Jack Norris, R.D.

I've been an "almost vegetarian" since before I can remember. According to my mother, I never really liked meat; she'd give me a hamburger, only to find me eating the bun and condiments with the dog licking her chops. Once in a while, particularly when I was in a hurry, I'd get something - usually fish, which seemed more palatable to me than red meat.

So I was nearly a vegetarian, but definitely not a vegan. In spite of lactose intolerance, I would still consume dairy products (and copious amounts of lactaid). If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life, it would have been sharp cheddar cheese. I ate Greek yogurt like it was candy. And I loved eggs.

But then I went through a learning phase, and I wanted to know where my food came from and how ethically the cows providing my milk, cheese, and yogurt were treated. And I wasn't happy with what I found. "Organic" eggs and "hormone free" milk sounds good on the label, but does that really matter when the chickens are battery farmed or the cows are hoof-deep in feces? No thanks.

So this was the first book I read about going vegan. When I first started it, I felt completely daunted by the task ahead of me. Fortunately, the authors really laid out a simple plan in this book. They discuss a vegan's total dietary needs and how you can meet them. Now that I'm aware of what I need and how to get it, I honestly feel that I'm eating a much more balanced diet than I ever did when I consumed animal products. Getting enough calcium was always a problem for me, even as I ate cheese and yogurt, but now I just drink two cups of Silk a day (one in the morning, one at night) and have some soy yogurt for lunch. Problem solved. Fatty acid chains? I didn't even know what those were. Now I eat a handful of walnuts a day, as well as take DHA supplements. Problem solved. Vitamin B12? Where do I get that? Now I take a supplement. Problem solved.

The book also provides chapters dealing with pregnancy, children/teens, and vegan diets for people over 50.

The book contains evidence from numerous studies. If there isn't enough information about a topic, then the authors clearly state that.

The only thing I don't like is how the book is ordered. I think the last chapter (which deals with animal cruelty and factory farming) should have probably been the first one. Instead, it's buried behind the specialty chapters mentioned above.

Altogether, this is a great resource for those who want to become vegans (for whatever reason[s]), but simply don't know how to go about it and meet nutritional needs.… (altro)