I first heard of Kathy Freston when I watched the Oprah Winfrey show in which Oprah and her staff went vegan for a week. If you haven't watched it yet- then you must:
Veganist
As you can see from the video, Kathy was prompting Veganist at the time. I bought it thinking it would be part background, part recipe book which is the form that many vegan books take. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was broken down into ten promises that a vegan lifestyle can make.
As Kathy says at the beginning the book, you can dip in and out of it and read the chapters out of order, which I did depending on what I wanted to learn about. For me, I was really keen to focus on weight loss, so I delved into this chapter first.
Veg News said that this was 'one of the best vegan books of 2011.' Well I have read it this year and it's one of the best vegan books I've bought in 2015. What was relevant four years ago is still very relevant now.
Kathy uses simple language that all readers can understand and does not force her opinions on you- she just gives you the information and lets you make informed decisions over your own heath and food intake afterwards. She is very clear about making gradual changes- as we all know that an extreme shift in any area of our life simply doesn't work.
The book is packed with interviews with professionals and people who have found significant changes in their heath and weight as a consequence of eating a plant based diet. As bold as you might think it is to make assurances- these case studies do show that the promises Kathy and a vegan diet make are in no way empty.
This book clearly took many years of research to put together, as it's packed with facts and figures to support making the switch, all of which will make you question why you haven't discovered this way of living sooner.
There is a long list in the back of vegan friendly products and must haves for your panty, which is a great place to start if you are stocking up your cupboards as a first time vegan.
I have just bought Kathy's next book The Lean which focuses more on the weight loss side of veganism, however if you want to know the basics first, then Veganist is a must read because it gives you the foundations on which to build upon the vegan lifestyle that suits you most.
Tagged in Oprah Winfrey Vegan