Gene Stone

An exhaustive list of 25 techniques to maintaining health and fitness, as alternatives to the pill-based invasive approach of modern allopathic medical practices. The author has tried all of them, and admits that some have not been his cup of tea - he never took to cold baths, for example, and found it difficult to swallow garlic. I generally approach such titles with a certain wariness, as my experience has been that too much preoccupation with health and fads generally lead to problems, show more and am relieved to see that most of the recipes are well-meant, and should do no harm (but beware of physically demanding routines, like extreme yoga or over-done running or weight lifting!).The book leavens the seriousness of the message with a nice tongue-in-cheek humour that reassures us that the author has approached this topic with a healthy scepticism with all his critical instincts alive. show less

Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. takes the credit for pioneering the movement to embrace a vegan diet of whole, plant-based foods in the mid-2000s. I rather think that the real credit should go to the Moosewood collective (especially Mollie Katzen) and its delicious Moosewood Restaurant cookbook series, the first of which, The Moosewood Cookbook: Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, New York, first appeared in 1977. (In fairness, Katzen and crew did allow dairy products and eggs.)

That show more said, let’s cut to the real point: How good is Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health? Well, for those late to the game, the book provides scientific evidence that a vegan lifestyle makes you slimmer and much healthier. It also provides some recipes that even meat-and-potatoes kind of men would appreciate. (Just don’t announce that it’s vegan, and they’ll just think it’s delicious stuff! And, whatever you do, don’t advertise recipe names like Joey’s Lifesaving Sweet Potato Chips, Nutrient-Rich Smoky Black Bean Soup or Hearty Dal Soup. That will just scare them off before they give the dish a chance.)

While not as good as the Moosewood Restaurant recipes or my new favorite, Good and Cheap, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health is definitely worth a gander. I’m glad that Amazon Kindle Daily Deal brought it to my attention. show less

This book makes the case for a healthy, whole-foods, plant-based way of eating. The authors argue that eating a plant-based diet produces powerful health benefits including a reduction of health care costs. It is also better, they aver, for the environment, showing how dependence on farm animals contributes to global warming, deforestation, waste, water pollution, fisheries depletion, endangered species, and soil erosion.

In spite of the benefits, however, convincing people to switch to show more plant-based diet has huge obstacles to overcome. They name the food industry and its profit demands as the primary culprit, writing, “With billions of advertising and marketing dollars, it [the food industry] annually cajoles and entices us with its dairy, meat, fish, poultry, and eggs, as well as products laden with sugar, salt, and fat. This ceaseless assault achieves its goal of convincing a vulnerable and unprotected public to ingest food that will make them fat and sick…”

Certainly anyone who watches television can attest to the onslaught of ads for less than healthy snacks an “treats.” But the real treat, the authors maintain, will be how much better you feel when you eat differently.

A few recipes are included but those trying out this lifestyle will want to check out the companion book, Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook.. Those who try these recipes will be surprised at how good the food tastes. It is not the tastiness of the food that is the barrier, really, it is the psychology…. show less

This book has some truly horrific stories. I picked this up hoping for some warm and fuzzy tales of kindness, which it does have, to be fair. However I really didn’t want to know about dealers who sell dogs for experimentation are stealing pets for this project. Then there’s stories about puppy mills and wet markets…. I didn’t need to know.

I’m glad there are people who have the determination to go undercover to investigate these places, but this made me very sad.