No matter what the world’s crisis does to our winter activities, it still can’t deny us the pleasure of reading the great books! Check out our “15 Incredible Books That Everyone Should Read This Winter”
Whether you are a plant-based, vegan, or simply health-conscious there is a book here for you. The books we choose to go into several different aspects of veganism/ plant-based : environmental, health, ethics, and, most importantly, FOOD! In a world where Google can be the primary source where we get the information, we focused on provided book choices backed by scientific research. Take a scroll through this blog post and choose a book that calls to you!
Dr. Neal D Barnard is a vegan physician, health advocate, and author of 15 groundbreaking books! Advocating to change health through diet, Dr. Barnard is paving the way doctors treat patients by incorporating diet into treatment. In Power Foods for The Brain, Dr. Neal D. Barnard discusses the importance of foods that strengthen memory and improves brain health. He identifies superfoods that dramatically reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and brain fog through scientific research. The groundbreaking research supports his 3-step effective plan, which identifies foods to incorporate into the diet, foods to remove from people’s diets, and exercises to support the first two steps. He advocates for a whole food plant-based diet because of the anti-inflammatory properties that contribute to brain health. He specifically focuses on the harmful effects of dairy, meat, and alcohol as they have a higher incidence of inflammatory responses, which negatively affect brain health. To help his readers make the transition to a well rounded “power food” diet, he provides a comprehensive diet plan, recipes, and kitchen tips! Dr. Neal D. Barnard is a New York Times bestseller author, so you will not be disappointed with this read!
Taking a moment to check in with ourselves during times of hunger cues, impulsive binging, or during times of satiation is an aspect of mindful eating. Lani Muelrath wrote A 30-day Plan for Finding Health, Balance, Peace, and Happiness, which teaches readers how to eat a vegan diet mindfully by removing thoughts, beliefs, and behavior that induces stress and inhibit mindful eating. She discusses the challenges of emotional eating, overeating, and indulging in cravings. Throughout the 30-day plan, she dives into teaching readers how to get rid of old thinking patterns, which can bring back joy around food. Lani is a certified mindfulness meditation facilitator and has been able to incorporate mindful meditation practices to teach people how to release themselves from compulsive eating patterns that affect the overall diet. By cultivating mindful eating patterns that align with a vegan diet and lifestyle, she brings the reader back to the idea of ethical and environmental impacts.
Transitioning from a regular diet to a vegan diet can be difficult for some people. Food is associated with family, socio-economic status, religion, and family traditions, so when you jump the gun to become vegan, you are more than likely going to come across roadblocks. Luckily for us, there are great books and guides to help us through the process! That is what Lani Muelrath did in The Plant-Based Journey: A Step-by-step guide for Transitioning to a Healthy Lifestyle and Achieving Your Ideal Weight. With such a transitional decision to become vegan, she understood that people needed guidance to achieve optimal weight loss. Becoming vegan can be perceived as scary and boring, but Lani made sure to teach her audience that becoming vegan can be fun and exciting! In this book, she goes through a five-step guide to help readers through the process of becoming vegan. She encourages her readers to understand the “why” behind their choice to become vegan. Understanding the “why” behind someone’s decision to become vegan will help people stay invested in the process. Also, make sure you have gotten all of the essential foods needed to maintain a plant-based diet. Going on to the third step, she encourages newfound vegans to increase the number of veggies that are on the plate to get acclimated to new vegetables. Another big move she talks about is incorporating a new vegan diet in social and family events, which is one of the biggest obstacles to get through. This book is excellent for a newbie vegan or for someone who is looking to incorporate more plants into their diet!
Fun fact, Millenials make up half of the vegan population! You may be asking yourself, “Am I a millennial?” so to answer your question, if you were born between 1981-1996, the answer is yes! The Millennial generation is the generation that veganism has thrived in and the trend continues to go upward with Generation X. Millennial Vegan was written by Casey T Taft who is an animal rights activist wanting to spread her wise words about veganism to society. This book primarily focuses on why and how veganism impacts the world in a positive way. Casey dives into animal advocacy and how to start conversations around veganism without using a harsh and opinionated approach. She taught Millenials how to use their voice to educate others about environmental, social, and justice impacts due to the production of animal products. Veganism can also come with social dynamics that can be hard to manage such as dating, bullying, and anger issues. Casey’s goal for the vegan millennial activist is to become the best vegan activist they can be while ditching the harsh vegan activist stereotype.
Vegan at every age is possible, and the authors of Never Too Late to Go Vegan made sure the world knew that by writing a book about adopting a vegan diet for anyone over the age of 50. Not only do we get wiser with age, but our bodies become more susceptible to damage due to normal wear and tear throughout the years. High blood pressure, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and some cancers have been affecting the baby boomer population. It’s Never Too Late to Go Vegan provides its audience with guidance on how to achieve a plant-based diet to reverse chronic diseases. The author’s practice to decrease processed food consumption which typically leads to the conditions that are affecting the population 50 and up. The book goes into detail about the benefits of introducing more legumes, fruits, and vegetables and how adding these foods can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Changing one’s lifestyle and eating habits can be a difficult transition, which is why the authors discuss getting caregivers involved in the process of enhancing diets. The book also provides 75 recipes that meet the guidelines of older eaters.
Do you ever wonder what goes through the minds of a vegetarian or vegan? Maybe you have a family member, co-worker, or child that is or considering becoming plant-based, and you want to learn more about the transition. Nick Cooney is the author of Veganomics , and in this book, he goes through the notions of “what makes a vegan.” He includes several studies that identify vegans as an individual in comparison to someone eating a regular diet. Not only do vegans eat differently, but they vote differently, work in different industries, and their brains are wired differently. Cooney identifies explicitly the impacts of dietary choices that are directly correlated to the way of living. In Veganomics , he can look into the sociology and psychology behind choosing veganism. This is a good read for a curious mind!
In the plant-based world, protein is the macronutrient that is frequently put down and underestimated. The question of “Do you get enough protein?” is such a cringe-worthy question to ask a non-meat eater. Protein deficiency is often thought of when a plant-based diet is mentioned. Luckily, in this day and age, some doctors are becoming highly involved in plant-based nutrition. Dr. Garth Davis is a surgeon who believes that the idea of not getting enough protein is actually harming us. Dr. Davis works with the obese population and has taken notice of the impacts of excessive protein- particularly in excessive supplements and intake of animal protein. In his research, he studied the world’s longest-lived population to analyze their eating habits and overall health. His findings show that a standard protein diet results in positive health results. Dr. Davis states, “excessive protein is making us sick, fat, and tired.” If you are tired of people asking you if you get enough protein, you can recommend this book to them, or better yet, you can reiterate some of the research Dr. Davis presents in Proteinaholic .
Food is more than what you eat; it is nourishment for the body. The body is made up of many cells that thrive off of nutrients derived from food. I don’t mean to get too scientific on you, but if you are interested in learning about the science behind whole foods, then Whole is the book for you! When we eat a very nutritious meal, we know we are doing the body good by providing nutritious food. Still, we don’t think about how nutritious food supports the body on a cellular level. Authors Campbell and Jacobson put together an easy to read science book breaking down the biological digestion of foods and nutrients such as antioxidants. When Campbell and his son wrote Whole , they wrote it to challenge the current way nutrition is perceived through the current scientific paradigm. They believe the current research that is being put out is ignoring the real complexity of the human body. With so much evidence backing whole foods, they are disappointed in the lack of urgency to implement changes to current eating habits around the world.
Living and eating vegan can come with a lot of added pressure if you don’t know where to begin. Changing eating habits, finding new places to eat, and maintaining a vegan diet around others becomes difficult. Let’s not forget that the cost of being vegan is overwhelming; leaving some people feeling defeated. Sure, if you are Kim Kardashian or Beyonce going vegan is no sweat! But what about the rest of us average people who can’t afford a personal chef to cook for us 24/7? Well, Victoria and Adair Moran are the authors of Main Street Vegan: Everything You Need to Know to Eat Healthfully and Live Compassionately in the Real World, and this book is the perfect guide for anyone considering going vegan but feels a little hopeless about the process. The authors emphasize slow progress and baby steps, which allow their readers to feel confident no matter their “vegan” level. Victoria covers all things vegan from lifestyle to food choices to make the vegan transition effortless. This is the perfect book for a struggling vegan or for a newbie vegan who feels stuck in the process!
The Plant-Based Solution is another book written by a doctor who has witnessed the miracle of eating plant-based. As a cardiologist, John Mackey has seen many diet-related illnesses that he believes can be prevented by diet. In this book, he not only promotes a vegan diet for health but the benefit of the planet backed up by scientific evidence. Dr. Mackey provides a 21-day plan to help his audience adopt a vegan diet. This book differs from the others listed because he dives into how vegan diets have been correlated to improved sex-drive, autoimmune diseases, and even reversing cancer. With cardiovascular disease and cancer as one of the top 10 killers in the United States, Dr. Mackey believes death rates can be reduced and modified through diet change. Ad he provides personal testimonials and results from his own patients’ we can say this book can be a lifesaver for someone! Dr. Mackey does an excellent job of laying out compelling evidence-based research without confusing his audience. Let’s not forget that Dr. Mackey also talks about two important aspects of being vegan: animal ethics and environmental elements. The three pillars of veganism make this book a priority to read!
Cheese has been known to be addictive due to its similar scientific molecular structure to other addictive substances on the market. Why is that? Well, cheese contains casein (milk protein), which releases casomorphins that play with our dopamine receptors. Dopamine is a feel-good neurotransmitter, so when casomorphins are released, they attach to dopamine receptors, which is what makes cheese so addicting. The New York Times best-selling author Neal D Barnard talks all about cheese and addiction in his book The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy. Cheese can cause weight gain, increased blood pressure, and, as mentioned before, cause addition, which leads to weight gain. It can be hard to think about giving up ice cream, pizza, and lasagna, but the book is jam-packed with recipes to help satisfy cheese cravings that many people go through when eliminating cheese from the diet.
Dr. Greger. is a New York Times bestseller author, so you will not be disappointed with this book! How Not to Die discusses how food choices are the leading cause of most common diseases. The author explains how it is possible to reverse health conditions and illnesses by simply changing one’s food habits. He hammers down the message that a whole, plant-based diet is the solution to many health problems. The book is very easy to understand and prepared in an engaging format that is educational and inspiring. How Not to Die Cookbook is a great addition to help with a plant-based lifestyle.
The China Study by T.Colin Campbell is regarded as one of the most important books on diet and health. Through this book, the author establishes the dangers of a diet that is high in animal protein. He also explores the unparalleled benefits of a wholesome plant-based diet. The book also dissects various health myths and suggests how people with medical conditions can benefit from plant-based nutrition. Do you like easy recipes?
Vegan for Her by Virginia Messina is highly recommended for women to stay fit and healthy on a plant-based diet. Apart from providing excellent guidance on health and fitness surrounding plant-based diets, the author also discusses food choices and how it relates to various health concerns. To top it off, there are healthy recipes and lifestyle tips that make the transition to a plant-based lifestyle simple and fun.
Forks Over Knives is a revolutionary book on health and nutrition by celebrated authors Gene Stone, T.Collin Campbell, Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. This book reveals that most diseases skyrocket when one consumes meat and dairy products. It also recommends the plant-based way to health. The authors discuss success stories of converts and offer tips and guidance on essential kitchen tools to ease the transition to a plant-based diet.
No Meat Athlete is drastically different from the typical athletic fitness guide, as it is entirely based on a plant-based approach to fitness and training. Written by ultra-marathon veteran Matt Frazier, this book provides expert tricks, advice and even recipes to encourage a whole plant-based approach to nutrition. The author not only coaches aspiring fitness enthusiasts to get all their nutrition from plant sources but also offers recipes and meal plans for high endurance and performance training.
We know that veganism can come with a lot of hardships and struggle, whether it be because of environmental, ethical, or food adoption we hope you find a book that has inspired you. There are learning experiences you can gain from each of these books. We believe in the power of plant-based diets and with the compelling evidence provided we hope you do too!
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