 stars for a n00b who prefers books to internets. Worth a flick through, but it's not the Holy Vegan Plant-Based Nutrition Bible. In summary: take your B-12 for the stress/ecology of modern living (1000mcg 2-3/week), play in the sunshine or take D2 (up to 1000IU/25mcg daily, but no more) if there's no sun, maybe consider algae-based DHA (200mg) a couple of times a week, definitely consider wholefood omega fats (flax, walnuts, etc) daily, avoid oil except a couple of teaspoons to dress salad or season pans (plus a dash of coconut and toasted sesame here and there because yummy), and eat your greens, then eat some more greens, maybe some beans and lentils and (sprouted!) grains, have a bit of seaweed, eat more orange vegetables and fruit, and then eat some more greens... then you'll pretty much keep all the doctors and dietitians happy. And remember: a well-planned diet is essential to good health, and the above recommendations don't only apply to vegans. If anything (aside from chip & coffee & red wine-based vegans! not that that's the worst way to live ;)) a few vegans could do with less planning and less neuroticism. But it is worth being educated and re-educated: so get on it and read. Read all the books... and websites. Expand your mind and thereby your world.
review 2: Very easy to understand, not a lot of "science mumbo-jumbo", mentions most important aspects of a vegan diet and its effects on our health with its strengths and weaknesses; it's not claiming eating vegan automatically makes you immune to all diseases nor that eating meat automatically gives you cancer, diabetes and clamidia, as a lot of vegan advocates seem to believe and spread. Also talks a bit about soy and its weird reputation as of late, busting the myth that soy is terrible for you and you should avoid it, which is a relief to me because soy is awesome in all its forms. As a plus, it tells you how to properly cook legumes, grains and vegetables for optimum nutrient preservation and absorbtion, which is cool. less

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