Vegetarianism Books

This book is a short but sweet introduction into becoming a vegan. It gives valuable information on the moral and health reasons for changing your lifestyle to the vegan lifestyle. The author gives good advice on how to explain to your relatives and friends your decision to change your lifestyle to veganism. It explores different types of vegetarian lifestyles as well as exploring the vegan lifestyle. A valuable "Where to go for help" section is included in the back of the book. This includes places to find food and clothing for the vegan. A few recipes are included in the book also. This book can be read in a short time and is easily understood.

The book makes short shrift of the old characterization of Hitler as a vegetarian. I first had doubts about this point after watching Triumph of the Will. In that film, Hitler and all of his minions were pudgy and sweaty, tell-tale signs of carnivorousness dining habits. Meat eaters generally appear unhealthy and their midsections look as though someone stuffed a dodge ball down their shirts. The author draws from multiple sources to prove that Hitler had vegetarian phases in which he gave up meat in order to gain a little relief from flatulence and profuse sweating before proving that he had no convictions beyond this. In addition to favoring liver dumplings and squab, he was partial to stamping out vegetarian organizations in occupied countries of Europe.

I dinged the author a star on his slight tangent on whether Christ was a vegetarian or not. Vegetarians sometimes go to extremes in defending a healthy and humane diet. This includes torturous turns of reasoning to make Christ into a vegetarian even though he himself gave fish to the hungry. (American fundies do the same thing when trying to reconcile Christ's creation of wine from water as well as his use of wine at the Last Supper.) Being the Son of God, he could have summoned delicious tempeh dishes, but he didn't. It's unlikely that there were many Semites of classical antiquity who would have practiced vegetarianism. Even John the Baptist ate locusts for protein despite his extreme asceticism.

I used this diet for 3 months and was able to take off the weight but beings that I am also a meat eater, I was tired of eating vegetables. Plus I have a hard time sticking to anything that requires a long term commitment (except for school and my husband of course. wink, wink)

So, if you love vegetables and are very committed to losing weight, this book is for you.

Actually I have the book right beside me, I'm ready to give it another try.

After reading this book, I decided that it was my final choice to become a vegetarian. This offered lots of helpful information and tips for meals and such. I suggest this book.

Rocky Road Trip follows Courtney Von Dragen Smith to college, where she has plenty of (mis)adventures. Courtney's freshman year is filled with mini-traumas related to classes, friends, boys, and food. (She falls on and off the vegan wagon on a fairly regular basis.) She describes these and other melodramas in her diary, making for a quick, humorous read.

This laugh-out-loud book is just as good if not better than the first book, Banana Splitsville (also known as Truth or Dairy). Courtney is a character, that's for sure! Rocky Road Trip was previously released under the title Wurst Case Scenario. If you like Banana Splitsville and Rocky Road Trip, definitely read Catherine Clark's other comedies, like Better Latte Than Never and Wish You Were Here.

I've made several of the recipes in this book and have found them to be wonderful! Some are bit long in preparation for everyday, but as the title suggests, these are impressive meals! The Black Bean Lasagna is a hit every time, and not really hard to make at all!

A commonly held stereotype of a vegetarian is that of a tree-hugging hippie wearing a tie dyed shirt and Birkenstocks while eating granola. As is true with most sweeping generalizations, this picture far is from the truth for most vegetarians. Our community is as diverse as any other and represents many faiths, nationalities, political beliefs, and philosophies. This diversity is clearly reflected in Voices From the Garden.

Voices is a collection of essays from famous, not-so-famous, and never-heard-of vegetarians describing their transitions to plant-based diets. Every kind of vegetarian is represented in this book. Some of the contributors have been at it for sixty years; some are still in the infancy of their explorations. They represent the ecological, religious, and ethical philosophies for choosing a plant-based diet. It is difficult not to find an example of oneself in this book, and it is easy to feel a sense of community while reading the essays.

This isn't a riveting book, but it is, at times, moving, funny, serious, and informative. Voices is an easy read that leaves you with a better sense of the diverse vegetarian community and a feeling of camaraderie within it.
--Reviewed by Lucy Watkins

This ambitious book has plenty of glossy pictures and is filled with details about ingredients and their origins. The authors present a variety of recipes. No matter what your taste - you will likely find something that will catch your eye. The recipes are relatively do-able, not so exotic that they're seem impossible to make in real life.

The downside is that it will never serve as a comprehensive collection of your favorite ethnic recipes. Theres just too much to cover. Its a good solid starting point, albeit slightly pricey, for everything from mashed potatoes to satay sauce.

EVERYONE HERE DON'T THINK OF BUYING THAT CRAP IT'S JUST A WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME ,PEOPLE WHO GO ON THIS DIET SUFFER FOR LIFE TIME ,I TRIED IT AND I WAS SUFFERING FROM A DISORDER WITH MY EATING HABITS AND I HAVE VISITED LOTS OF DOCTORS TO CURE MY ILLNESS I BECAME SELF OBSESSED AND AND NEVER KNEW ITS RIGHT FOR ME TO EAT OR NOT ....PLEASE DONT TRY THIS BOOK AT ALL RISKS ITS NOT GOOD FOR ANYONE OF ANY AGE ,JUST BE ON A STABLE DIET AND WELL BALANCED MEALS AND U WILL LOSE WEIGHT ,OR TRY SOMETHING LIKE LOW-FAT DIET OR A PROTEIN DIET EVEN WOULD DO.

The author's dietary plan begins with going several days eating nothing but fruit. Apparently, the idea is to lose weight by inducing a severe case of diarrhea. Another brilliant idea of hers is to avoid exercise; wouldn't want to put a few pounds of muscle on that ghastly figure. The author looks like a victim of her own bad ideas. Judy Mazel is obviously an idiot, but shame on the irresponsible publisher who dumped this garbage on a gullible public. There are a lot of very bad diet books around. This one may be the worst.

I can't believe I actually found a diet plan that works for me. I have just recently given birth to my sixth child and this book was a God send for me. Not only did I lose all pregnancy weight, but I lost the 20 pounds I've always wanted to shed. The first three days are a bit difficult if you're not use to eating fruit. If you can make it to the fourth day; your in and you can kiss those pounds away. Maintaining the weight loss is also easy to do once you understand Judy Mazel's theory of combining foods. This book is not about what NOT to eat but WHEN to eat certain types of food and what you eat to counteract over indulging. Dieting has never been more fun!!

After eliminating my coffee habit with the help of a wonderful coffee substitute made from soya beans called "Soyffee", I'm feeling so much better. My doctor recommended it to help lower my cholesterol and promote strong bones. It's available online at www.S o y c o f f e e.com to find it.

First, let me get all of MY negative thoughts on the diet out of the way: it's expensive... dried apricots withOUT sulfur dioxide is pricey, and unless you live in a tropical area, the amazing enzyme-packed fruits you need to consume can slim down your wallet too. Next, it sort of gives you permission to indulge, and to me, that mindset can be dangerous, but maybe that's just a result of having strict parents & living in a puritanical society... I usually felt very guilty during the diet! :) Now to address the naysayers, you did truly not read the overall intent of Ms. Mazel. You probably have a difficult time with seeing the big picture in a lot of instances, don't you? Judy's concepts make ALOT of sense. She's practical, truthful, and it's a pity she caved and gave in to producing that Part II 'updated' version of the diet to make some people happy. She doesn't promote exercise, but she doesn't need to~ she's blessed in that department apparently. Maybe YOU do... I know *I* do... OK, so you get a little bit of the runs after the first week? if it comes to that? why not! your body is ridding itself of toxins my dear... the cleansing step is working. Your skin especially will thank you.

Also I love the fact that the Beverly Hills Diet promotes carbs, and there's NOT a lack of protein... the concept is called conscious combining Carbohydrates fuel your body! No substitutes, and like she says, you've got to approach it logically~ a Krispy Kreme donut is obviously a carb, and certainly you can have it when it's time, but where are the nutritional values? the concept of conscious combining is exactly what the body needs. Frankly, I'm just waiting for the Atkins ball to drop. There's going to be mass liver & kidney failure the likes of which we've never seen before all over the place, and soon. How can your body process so much protein~ all the time?! oh weeee'll seeeee... if Judy's smart she will capitalize on this sad yet brilliant opportunity to push BHD again!

This book (and Judy's system) have gotten a lot of slams, for what I think is no good reason. Most people who slam it don't seem to really understand the theory she is proposing. It doesn't make you protein-deficient. And the all-fruit days are only at the beginning. (We have way too much protein in our diets anyway, thanks to the meat and dairy associations.) She is frequently misquoted and maligned because she is not a scientist. I have used this diet and, when it is followed, it works miracles. It isn't for eveyone, especially people with sensitive stomaches. But if you can tolerate high-acid fruits, like pineapple, it is a godsend! (And pineapple is very good for you, by the way, dieting or not.) Of course there are days when you're not crazy about what you're eating! It's a diet, guys! But the fact that you can usually eat however much you want to is a great savior, I think. Also, the way you lose a lot of weight at the beginning is a great motivator. It's basically really healthy. Of course, it's hard to keep up the system after you've lost the weight--this is a challenge with any diet. This one really works if you follow the guidelines.

Gave to my granddaughter for birthday -- says she likes it

I have always wanted to be a vegetarian, and now, after the summer I turned 30, I have started this wonderful voyage! I just wish I had had the conviction as a young teen to do this (like Pierson's daughter), and had a mom like Stephanie Pierson to back me up.

I love all of the suggestions and recommendations Pierson gives in this book, which was the springboard (literally) for my baby steps into a meat-free lifestyle. I am much happier and I feel better than I have in years, plus I really feel like I am making the world a better place, one plate at a time! Bravo, Stephanie!

I recently decided to become vegetarian, so I got this book to read. I was very disapointed. I think this book provides good information about nutrional and meals, yet is written in a boring, scientific way. This book may appeal more to parents of vegetarians and vegans and adult vegetarians, than to teenagers. This book contains a lot of recipies, and some of them sound good, but most of them are far more complex than a teenager would be willing to cook. I would reccomend this book to parents of teenage vegetarians, but there are better books written for the teens themself. This book also has so many negative quotes including a whole page of someone making fun of vegetarian food and rambling about how they hate tofu. I don't think these are nessecary in a book for vegetarians, there is enough of that without reading about it. However, if you seriously want to research about being a vegetarian this book won't hurt, it is just a dissapointment.

I read this book and contrary to some others, found it extremely helpful! I'm fifteen and I have been a vegetarian for over a year (a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which I found out through this book). I sat and read this book straight through because although some parts are a little boring I'd say 95% of the book is actually fun to read, which isn't common in this type of book. It's filled with little quotes and anecdotes (sp?) that are really interesting. The only bad part about this book was not all of the 60 recipes were really that great (which is the only reason I didnt give it 5 stars), but there were still some that were. If you're looking for specific recipes, I wouldn't turn to this book, but I found other information very helpful. For example, I'm very athletic and I found that I wasn't getting all the correct nutrients and such that I needed, therefore, I was very tired all the time. This book showed me easily what I was lacking in my diet and through what foods I could get it from. Also, it mentions (not in the recipe section)some really great snacks that I found really useful for when I didn't feel like prepairing something big and was short on time. Overall, I found this book very helpful and I think its a good book to have for both teens (and preteens) and also parents.

I first read this book when I fifteen and three years later I now see why I was attracted to the book in the first place. This book is a very quick and easy read, and answers the BASIC questions when trying to become a vegetarian. I would recommend this book only when someone is doing basic research into changing their lifestyle but if someone truly wants to become a vegan, there has to be much much more research, because there are a lot more information one must know that is not included in this book!