Vegetarianism Books

This is a really re-assuring read for any vegetarian thinking about pregnancy, and as a bonus it arms you to deal with all the questions the non-vego rellies will ask!

I used this book through both of my pregnancies. I really liked it, especially that it was specifically for us vegetarians. It's not expensive, so if you are a vegetarian and pregnant (or want to get pregnant) you can't go wrong with this book.

I thought this book was interesting and informative, but not beyond the second chapter.

The second chapter on nutrition runs through detailed information about all the essential nutriants and general dietary guidlines. This is the best section of the book if you want to understand what to eat and why.

Unfortunately, the month-by-moth guide is greatly lacking in detail and information. I think there is too much general (and very unnecessary) commentaries, such as complications from eating fish or having a venereal disease. I'd rather have had more information about what exactly is happening with my body and my baby's, what foods are ideal for what stage in development.

So, if all you need is some (fairly comprehensive) information about nutrition and very general information about your pregnancy, this book should be fine. On the other hand, I've not seen a better book that deals with vegetarian pregnancy, particularly because the author is so reassuring about maintaining a vegetarian diet during pregnancy.

I bought this book hoping that it would tell me some things I didn't know about eating healthy as a vegetarian while pregnant. When I got it, I found that it wasn't helpful at all. It spends a great deal of time talking about other pregnancy issues that have nothing to do with nutrition or being vegetarian. I wouldn't recommend it.

I was really looking forward to this book as being a voice of insightful reason about what it means to be pregnant in a world that regards vegetarianism as a faze and therefore pregnancy as an opportunity to end that faze. In that sense the assessment of vegetarian diets for nutriets combined with meat eaters was somewhat helpful. But also a little tedious.
What made me really dislike this book though is that I sometimes found it a little panicky-- you must see you doctor immediately if a, b, or c happen when other books and sources are much quicker to reassure readers that lots of things happen in pregnancy and most are normal; this book could send a nervous mom-to-be in to repeated panics.
Secondly, it was a little preachy-- "vegans are the purest", notions like pregnant veggies are special because they are "bringing a new life into the world without taking a new life" came across as santimonious rather than helpful. For people who are already committed to vegetarian lifestyles, this is unneccessary. For people contemplating vegetarian lifestyles, this is condescending and rude.
Finally, there were some general scientific inaccuracies (not about vitamins or what to eat maybe) but the counting system for instance is just wrong. Month 1 is 4-8 weeks. Month 2 is 8-12 weeks. Which month is week 8 again? Inaccuracies like that suggest someone without much practical experience or intellecutal rigor.

Excellent!!! great illustrations, lovely story line and humorous too. Children & adults will love this one!

I recently purchased this book for 3 and 6 year old boys. They both are thoroughly entranced by the story. The vocabulary is great and the message of tolerance is one that we can build upon in discussions about the book.

Highly Recommended!

I adore this book, and my five year old delights in it as well. The message is excellent -- some people (and dragons) like to eat meat, some people (and dragons) like to eat veggies, and no one should eat people. I like that it isn't the least bit preachy. I happen to be a vegetarian, and my husband and child are not, and it isn't about one kind of eating being better than another, just different. If you have a "mixed" eating family like mine, or if your meat eating child has vegetarian friends, or your vegetarian child has meat eating friends, or if you enjoy any well-written, well-illustrated children's book, then this book belongs on your shelf.

I'll start off by saying I like this book for many reason. But I will also say it was NOT what I expected. As my child grew I began searching for vegetrian themed books with a positive simple message. This book is much aclaimed and I bought this with the intention of reading together with my 5 year old. When I got it and flipped through it I saw how nicely eye catching that art was. The colors are vivid and the art work is still some of my favorite. And overall this book does TRY to protray a good message about excepting others, getting along, and being yourself (not just being vegetarian), which is nice. However it is a rather odd story, where the dragons eat people, and the people want "death" for any dragon they can find. Which is what happens, they set out in search of the dragons to capture and kill one to set an example to the other dragons...but they only end up finding the peace loving, vegetarian dragon named herb.

I suppose what supprised me so much was the amount of anger in the book..all be it just a book there is a lot of fighting and mean dragons and mean people and insults/name calling thrown in there.
The lead dragons name is Meathook (eeeew..good thing most 5 year olds don't know what those are), they show herb tied up with a big ax about to chop off his head (not very pleasant mental image let alone something I would like to read to a child.) and I was most suprised at the part in the book where meathook comes to free herb but only if he eats some boar meat and "becomes one of us". This part really portrayed non-vegitarians as shallow and I think that the underlying tone through the book of the people and dragons portrays anyone who eats meat as "bad" throughout the book, which the quick ending of everyone getting along cannot undo. (another example of this is the meat eatting dragons are all pretty much mindless in the book, just doing whatever their leader says, and the meat eating people were going to cut herb the dragons head off, stuff it, and put it at their castles gate to teach others a "lesson".) and the little girl who saved herb had no problem condeming the other dragons "thats one of the meateaters shouted the little girl."

I think this book had good intentions but the writter could not write it from a fair standpoint, while yes its good to show kids to stand up for what you believe in even under peer preassure, I really couldn't believe that they even threw that in there the way they did,..let alone the image of dripping blood from the boar leg.

I am not writting all of this to say the book is good or bad, thats your choice to decide. While I will most likely give this book to my child eventually there are many vegetarian kids books I have encountered for younger and older children which far surpass this book.

I agree with others on here that the recommended age level is off. I think it should be ages 8 and up (though it may be a bit of a simple read for them.) I will give this to my child and he will probably enjoy it (especially since he likes dragons already) but I will be waiting until he's older. Generally I perfer to purchase non-violent books.

We received this book as a gift and it has become one of my 4-year-old daughter's favorites. Rarely do we agree so enthusiastically about a bedtime story! She goes for Disney, I go for Robert McClosky. Further, it has stood the test of time (18 months). This is an eternity for a 4 year old. No other book has been such a perennial favorite. I think I have read this book to her about 250 times over the past 18 months. The crazy thing is I enjoy it every time. Because the pictures are so detailed, you often see something you missed on previous reads. It is a fairy tale, so I say to those who are quick to attack it as not having enough meaning for Vegetarians or being gruesome, they are missing the point. It is harmless and entertaining. Kids really enjoy it. And I teaches acceptance of others for what they are, which in my humble opinion is more important than preaching a particular view point on Vegetarianism.

A side note, the book has helped my daughter recently with school where they have been studying Dinosaurs and their eating habits. She now loves to identify people and animals as Herbivores, Carnivores or Omnivores.

I love this book so much I have bought 2 additional copies as gifts now myself. And, by the way, everyone in our family is an omnivore.

Great Book on basic nutrition. Gives a differnt perspective on food in general, makes lots of sense and the results can not be disputed. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in a more healthful way of living and eating.

Dr. Shintani neglects to tell us he was a disciple of the McDougall's. His dietary advice closely models Dean Ornish and several others who advocate essentially a low-fat, vegan diet for weight loss and health, while being able to eat large quantities. Any of the exotic ingredients can be bought online or even locally in urban areas. If these recipes throw you, get his other two books--Eat More Weigh Less Diet, and Eat More Weigh Less Cookbook. These books have recipes and ingredients that more closely follow a "western" pantry. I'm not going to give up avocados, nuts, or sesame oil, but I've made big changes in my eating patterns and am gradually losing weight without counting points or calories. It's not easy to be vegan, simple, but not easy. But worth it.

I'd like to start this review by stating that I wrote this from from the viewpoint of the average person who is generally healthy but just needs to loose a few pounds for appearance or long term heath reasons. I do not want to offend those who are firm believers of this diet or those who have had good results with it. However, I did want to express my opinion about it from my point of view. If I had chronic health problems, or was chronically overweight (50 to 100 lbs overweight) perhaps my review of this book would be different. However, all I need to do is loose 10-15 pounds.

With that being said, and being a healthy person who needs to loose a few pounds for appearance reasons only, I think that the problem with these diets is they make you eat things you wouldn't normally choose to eat, hence staying on it and maintaining the diet is always a problem. Finding the food in the portion and quantities advocated by a fad diet at the restaruant and sometimes even a market is always a problem with the fad diet.

The habit of my slim friends is in direct contradiciton to the main theory of this book which says you should fill up your stomach as much as possible, and eat until you are completely "full". In fact the slim people i know do not eat till they are full, they eat until they are satisfied. Another good habit is to wait till you are hungry to eat (but not excessively hungry because then you will overeat). The difference here is you try not to eat preemptively to control hunger before it starts, but you try to eat only when you are hungry and when you do eat, you eat as little as possible to take the edge of the hunger (not until your stomach is full). In this way, rather than eating at pre-set meal times (which may be preemptive eating and eating when your body isn't really hungry) or eating restaurant or other dicated portion sizes (which again, may be more than you really need), you instead pay close attention to eating only the minimal amount your body needs, when you need it. A side benefit to this is eating smaller meals more frequently which is said to increase metabolisim rather than eating fewer and larger meals. In times when ancient man was starved for food binging was necessary because he was hungry all the time. Now that we live in a modern society where food is more than abundant, we have to adapt and fight that type of programming, in order to get the desired results we want.

This is another reason I think this diet is pretty dangerous for the average person wanting to loose a few pounds -- it advocates binging. If you get used to eating "until you are full" and then happen to go off the diet, now your habit is to eat till you are full and you will be doing so with high caloric foods and gaining even more weight that before... And going off the diet (which I have tried) is pretty easy since again, in my opinion, these foods do not naturally taste very good nor arey they very appetizing...

I think a books like the "medeterranian diet" and "seven secrets of slim people" (which i just bought the other day) or similar are much more sensible. The former advocates mainly vegetables and whole grains, but allows minmal fats in the form of nuts and olive oil, which can be satisfing, in lieu of trans and saturated fats and minimal non-saturated fat type protien like chicken and fish. This recommendation is apparently based on scientific research and hundreds of years of proof in the lives of the meddeteranian people and what was naturally available to them in nature and the world around them. The latter seems to advocate what my slim friends already do -- eating sensibly, within reason and paying attention to your body's hunger signs, without them even having read that book. After reading the latter book, I don't think it is a reasonable way of life to have to stick to the unnatural hard and fast rules of any fad diet without exception. Instead, you can make more informed choices as to what you put into your body. To say that the only rule you will use in eating is whether the food is low calorie and high bulk to me is ridiculous. Your body needs good fat and also in this day and age, we can't reasonably dine out or eat socially, without eating "bad foods" once in a while. The latter book solves this problem and actually advocates that you can eat anything you want or crave, as long as you know how to eat sensibly. I think from now I will try to eat more sensible foods in accordaince with general guidelines, but without the rigid hard and fast rules of the fad diets.

I also believe the title of this book is slightly misleading. The diet is based on Dr. Shintani's theories and principles. The fact that Dr. Shintani lives in hawaii and developed the diet while in hawaii, makes some sense as to why the diet is called the hawaii diet. However, for another reader to suggest that all hawaiians follow this diet or that this diet was taken from ancient or present day hawaiian people's eating habits is not true. Possibly some of it is conincidentally true, but to my knowledge the ancient hawaiians did not go around carrying charts with them telling them which foods to eat because they specifically were trying to adhere to these scientific principles which they knew of.

Also, this diet has been around for quite a long time. In its' original form when first introduced, it was not called the "Hawaii Diet". Therefore, it leads me to believe that the scientific principles upon which this diet is based were developed first, and then the connection to the eating habits of the ancient hawaiians made later, and not vice versa (i.e., ancient hawaiian's eating habits are the basis or the genesis of the principles developed for this diet) as other reviewers would seem to indicate. For this reason I view the connection and link to the ancient hawaiians as more marketing of these princples more than anything else. Moroever, many of the advocated foods probably weren't things hawaiians had access to, like perhaps tomatoes or certain vegetable not indigenous to the islands or brought here by the hawaiian people. Although the diet includes a lot of exotic foods that probably existed in ancient hawaii, probably a great many of the recommended foods did not exist in ancient hawaii either. The fact that this book has menus which list meddeteranian and american mainstream shows this diet is not completely and "authentically" hawaiian only and really, i disagree with other reviewers that this diet is "authetically" hawaiian.

I am not trying to knock this diet in all cases but I am pointing out inconsistencies I see. The theories are sound but too rigid in my view.

Again, I personally believe it may be good for people with serious health problems who have a big enough incentive to want to jump through all the hoops and eat by these rigid rules. What I am saying is that for the average joe who doesn't have serious health problems but just wants to lower their weght or BMI for appearance reasons or long term health reasons, this type of diet is going to be a lot of hard work...

I guess since I do not believe I have any really major health issues right now, I am balancing results vs. effort with any diet I try and this diet (to me) does take a lot of effort if you are not naturally a vegan to begin with... It's too radical and drastic I believe. Perhaps if there were different levels of the diet it would be easier to incorporate and stick to but in my opinion (although I smoked only infrequently when I was younger) going from a regular diet to a diet like this is like trying to quit cold turkey.... To me there are absolutely no rewards for staying on this diet. Basically you have to change your lifestyle to foods that probably most people wouldn't enjoy eating very much all the time. The whole thing is that I believe most people will crave other types of foods not recommended in the diet and for that reason it will be very hard to stick to.

Moreover, although it may be true you don't count calories, now you have to carry a chart around to find the best food to eat as well as look all over town for just the right ingredients to use in the recipies. So what kind of tradeoff is that? Effort wise I'd say that although you don't have to count calories, now you have to do much more work making the foods you can eat taste good and using all these various recipies. It will be much more time consuming now than calorie counting would be. Again, if you have chronic health problems, maybe this will be still worth your time.

This diet seems to be marketed as a diet that "everyone" should follow for health reasons, which is why in part I called it a fad diet. It may in fact be a very healthy way of living. But in the age of fast food and ice cream and other goodies, how realistic is it to say that you cannot eat "any" of those foods at all?

In my opinion this diet should be marketed more as a diet for people with chronic health problems and not a diet that is good for everyone. I believe that the average person can stay healthy making the right choices "most of the time" as to what to eat instead of following really strict guidelines. In other words, the average healthy person can still afford to have dessert, candy or ice cream once in a while. To me this diet is like trying to pound a nail with a sledgehammer. It may be very very and extremely healthy -- but is it really necessary or very practical for the average person? In my opinion the answer is no, though again, that does not rule out it's usefulness in helping people who do have more serious health problems...

One last thing that concerns me with this diet though, is that even in this diet's purest form, how can one account for the fact that it has been scientfically shown that good fats such as fish oil and olive oil and nuts, which are calorie dense foods, have been actually shown in studies to increase health? Of course if one eats even good fats in excess it will not be healthy. However, it seems if one replaces normal and adequate levels of saturated fats with good type of fats instead, this may be better than eliminating all calorie dense fats completely. This is the only other small item where I disagree with the pure theory of the book.

If you are one of those total health nuts that buys everything you eat from the health food store, then maybe this book is for you and you will probably find it an easy transition. If you are more like the average person who eats take out food, fast food, pre-packaged and canned foods a lot, then I believe making the transition to this diet is going to be a rough and difficult change which is why I do not personally feel it has long-term staying power for the average person. If you have chronic health problems you may find the diet useful for your health though.

We live in an age of convenience where a lot of foods are processed and prepackaged. Perhaps many of these foods are not as healthy as they could be, but on the other hand, they are not necessarily always life threatening either. It seems the only way to stick to this diet strictly, would be to exclusively cook the foods allowed using the recipies given. How realistic is that for the average american? No eating at restaurants or buying pre-packaged foods. Basically cook everything at home and take it with you everywhere you go. I don't know about you but I am too busy to be spending all my time cooking.

To me, it is just common sense that the harder a diet is to stick to or the more effort it takes (as opposed to your normal eating habits), the less incentive you have to continue it.. It's great to have all these wonderful recipies, and they may be very very healthy, but in the practical sense, unless you are one of the fortunate few who has your own private chef, I don't think that expecting people to cook in this way for life is very realistic in this modern age of convenience, especially if many of the ingredients cannot be obtained readily at the market but need to be found at the health store or exotic foods store.

Of course again, living this way is probably a LOT more healthy than not, but the tradeoff for additional heath vs. emotional satisfaction from tasty foods and convenience, may not be worth it for the average person. I believe if you are relatively healthy you can still strike more of a balance between health, enjoyment of your food, and also, convenience in preparing your food, than this diet has to offer...


Then again, if you are chronically overweight, have serious health problems like high cholestorol, and have tried every other diet to help your health to no avail, then maybe this diet could work for you too....

I do not doubt the claims of this diet as to increased health and a lot of weight loss for many people. However, it seems the examples cited of people with most weight loss are people who are extremely overweight or who have more severe health problems. Therefore, rather than calling this a diet "everyone" should follow, I just feel it may not be applicable or may be too inconvenient and too extreme a change for the reasonably healthy person who just needs to loose a few pounds or eat healthier. I believe if your health is not too far deteriorated or if you are not excessively overweight, there are other diets and ways of eating that may suit your goals to a healthier lifestyle and weight loss, better than this method.

I totally disagree with the amazon[.com] reviewer's assessment of this book. This book has literally saved my husband's life. He is a diabetic and the vicious cycle of insulin causing increased hunger and weight gain, causing a need for more insulin, was killing him. His doctor's answer to treating his out-of-control diabetes was to increase his insulin dosage to a point where he was up to 270 units a day. He followed Dr. Shintani's diet and through the good fortune of living in Hawaii, has been able to consult with Dr. Shintani in person. He has lost 85 pounds in 8 months and stopped the insulin shots after only 5 months. Dr. Shintani is truly our guardian angel. We recommend his program to everyone suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. The program is totally backed by science and my husband is living proof that it works.

Terry Shintani has written a fine book on how to eat healthy foods, stay slim, eat as much as you want and really enjoy your food. He has a "Mass Index of Foods" to show you exactly why some foods (cheese, nuts, red meat, etc) are fattening and full of calories, while others (whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits) are low in calories and you can eat all you want. He practices what he preaches and is very sincere. There are very few good diet authors and it is refreshing to read a valuable book like this.

Excellent explanation of Vegetariansim and the recipes and ideas were
very good .I would heartilly recommend.Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner's Guide

Silly though it may sound, it's actually harder to become a vegetarian than you might think. Eliminating an entire food group from my diet left me scrounging for things to eat, and as I munched on carrots I was wondering if maybe I had made too hasty a decision to give up meat altogether. That's where this book has been the biggest use, providing me with tips and tricks to help me stay the course, and introducing me to new foods I might not have thought of trying.

Chapters Two and Three alone have made the book worth my purchase. Chapter Two, "Vegetarianism 101," outlines some basic vegetarian nutritional information, presenting alternative sources of iron, protein and dairy products. The chapter includes tables that break down the nutritional information of various foods, providing a quick reference when you want to look up alternative sources of iron or see how many grams of protein are in certain foods. The chapter also explains some of the more "vegetarian" foods, like tofu, that seem a little intimidating at first, and lists a few you may not have heard of (like seitan and tempeh).

Chapter Three, "Ready, Set, Eat!" provides tips on stocking a vegetarian pantry, including a list of staples that I found particularly helpful when shopping. The biggest portion of this chapter is devoted to recipes, which are broken down into two weeks worth of planned menus complete with shopping lists. I haven't tried them all yet (I've had the book less than a week), but the ones I have are fantastic. The Pan Bagna recipe even had my carnivorous husband begging for seconds.

The rest of the book focuses on related topics like the health benefits of going veg, how to be more environmentally-conscious, and a look inside the lives of livestock. Really, I just skimmed over this information, since I had already made up my mind to go veggie before I bought the book. However, if you're still trying to decide whether the lifestyle is for you, the information may help you with making the decision.

I'm finding this book a valuable tool for my foray into vegetarianism, and I will certainly be using it as a reference (and a cookbook!) for a long time to come.

I don't know what I was expecting when I got and began reading this book, but it's not quite what I expected--if that makes any sense. This book really skims the surface of vegetarianism, and I was looking for something more. It's a good reference source, and the recipes are simple on paper. I'll probably be able to better appreciate this book after I've had a chance to read others.

The authors made quite a lot of effort to say that they aren't being preachy, but this book definitely has an agenda, which put me off a bit. I wanted a book that described how to switch to a healthy, plant-based diet, including organic milk products and free-range eggs. But the book is geared more toward promoting a way of life - past vegetarianism, and into veganism, animal activism, recycling, exercise strategies, etc.

The book never says you have to do any of those things, but they are constantly thrown in, even with whole chapters devoted to what I would consider off-topic subjects. (For example, out of only 6 chapters, 1 is devoted to being "Compassionate, Clean, and Green.") Although I agree with many of the authors' ideas, I did not want them forced down my throat when I was simply trying to learn how to replace meat in my diet.

If you are interested in a lifestyle book that promotes the common beliefs of many vegetarians in addition to describing basic nutrition and providing vegan-friendly dishes, this book is for you. If, like me, you want a crash course in how to use and eat a variety of new grains and vegetables along with dairy and eggs, you might want to keep looking.

Update: I found "The New Becoming Vegetarian" by Vesanto Melina and would strongly recommend that book as a better purchase. "Being Vegetarian for Dummies" is a close second.

"Although high heat can kill microbes, at least 9,000 people in the United States get sick every year from contaminated meat and poultry. Of those 9,000 approximately 500 die and another 6,500 of the survivors never fully regain their health." ~ pg. 9

Whether you want to be a vegetarian or are just looking for ways to include more veggies in your diet, this book explains how you can make more healthy choices. Designed for new vegetarians, the authors dispel popular myths and misconceptions. They show how eating more vegetables can reduce heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

"...the protein found in vegetables has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels..." ~ pg. 119

If you are worried that you won't get enough protein from a vegetarian diet then you will love the foods suggested in this book. You may not think of foods like avocado and lentils as having protein. Oatmeal, tofu and beans also help to give your body the protein it needs. There is also information on why a high protein diet leaches calcium from your bones.

For the most part this book presents a fair and balanced approach to food studies as they provide both sides of the issue. The section on the poor treatment of animals is quite short, although convincing. You might be shocked to learn that over sixty-four drugs are administered to dairy cows. When you think about it, soymilk sounds like a good idea.

One of the sections in the book focuses on restocking a pantry. From my own experience in the last few weeks it is best if you just buy what you need for the recipes you are trying. Soon you will have a stocked pantry with all the right ingredients.

Since I've been trying a variety of soy products I noticed that the cheese is less salty and the soy yogurts are less sweet. This is great because so much food you buy at the grocery store is overly salted and sickeningly sweet.

While the recipes in this book are not comprehensive there are quite a few interesting selections. You may enjoy a quick minestrone, glazed root vegetables, an apple salad or even a cassoulet. There are plenty of cooking tips and a note about the importance of reading labels.

One of the things you will probably decide while reading this book is whether or not you will be a true Vegan or an Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian. This is important to decide because on the one hand you avoid all dairy and eggs and on the other you are free to eat them in moderation.

If you are looking for recipe books or books on a vegetarian lifestyle I can recommend the following:

Skinny Bitch- a very convincing read!
Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)- the best vegetarian recipes I've found so far

Weight Watchers Versatile Vegetarian

Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day

Real Food Daily Cookbook: Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian

Enchanted Broccoli Forest

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. The Quick Minestrone is an excellent recipe. My husband had
a bowl too and thought it was quite good. It only took 20
minutes to make and it freezes well.

Well written and informative but lacks substance. Book does give you good data but leaves you wanting more. I guess I always expect more from Doreen and this book just left me wanting more information. But it is a good start.

I love the work of Doreen Virtue so I was grateful to read this short but informative book.

Bought the book with trepidation, because my experience with most veggie authors has been preachy. This was refreshing in that it allows folks to be where they are . . and make gradual choices. Even one story where relationship and connecting at a friends meal was more important than being a purist vegetarian. Refreshing, well written and a great primer for those wanting to know how to eat correctly making the switch.

This is a short little book I bought because I was contemplating becoming a vegetarian for spiritual reasons. Eating In The Light spells out the different kinds of vegetarians and gives some general recommendations regarding nutrition and making the transition to vegetarianism all from a spiritual standpoint. If you already know about vegetarianism this may be too basic for you, but for the individual just beginning to contemplate the path, I think it's very helpful.

I found this book pretty helpful. I especially liked the fact that they're not pushing strict anti-carnivourism as the only way. I also liked the fact that it is a smaller pocket size. I can take it when I go shopping and refer to it.

Obviously the copyright has expired on this book, so Cohen felt free to rip off Ellen White. Don't bother with this book, it's a total piece of garbage.

Since a switch toward vegetarianism is not only an important individual choice today, but also a spiritual imperative and a societal imperative, necessary to revitalize our religions and move our imperiled planet to a more sustainable path, I hope that God's Nutritionist is widely read and widely heeded. The 500 statements on proper nutrition from Ellen White's prolific writings provide advice that is badly needed today at a time when there is an epidemic of chronic degenerative diseases, and Cohen reinforces the correctness of her statements by interspersing over one hundred quotations and references from scientific journals that illustrate how a shift to plant-centered diets can greatly reduce disease. Hence, this book has the potential to produce healthier people and a more humane and environmentally sustainable world

I am so excited to finally see a book that backs up my beliefs and shows the Bible advocates not killing & eating animals. I hope everyone reads this book and sees the dangers of eating animals and drinking their milk.
Thank you!

Firstly, I am not, nor have I ever been, a member of the SDA church. I do not stand in judgement either, that is not my place. My comments are strictly about this one publication.

Having no idea what to anticipate with this book, I was prepared to read it with an open mind. I have taken pains to avoid much of the junk "food" found in our supermarkets, and continue to seek out quality reference materials regarding diet and nutrition. I did not expect a book that was so blatantly against meat in any form yet offered no substantive information regards vegetarian dishes or menus. "Fruits, nuts, and vegetables, wisely-prepared" are frequent terms, but what is "wisely prepared"? A large measure of the book is also highly critical of eating flesh, as the conditions of its nurture and general health are unknown. We recently have had contaminated canteloupe, spinach, and other fruits and vegetables. What then are we to eat that is safe for consumption? Being a vegetarian does not guarantee good health. Many nutritionists tell us that essential proteins that we cannot make for ourselves are available only from animal sources. Mrs White does not appear to mention it, but one of Mr Cohen's inserted references specifically includes the value of fish in one's diet. Does "flesh" include fish or just red meat?

Temperance is also stressed, and this point can hardly be argued against when looking at it from a medical perspective. Nor can overeating, or gluttony, depending upon your choice of vocabulary. Abuse in both of these areas will cause health and medical problems; that is well documented.
As to the 500 "Pearls of Wisdom" contained in God's Nutritionist, if one were to delete all of the repetitious pearls, the book could easily be reduced by anywhere from one half to two thirds without any loss of content.
Mr Cohen has selected short quotes from scientific journals to validate some of these pearls, and these are well chosen. Having worked in the medical field for over 40 years, it would be just as easy for me to find solid references that repudiate many of the pearls and quotes here assembled. This does not, however, destroy the validity of the dietary wisdom gleaned from Mrs White's writings. There is a lot of common sense if one seeks it out, and wisdom, too, if you could but find a way of putting it to practical use. In a world where genetically engineered and irradiated foods are flooding the supermarts, "plain" and "wholesome" foods are almost a relic of the past.
This book is very well written, and does contain some solid dietary information. I simply feel that the strong bias against eating flesh, and the incessant repetitions of content are serious detractions. I would also have preferred some practical information rather than simply a philosophical statement. Will it be discarded? Probably not - but it won't be pulled off the shelf very often either.

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I was a little leary of it, because I am an agnostic, and I don't take kindly to people who tell me what God thinks. How do THEY know?
But I loved this book! It is not at all preachy. Instead, it is full of common sense, wisdom and reason. It has a large number of quotes from Ellen G. White, who was writing in the 1800's, interspersed with quotes from modern peer-reviewed medical journals. It is amazing how right-on Ellen G. White is. You would think she was writing of our current sorry state of dietary affairs in many of these quotes. Obesity, heart disease, cancers and many other lifestyle related diseases, the animal suffering caused by mass production of livestock, the health benefits of olive oil, I could go on and on...she was so prescient! She was an amazing woman. And Robert Cohen truly deserves thanks for bringing the writings of this wise woman to our attention. I hope people will take notice.

1. Nearly ever major religion has had some sects that practiced vegetarianism in some form. If you want a lot of details about that, this book has them. Some of the coverage of early vegetarianism, particularly ancient Egyptian vegetarianism, seems excessively speculative.

2. The vegetarian food of 1700-1800s Britain sounds awfully bad and seems to consist almost solely of starches and sugary dishes.

3. The world, or at least the US and Britain, appears to have been having the same arguments about vegetarianism for about 250 years.

4. Post 1700, the book centers on Britain.

I would have preferred more culinary history (for example on the origins of seitan and tofu) and fewer statements of the author's opinions (such as that, for example, a certain writer argues well), but the book is a useful reference of famous vegetarians and vegetarian sympathizers over the last 2500 years. Also, the sections that briefly discuss animal trials and pre-industrial slaughter methods are fascinating.

Colin Spencer does an excellent job of covering the last couple million years of vegetarianism. This book is not an easy read, especially in the sections about the diet of early man, and the analysis of some of the early Christian sects. You'll learn why mainstream society traditionally looks at vegetarians as "cranks" Puritanical, or just plain heretical. This is slowly beginning to change, but I think that in some areas of the world, (esp. where I live) vegetarians are still those weird outsiders who are thumbing their nose at the hallowed institution of eating meat. You'll also learn that early vegetarians weren't vegetarians for animal welfare reasons. For the Greeks like Plutarch or Pythagoras it was all about reincarnation (metempsychosis or transmigration of souls) For the early Christian sects eating meat was a symbol of man's Fall from grace. Some early Christian hermits also abstained from meat & alcohol because they thought consuming these didn't jive with the ascetic lifestyle; you had to deprive yourself of luxuries to become spiritually closer with your God.

My only quibble is that Spencer could've covered the last 100 years in more depth. The last 50 pages is surprisingly lacking in the same kind of detail that Spencer devoted to, (for instance) the Early Christian era. Maybe the last 100 years has been covered better in other books? I don't know, since this is the first book of its type that I've read.

OK, actually I have one other quibble.....In the last 20 pages, Spencer goes off on a rant about corporate farming, the effects of livestock farming on the environment, the dangers of eating meat (salmonella, heart disease, cancer). I thought this was a "history" of vegetarianism??? I mean, I agree with all the things he says about the above topics. I'm an ardent vegetarian myself, but I wish he had devoted more space to the last 100 years of vegetarianism, instead of the polemic.

Another thing to consider is tha Spencer goes go more in detail about vegetarianism in Europe and the UK. If you want a lengthier discussion on vegetarianism in the U.S try somewhere else. This is still an excellent book for a history of vegetarianism. I hope that other authors will take up this topic.

Well written and comprehensive book on the origins of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dietary habits. It is perfect for those vegetarians who want to understand the historical roots of the movement. Also recommended for anyone 'on the fence' about becoming a vegetarian or consuming less animal products. Here you will find concrete facts on the history, health benefits, and compassionate considerations of vegetarianism. You will be inspired by the stories of history's greatest minds choosing to abstain from meat for either health or humane reasons. Vegetarians can count Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Shelley, and Gandhi among their historical supporters. This book will motivate readers to consume more healthy non-animal foods and recognize the compassion behind vegetarian choices.
But, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this book. There is a wealth of information on how history, religion, and social development are related to food.

"A reader" says that humans should have priority. I agree with that. That is why I'm vegetarian. By doing so, I make more food available to others, and decrease my chances of degenerate disease in the process.

I thought the book sometime spent too much time on some subjects, and too little on others. But still, overall, a good book.

Lots of people have tried to make an issue about Hitler's claimed vegetarianism. Of course whether he was or wasn't has no bearing on his actions. But since so many people make an issue of it, Spencer had to cover Hitler. What Spencer says about Hitler isn't the same as what I had heard from other sources. Most other sources I thought said Hitler enjoyed meat, but gave up most meat due to digestion problems. Spencer says that Hitler was vegetarian just to be different then everybody else. Which is true, I don't know, but I would assume that Spencer knows what he is talking about.

Som people want to excuse their meat eating on the base of Bible, but theirs attempts are futile,just because quoted often Letters of Paul are simply false ones,introduced to the Bible by clergymen who had been in opposition to true teaching of Jesus. Specially letters to Timothy I,and Timothy II are recognized by modern biblists as forgeries. I didn't know that not harm any creature is...."demonic teaching" It is rather false teaching of the "false apostles" -can be clled

DEMONIC TEACHING.

Enlightening, beneficial,expert advise on raising a vegan/vegetarian baby/child. It is full of useful information to parents raising vegan children. It has menus on what to feed the children, serving amounts, amongst much much more information on the vegan lifestyle. I highly recommend this book.

Very good book on raising a veggie baby. It gave alot of great statistics and facts that helped me feel reassured that raising my son veggie was the right thing. Great ideas on feeding too. Would be a great book for anyone who is worried that being vegetarian might be unhealthy or to give to others who feel you are doing the wrong thing. :)

This comprehensive books guides parents who are raising vegetarian children. Especially helpful is the advice for vegans who must be especially conscientious in making sure their children can all the necessary nutrients and calories. This was an invaluable source when writing my cookbook, Simply Natural Baby Food, as I wanted to concentrate on vegetarian and vegan recipes.

Once you get past the beginning part of the book that is pretty much tables and charts of nutrients, this book gets quite interesting and actually readable. This is a terrific resource for parents in need of support when choosing a vegetarian or vegan diet for their child.

As a vegetarian mom I worry about doing everything right for my little 5 month old. It's nice to read so many pros and get some good info on what to look out for.

...this cookbook to be a bit larger in size and full of color photos. It was more like a hardback novel. That is what disappointed me. The recipes are great though, and I've already started using recipes from the book!

This cookbook has many very tasty recipes and it also has information about the things that you need to eat in order to be healthy, depending on age and health. I am very pleased with it. The only thing that I wish that it had are more pictures of the finished products.

This cookbook is pretty weak in terms of flavor...I noted that I was constantly substituting and adding ingredients to try and jazz up bland recipes. The recipes definitely lack oomph...if you are looking for an easy to follow cookbook and you don't mind sacrificing flavor for time saving, then tis is the cookbook for you. If you are a more experienced cook or you expect delicious results, I would not get this one.

We have tried several recipes. None have surpassed our expectations, some have not met them. The recipes often require unusual ingredients. Some examples pulled at random: liquid aminos, smoked dulse flakes, liquid smoke, zucchini blossoms, pomegranate vinegar, and barbecue flavored baked tofu. This makes it difficult to open the book and throw something together. I would recommend the Moosewood Cook's at Home cookbook or even Laurel's kitchen first, especially to beginners.

Hey all--this book goes into fantastic detail on a ton of vegetarian recipes, but it definitely reads a bit blandly. If you're looking for a vegetarian cookbook with more personality, I'd point you toward the Moosewood cookbooks first. An even better alternative would be a little-known irreverent offering called Cooking com Bigode, available online at somethingconstructive.net/jamanta. Check that one out. You won't be disappointed.

First off, I will echo the sentiment of another reviewer by stating that some of the author's arguments are rather weak, particularly his argument against organic/free range meat. To give you an idea, he says that because there aren't enough resources to produce enough organic/free range meat for everyone to maintain their current levels of meat consumption, we shouldn't do it at all. He doesn't even bother, for example, to mention the possibility that we might simply reduce our levels of meat consumption, or that those who do restrict their meat diet to organic/free range meat consume lower levels of meat than the average Westerner.

On the whole, I was disappointed by the lack of concrete reasoning and the lack of exploration of arguments for and against vegetarianism, but I suppose I should have expected as much from a book with the word "deep" in the title. Since the author does make some valid points, even though most of his points can be found by running a Google search or reading a PETA brochure, I'll give the book a 3-star rating.

This is a terrific book, which examines the philosopohical arguments for and against vegetarianism.

Most vegans and vegetarians find themselves in conversations with omnivores about the merits of vegetarianism, whether they go looking for this discourse or not.

I recommend that vegetarians check this book out, especially if you have friends or family members who think that vegetarianism is a seriously crazy way to live. This book provides a thoughtful analysis of the whole range of arguments made -- from the ancient human diet concept through feminism, replaceable animals, and on and on. Never again will you find yourself standing there speechless as an acquaintance at a party or a cousin at Sunday dinner comes up with an argument you haven't heard before.

This book is well-written, informative, and thought-provoking.

How would society change if instead of a meat-centered dependency, the world switched to universal vegetarianism? In Deep Vegetarianism, Michael Allen Fox explores the positive benefits if humankind were to become an herbivorous species. Moving to a vegetarian society would help diminish world hunger with better management and use of agricultural land, and would also bring awareness to the unjustifiable way in which the majority of food animals are treated, mainly in factory farm practices. He addresses many arguments for vegetarianism, brings to light opinions against [vegetarianism], as well as relates the vegetarian movement with other political movements and struggles throughout history.
From a vegetarian standpoint this book helps to solidify some aspects that may have previously been murky in making the decision to give up meat. It also introduces many issues that one might not have previously considered before becoming a vegetarian. Deep Vegetarianism may encourage a vegetarian to take their diet a step further to becoming a stricter vegetarian, perhaps by moving to the vegan-type diet (no meat, dairy products, or eggs). Solid arguments for justifying vegetarianism that he explores in depth include: health, animal suffering and death, impartiality or disinterested moral concern, environmental concerns, manipulation of nature, world hunger, interspecies kinship and compassion and universal nonviolence.
When identifying arguments commonly used against vegetarianism Fox includes a list from R.G. Frey's book, Rights, Killing, and Suffering: Moral Vegetarianism and Applied Ethics, that lists significant effects such a shift would have on the world. This list includes: "...collapse of the animal food, leather, and pet food industries; social disruption; and the loss of haute cuisine." He [Fox] takes all of these issues into consideration and comes to the conclusion that, "People would still have to eat, and the opportunities for food production, distribution, processing, packaging, shipping, and sales, as well as commodity trading and new secondary industries, would certainly not evaporate." (p.144)
If one reading this book is a meat-eater he [Fox] strongly encourages the change in dietary habits through becoming a vegetarian or into at least putting more thought into where the food being consumed comes from. He does not directly say that if you eat meat you are a bad person, but rather through informative facts and positive reinforcement about the vegetarian lifestyle, he tries to discourage meat eating as the center of the American as well as world diet. His ultimate idea is for the entire world to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle, but is aware that this could not happen overnight. One issue opposing vegetarianism is, "What would happen to the many millions of animals that had been waiting to be killed and eaten" after universal vegetarianism was accepted by society? He addresses this issue by reiterating the fact that adoption of this idea [universal vegetarianism] would be a gradual process. "...meat-eating would gradually decline as vegetarianism gained adherents, with the net effect that as demand for meat declined, so too would the supply." (p. 146) Fox also explores that there are some cultures in the world that cannot survive without the use of animals. He explains that the Inuit of northern Canada, and Russia's Arctic nomads, the Nenets, are two examples of these cultures. He [Fox] quotes a leader of the Nenets on his beliefs and passion towards the main staple of life in their culture, the reindeer. " `for us in the tundra, the reindeer are life itself. There is nothing we can do without reindeer. It's our food, our clothing, our transportation and every other necessity. You can't survive without reindeer. A person without reindeer is a nobody' " (p. 160) His response to the unavoidable dependence of animal use in indigenous cultures as these is, "Cases such as this, where the very survival of a culture is at stake, require that an exception be made. This may be justified by the principle that while humans may have no greater right to live than members of any other species, they also have no lesser right to live."(p.160)
Throughout Deep Vegetarianism, Fox strongly reiterates the positive effects that a universal change to vegetarianism would have on the entire world. His voice is that of a strong, passionate, and convincing man who will continue to urge people to change their dependence on animals and encourage them towards a vegetarianism lifestyle. He not only concludes that it [universal vegetarianism] would bring humankind closer to the environment, but that it also would significantly cut down on the rapid destruction of the natural world, which increases as the dependence of meat in human society increases. The end of a meat-centered society would not be the end of flourishing human existence as many anti-vegetarians conclude. "...vegetarianism, rather than being confining, is liberating as it frees us from the exploitation of animals, the domination of nature, and the oppression of one another, and frees us to discover ourselves in more positive, life-affirming ways." (p.183) Sometimes his writing style has a `preachy' feel because of his adamant opinion that the only right diet for a flourishing world future is one based on vegetarianism ideals, and this may cause some readers to feel very defensive.
For anyone looking to help solidify unclear positions of their vegetarianism, or to explore new ideas to strengthen their stance of a non-meat based diet, I adamantly recommend this book. For people who have not looked into the positive effects of a vegetarian lifestyle, both individually and universal, I recommend this book to be read with an open mind and eager knowledge, keeping in mind that after its completion you may very well be on your way to vegetarianism. "In order to make the transition to sustainable societies and sensible lifestyles, we need not embrace extreme altruism and self-denial, just good sense and a sense of proportion." (p.177)

Fox's book is a brilliant synthesis of the compelling philosophical, environmental, health, moral, political, cultural, and spiritual reasons for vegetarianism. The real strength of this broad-based "reader" is its ability to bring these diverse arguments together as a coherent whole, while presenting counter-arguments with a fair and balanced hand. "Deep Vegetarianism" is written in an accessible, non-dogmatic style that is sure to be enjoyed by anyone with a passing interest in the subject. Highly recommended!

Michael Allen Fox has written a calm, reasoned assessment of the arguments for and against vegetarianism. A great merit of the book is that it explores philosophical arguments in a way that makes them accessible to the general public. Fox doesn't preach to his readers, nor does he expect us all to become saints overnight. Rather, he asks us to consider the far-reaching effects of our dietary choices, and to choose wisely. This is a first-rate book!