"All I can say is
"Bravo!" This is the definitive work on vegan
nutrition and I can heartily recommend it to all. A magnificent job
presenting up-to-date information on this most important subject."
Dr. Michael Klaper
"Every
so often a book comes along that you feel should be on every vegan's of
Becoming Vegan you have a far better chance of achieving it."
Paul Appleby, researcher in the Oxford
Study and Epic Study
"Becoming
Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-based Diet
by Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD. Book Publishing Co. 288 pages.
$16.95. ISBN 1-57067-103-6.
Brenda Davis, the American Dietetic
Association's Vegetarian Nutrition Chair, and Vesanto Melina have written an
out-standing guide to vegan diets. Becoming
Vegan begins with a look at the history of the vegan movement, goes on to
thoroughly cover basic nutrition topics for vegans, provides a vegan food guide,
and discusses topics like overweight, eating disorders, and the vegan athlete.
It ends with an excellent chapter on vegan diplomacy and vegan resources.
Davis and Melina, who previously worked together on Becoming
Vegetarian, have written a book that will appeal to both health care
professionals and educated lay-people.
Many complex issues, including
lipid metabolism and the stages of vitamin B-12 deficiency are clearly explained
using a variety of techniques to great advantage.
The book features a number of tables,
bulleted points, sidebars, and boxed bulletins to simplify information and to
reinforce points made in the text. Case
studies also give the reader very practical, useful help.
While some of the information presented may be over-the-head of the
beginning vegan with no nutrition background, the tables and summary points
could be easily used by even a beginner to understand the more important issues.
The tone of the book is both
humorous and serious. Humor is used
to add life to the sometimes ponderous topic of vegetarian nutrition while the
discussion of eating disorders is done so sensitively that I know that I will
refer to this chapter again and again.
Nutrition professionals can rely
on this book as a credible source of information for themselves and for their
clients. While only selected
references are included in the book, a website is given where a more complete
list of references can be found.
I highly recommend Becoming Vegan to
health care professionals, vegans, and those interested in moving towards a more
plant-based diet.
Reviewed
by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
"Becoming
Vegan is packed, virtually packed with useful
information. Congratulations to Brenda and to you for a terrific job.
Louise Lambert Lagacé
Registered Dietitian
"BECOMING
VEGAN: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-based Diet
by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina (Book Publishing Company, paperback, $16.95).
A new book by two registered dietitians (one the chair of the
ADA's Vegetarian Practice Group and the other a coordinator of the vegetarian
section of the Manual of Clinical Dietetics) is one of the most comprehensive,
interesting and inspiring books ever published on vegan diets. Ranging
from a fascinating history of the vegetarian and vegan movements from the 19th
century to the most scientifically accurate studies from the late 1990's,
BECOMING VEGAN is a wonderful book
on many counts. A note
from the authors at the beginning of the book declares "Every step you take
towards a more compassionate world is one of celebration." Then the entire
281 pages of this user friendly book is full of facts, figures, research
results, nutrient counts, tables, side bars and recipes that will turn even the
most skeptical reader toward a more plant-based diet - truly reason to
celebrate. A chapter on vegan diplomacy offers advice for vegans in a
non-vegetarian world. A chapter on raising children as vegans offers reassuring
data from scores of studies. Whole chapters devoted to fats, carbohydrates, and
minerals answer every conceivable question about which foods in our diets
contribute to health and which detract from it. Be sure to get two copies of
this book: one to send to your relatives who worry about the way you eat and one
to keep handy on the most accessible shelf in your house.
From Patti Breitman, literary agent for John
Robbins' "Diet for a New America".
"I
just read Brenda Davis' and Vesanto Melina’s new book "Becoming Vegan"
and am thoroughly impressed with the material and its presentation.
The authors did a rigorous job of researching and presenting the current
scientific data, presenting both the pro and contrary findings.
I found the directness refreshing in comparison to some of the less
scientific and more evangelistic writings that have been published.
Highlights
are:
-A unique and thought-provoking look at the relationship between diet and
chronic disease and the protective effects of vegan diets against the leading
killers.
-One
of the most convincing and well researched explanations on why plant proteins
are both adequate and preferable to animal protein as the major protein source
for humans.
-The
most comprehensive examination of dietary fat and essential fatty acids for
vegans written to date.
-A
thorough and practical discussion on all of the vitamins and minerals of concern
to vegans, including calcium, iron and vitamin B12.
-Invaluable
guidelines for people at various stages of the lifecycle: pregnancy, lactation,
infancy, childhood, adolescence and the senior years.
-A
detailed and thoughtful discussion on matters of weight and shape including
underweight, overweight and eating disorders.
-Straight-shooting advice about vegan diets and athletic
performance.
-An
exceptional vegan food guide, helping you design a well-balanced vegan diet.
-A
lively discussion about diplomacy and how to handle sticky situations gracefully
in this nonvegan world.
I
suggest this to you as a must read.
Peter
Roosen.
To
order "Becoming Vegan" and other books, click here.
