If T. Colin Campbell were living 500 years ago, he might have been burned at the stake. He would have been denounced as a heretic who dared challenge the prevailing information. Although this is the 21st Century, there are still individuals and groups who relish the thought of burning him at the stake for his views on proper human nutrition.

In the book The China Study Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and his son Thomas M. Campbell II present information that is a definite challenge to the dairy and beef industries by revealing how dangerous their products are to human health.

What credentials does Campbell possess that give him the credibility to attack these industries that are so prominent in our society? First, he is a professor who has spent 40 years in nutrition research. Second, he was the leader of the China Study, labeled by the New York Times as "the Grand Prix of Human Epidemiology." The study was a combined effort of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.

The study involved 65 counties in 24 different provinces of China. Most of the counties were in rural areas where people lived in the same area all their lives and ate food produced locally. Those living in rural communities and consuming mostly plant protein had fewer chronic diseases that those who lived in communities where more animal protein is available.

In rural China 9 to 10% of total calories comes from protein, yet only 10% of that amount is derived from animal foods. In contrast the American diet features 15 to 16% of calories from protein with 80% of that from animal foods. The rural Chinese were less likely to die from the diseases of affluence (cancer, diabetes, and heart disease) than diseases of poverty (pneumonia, parasitic disease, tuberculosis, diseases associated with pregnancy, and others). Campbell says that diseases of affluence might be more appropriately named "diseases of nutritional extravagance" because they are tied into eating habits.

The dairy industry would definitely like to silence Campbell who has announced results from an earlier study he conducted in the Philippines that showed children consuming high protein diets were most likely to get liver cancer. Included in this high protein diet were milk products.

In previous experiments with rats Campbell was able to show that with a diet of 20% casein (a milk protein) rats developed carcinogenic tumors. Switching the rats to a plant-based diet resulted in a decrease in tumor growth. Switching back to the casein diet brought renewed tumor growth. He was able to conclude that animal-based foods increased tumors while plant-based foods decreased the development of tumors.

Campbell further indicts dairy products showing they are linked to Type 1 diabetes, and breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. Countries with the lowest consumption of dairy products have lower incidences of these diseases.

The data gleaned from these studies led him to conclude that many of the chronic diseases found in society result from human consumption of animal protein. "There is enough evidence now that doctors should be discussing the option of pursuing dietary change as a potential path to cancer prevention and treatment," he writes. "There is enough evidence now that local breast cancer alliances, and prostate cancer institutions, should be discussing the possibility of providing information to Americans everywhere on how a whole foods, plant-based diet may be an incredibly effective anti-cancer medicine."

The book is divided into four major sections: The China Study, Diseases of Affluence, The Good Nutrition Guide, and Why Haven't You Heard This Before.

The Good Nutrition Guide emphasizes his Eight Principles of Food and Health:

• Nutrition represents the combined activities of countless food substances. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
• Vitamin supplements are not a panacea for good health.
• There are no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants.
• Genes do not determine diseases on their own. Genes function only by being activated, or expressed, and nutrition plays a critical role in determining which genes, good and bad, are expressed.
• Nutrition can substantially control the adverse effects of noxious chemicals.
• The same nutrition that prevents disease in its early stages (before diagnosis) can also halt or reverse disease in its later stages (after diagnosis).
• Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease will support health across the board.
• Good nutrition creates health in all areas of our existence. All parts are interconnected.

The Good Nutrition Guide concludes with a chapter called How to Eat that offers advice on how to transition to a healthy plant-based diet. Featured here is a chart labeled "Eat All You Want (While Getting Lots of Variety) of Any Whole, Unrefined Plant-Based Food." The chart lists specific fruits, vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, and whole grains. It advises minimizing refined carbohydrates, added vegetable oil, and fish and avoiding meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs.

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(continues from the previous page)

The last section of the book, "Why Haven't You Heard This Before?" shows how government, science, medicine, corporations, and the media have concentrated on profits instead of health. Together they have created confusing information about nutrition and have stifled and attempted to destroy viewpoints that challenge the status quo.

Campbell relates how he personally was almost expelled from a committee of scientists because he dared to suggest a link between diet and cancer. In discussing the personal consequences for him he writes "In the world of nutrition and health, scientists are not free to pursue their research wherever it leads. Coming to the 'wrong conclusions,' even through first-rate science, can damage your career."

The authors show how the food industry claims nutritional benefits for their products and works diligently to protect their products from being labeled unhealthy or causing disease. By hiring research scientists as experts, the industry uses science to increase the demand for its products. These same scientists may organize workshops, become leaders of scientific groups, choose committee members and thus be in a prominent position to develop public policy and publicity. Campbell refers to this "conflict of interest" that allows industries "to exercise their influence through the side door of academia."

Like Marion Nestle in her book Food Politics, Campbell shows how government has failed to promote health by avoiding statements that certain foods are damaging to health. "But instead of doing this the government is saying that animal products, dairy and meat, refined sugar and fat in your diet are good for you!" Not only is the government failing the people in its reports and pronouncements, it is also failing to promote research in nutrition.

"Big Medicine" is another target for criticism. The medical industry is aware of the research that suggests that chronic diseases of affluence are the result of poor nutrition and yet pays little or no attention to nutrition in the treatment. Campbell cites the work of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. John McDougall who both have had successful results in treating patients through nutrition. Yet both men have experienced rejection from the medical establishment that is focused on surgery and drugs instead of nutrition as standard treatment for chronic diseases.

Instead of burning Campbell at the stake Americans should place T. Colin Campbell on a pedestal and honor him for his 40 years of research and discovery. It's time for the nation to begin to heed his warnings about animal protein and work to change a system that has led to the current health crisis. Campbell, a man of great integrity and scholarship, presents a message that is supported by sound research. The book cites over 750 references, many from primary sources.

Some have already attempted and will continue to try to prevent the message of this book from reaching a wide audience. And yet our society needs people like Campbell who step forward to say we need to change the system in order to safeguard the health of this nation.

The China Study is a book that should be in every home. Instead of buying one copy, purchase another to give to a friend you care about. Better yet, buy a few more to make certain the message reaches a wider audience.

Reviewed April 2005

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When Howard Lyman traveled back to his home town in Montana, he decided to look up his poker playing buddies. Of the nine, who are about his age (60), four have died from complications of heart disease or emphysema, three have heart disease, one is struggling with colon cancer, and one has survived prostate cancer. He is the only one of the group in good health, and in Mad Cowboy he attributes his physical condition to his vegetarian diet.

Lyman describes how he has shifted his thinking 180 degrees from his years as a dairy farmer, cattle rancher, and steak eater to his current focus as a vegan who is president of the International Vegetarian Union.

As a cattle rancher and feedlot operator who practiced factory farming, he gained a clear picture of how meat is produced in this country. What he describes are unsavory practices to produce an abundance of meat for the American dining table.

Lyman's description of animal intestines, heads, hooves, horns, bones, and blood, as well as dead, diseased animals ground up, cooked, dried and then used as animal feed brought him to national attention as a defendant in a law suit. Fortunately, his co-defendant was Oprah Winfrey. After hearing this description on her program, Oprah declared, "Cows are herbivores. They should not be eating other cows. It has stopped me cold from eating another hamburger."

Because of their statements on the show, Winfrey and Lyman were sued by a group of Texas cattlemen for making "slanderous" statements about cattle and beef in violation of the Texas Food Disparagement Act. As Lyman points out, the burden of proof in the case rests on the shoulders of the defendants.

Lyman reveals that thirteen states have similar food disparagement laws which are a "concerted attack on First Amendment freedoms." Because of his statements, the Food and Drug Administration instituted a ban on feeding ruminant protein to other ruminants, a move to ward off mad cow disease.

One of the most shocking chapters of the book is titled "Mad Cows and Bureaucrats." In it he details how bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease was detected in Britain because scrapie-infected sheep were ground up and fed to cows. Mad cow disease is a brain-wasting disease. The human equivalent is Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) where the brain deteriorates, develops holes, and becomes like a sponge. While this is occurring the victim becomes blind and demented and loses motor functions. Because of the highly infectious nature of CJD, scientists are even reluctant to research it. According to information presented by Lyman, the British government has finally admitted a possible link between BSE and CJD after a number of people have contracted CJD. Lyman's fear is that BSE and CJD are already on the horizon in this country. He details a shocking number (8) cases of CJD diagnosed in the northeastern corner of Texas.

Much of the book is devoted to the advantages of a vegan diet for individuals and for the world. He details the waste of resources to grow grain for animal feed. Eighty percent of the grain grown in this country is to feed animals. He cites the statistic of 16 pounds of grain needed to produce one pound of beef.

Lyman is also concerned about the chemical fertilizers and pesticides which have been dumped into the soil. He expresses alarm at the disappearance of rain forests, land now used to farm and raise cattle.

One of his major thrusts in the book is what a vegetarian diet will do for its disciples. He observes that vegetarians generally weigh twenty pound less than their carnivore friends. Since he has become a vegetarian, he has lost 130 pounds over an eight-year period. He skewers many of the fad diets like the Zone and instead proposes his own three basic rules:

1. To lose weight effectively, don't restrict your caloric intake unless you are an overeater. Eat until you are satisfied.
2. Eat a low percentage of your calories in the form of fat. Abstain from all animal products.
3. Avoid or limit your intake of vegetable oils, margarine, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados.

Mad Cowboy is one of the most important books of this decade. It may well be to the millennium what Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was to the ecological movement of the fifties as it focused on pesticides like DDT as a problem for the entire world. Lyman is engaged in a crusade against man's desire for an anjmal-focused diet which is destroying our planet and our bodies. Hopefully, society will recognize the folly and follow his lead into a new century where people will recognize the value of a plant-based diet for their mutual health and the survival of the planet.

 [ send green star]

Imagine spending an entire year reading one book. One could engage in this delightful experience with this collection of "thoughts, facts, humor, science, and surprises, " one for each day of the year.

As the author explains in his introduction, his collection of items is based on these premises:

" 1. A vegetarian diet is healthier than a meat-based one.
2. A vegetarian diet uses natural resources (land, water, energy) more efficiently than does a meat based diet.
3. A vegetarian diet does not require the suffering and death of animals."

Day 1 begins with an extensive list of famous vegetarians while Day 365 concludes the volume by noting "factory farming has ended the era of the cowboy."

In between those two entries we are presented with quotations by people like Gandhi, Paul McCartney, Seneca, Dostoyevsky, Albert Schweitzer, and others.

Statistics abound. On Day 141 we discover that a Gallup Poll reported one out of five restaurant eaters search for restaurants serving vegetarian food.

Health information is provided on Day 141 where we learn that vegetarianism lowers the risk of ovarian cancer while Day 126 points out that what we eat has a strong influence on whether we develop stomach cancer.

Day 141 offers advice on how to become a vegetarian. Factual information is supplied in tidbits like the word "salad" coming from the Latin salus meaning "to bring health."

The light, humorous touch is prevalent with entries like Day 324 that states, " The Golden Arches may lead to the Pearly Gates," a statement by a doctor involved in the Framingham Heart Study.

Interspersed through the book are cartoon-like line drawings by John Wincek.

365 REASONS TO BE A VEGETARIAN is a delightful book that can be read in one session or made to last a whole year. Through extensive research, Parachin has collected a trove of information that he shares in this entertaining and quite inexpensive volume, a book that can be referred to again and again.

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Publishers have not paid much attention to young children who are vegetarian, perhaps because they perceive this group as a limited market. In surveying the literature for vegetarian books for young children, one has to engage in an extensive search to uncover even a few items.

Debra Stewart helps to alleviate that need by writing and illustrating a simple picture book that can be read to the young children of vegetarian families. Inspiration for the volume came from her granddaughter who arrived at preschool with her vegetarian lunches and soy milk. The book was written to help her daughter and other vegetarian children understand why they were different from the others in their school. As Debra says, "The day that the school read it to her class, none of the kids wanted to eat their chicken nuggets."

The book begins by graphically showing and discussing the differences people have in activities, beliefs, and even food choices. The author then presents illustrations that reveal that "vegetarians do not eat any meat." That means no cows, pigs, lambs, chickens, or fish. She summarizes by saying vegetarians "do not eat anything that has a face or that has a mommy or daddy."

Debra then illustrates the many types of non animal foods available to vegetarians who can eat these foods and still be healthy. She concludes by saying that animals are friends, and people don't eat their friends.

What Is a Vegetarian is a valuable addition to the library of a vegetarian family, especially one that has young children. Through colorful, two-dimensional drawings and a simple text, Debra Stewart creates a message any young child can understand.

What does vegan mean? Why would someone adopt a vegan lifestyle? What does a vegan eat? These are some of the questions Stefanie Iris Weiss answers in Everything You Need to Know About Being Vegan,a book written for pre-teens and teens.

One of the issues a potential vegan confronts is the killing of animals for food. The author, a vegetarian for ten years, explains that many vegans choose their lifestyle "to keep their Karma intact." When individuals understand what happens to make chicken appear on their plates or milk in their glasses, they will understand why people turn to veganism. The cruelty and suffering of animals are discussed, including factory farming methods of agribusiness that lead to the inhumane treatment of animals to supply food.

Turning to veganism to improve one's health is another focus of the book. A diet that is heavily carnivorous will expose the person to large amounts of pesticides, antibiotics, bovine growth hormone, salmonella, cholesterol, and saturated fat. A vegan who follows a whole food regimen instead of processed foods loaded with preservatives will be much healthier than his junk-food-eating peer.

The author exposes "The Protein Myth" and the calcium concern by showing that a plant-based diet will provide enough of both of these essentials. She provides three pages of bright blue charts to show the percentage of calories from protein in many vegetarian foods.

In a section titled "Making Choices" she discusses the difficulties a person faces after becoming vegan. Some include relationships with family and friends, shopping, eating out, and clothing choices.

Her section on cooking describes the importance of soy bean products like tofu, soy milk, textured vegetable protein, and tempeh. She presents five easy recipes to include in the new vegan's cooking repertoire.

The book concludes with a glossary, books for further reading, and a "Where to Go for Help" resource list.

Stephanie manages to present the essential features and reasons for veganism in a 64 page book. Anyone over the age of ten would have an easy time navigating through this volume that could be read in a half hour. The book has a number of photographs, including one of Gandhi and one of Drew Barrymore, a modern day vegan celebrity.

Everything You Need to Know about Being Veganis an important book because it explains veganism to young people in a simple way using an attractive format. If you don't buy it, request a copy at your local library.

 [ send green star]

"What's for dinner, Dad?" Robert asked as he dropped his school books onto the kitchen counter.

"We're having chicken tonight."

Robert shook his head. "Don't make any for me. I'm not eating meat anymore."

"But chicken isn't meat. Beef is meat," Robert's dad said.

"I won't eat anything that had a face," said Robert.

Sprinkled throughout Vegetarianism for Teens are dialogues with teens in real life situations involving vegetarianism. The dialogues appear throughout this book that attempts to cram the basics of vegetarianism into 64 pages.

The work is divided into seven chapters that address topics such as What Is Vegetarianism, An Old Idea That's New, Why Eat Vegetarian? Building a Healthy Vegetarian Diet, Meal Planning at Home, Eating on the Go, Making Vegetarianism Work for You.

The structure of the book reminds the reader of a basic textbook on vegetarianism. Each chapter begins with four or five statements relating to the material that will be addressed in that section. The chapter concludes with three or four Points to Consider, questions the reader needs to ask himself or herself.

Also appearing throughout the book are Fast Facts, Did You Know, and Teen Talk-- all graphically presented information at the tops of many pages. "A little over 1 percent of children and teens are vegetarian. This is according to one poll of students ages 8 to 17," one such message informs the reader.

Beginning with the types of vegetarian diets, the author continues with a brief history of vegetarianism and famous vegetarians of the past. She also includes vegetarian celebrities today such as Michael Jackson, Brad Pitt, and Carlos Santana. In addition she presents information on vegetarian eating in different areas of the world.

Addressing why people become vegetarians, she covers concern for animals, the environment, hunger, health and religious and spiritual beliefs.

In Building a Healthy Vegetarian Diet she presents her readers with a Vegetarian Teen's Food Guide that stresses food group needs for proper nutrition as well as a Diet Checklist for Vegetarian Teens.

In Meal Planning at Home, Duden discusses soy products and meat substitutes and gives useful Tips for Planning Easy Meals. She concludes the chapter with five easy recipes the teen can prepare.

Eating on the Go features good advice on snacks and recipes for Smoothies on the Run plus dealing with eating away from home.

Making Vegetarianism Work for You offers suggestions on dealing with others as well as ways to shift to a vegetarian program gradually.

The book concludes with addresses of organizations that may be contacted, internet resources, a bibliography for further reading, a glossary, and an index.

Vegetarianism for Teens is an excellent basic introduction to vegetarianism for young people but may be unsuitable for teens. Loaded with photos, sidebars, and other attractive graphics, the book is an attractively enticing package for children. The work is part of a Nutrition and Fitness series the publisher hopes "will appeal to those who are interested in keeping strong and fit and in eating well and eating right."

In attempting to make the material accessible to reluctant readers, the author has resorted to a writing style that shuns compound or complex sentences. The result is a writing style emphasizing short, choppy sentences. The large print and the simple textbook-like format may be off-putting for a sophisticated teen. Written on a fourth grade reading level, the book might have been more realistic if it had dropped the word "teens" in the title and substituted "young people."

 [ send green star]

Why Are People Vegetarian? shoehorns everything a young person needs to know about vegetarianism into a colorful but thin book of 48 pages. In this process of condensation author Brownlie manages to cover the major issues of the topic: What Is Vegetarianism? Religion and Vegetarianism, Humanitarian Vegetarians, Health and Diet, The Environment and Economics, and Being a Vegetarian.

In the process of answering the question, What Is a Vegetarian? the author defines the term, briefly tells about famous vegetarians, gives a brief history of vegetarianism, and discusses trends in vegetarianism.

Brownlie introduces young readers to religious sects like Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains whose vegetarian beliefs support their views that all forms of life are sacred and animals do not exist to be eaten. Although Christians eat meat, some of the groups like Trappist monks and Seventh Day Adventists follow a vegetarian diet.

Humanitarian vegetarians are aware of animal rights and do not condone inhumane conditions and practices of factory farming in the raising of cattle, pigs, and poultry. The author briefly describes how animals are herded into slaughterhouses and killed to provide meat. She points out that some decry these methods as cruel while others say that treatment of animals is humane.

Since many people in the West choose to be vegetarian, people in developing countries are usually vegetarian because they cannot afford meat. Brownlie presents statistics to show that the average American eat 264 lbs. (120 kg) of meat each year in contrast to the average person in Nigeria who consumes 13.2 lbs. (6 kg).

In discussing whether humans need to eat meat, the author points out that flatter, smaller human teeth are designed for a vegetarian diet unlike the carnivores with sharp teeth to tear flesh. The human intestine is better suited for digesting plants and grains instead of meat. Vegetarians must also be conscious of Vitamin B12 that is more readily available from meat sources. She fails to include information about B12 available in supplements.

Browlie focuses on the controversy of what constitutes a healthy diet. She points out that scientists still do not agree on whether a vegetarian diet is more healthful than a diet that includes animal products. In a sidebar she reports a British Medical Journal study in 1996 that revealed that vegetarians had a 28% lower death rate than meat eaters and 40% reduction in cancer deaths. Unfortunately, the study also stated, "These differences could also be explained by differences in smoking habits, obesity, or the quality of food people eat."

The dangers of eating meat receive only two pages with illustrations and a minimum of text. In three brief paragraphs the author disposes of Mad Cow Disease, e-coli, and salmonella.

"It is estimated that one cow can produce as much as 19,800 pounds (9000 kg) of manure each year. Less than half of this is recycled into fertilizer." This is one of the facts reported by Brownlie as she shows how animal production has polluted the environment. On the other hand, she asks what would happen to millions of animals if we all became vegetarians. She does show that there would be less hunger in the world if crops were used entirely to feed people instead of used for meat production.

Brownlie concludes her book with a discussion of problems vegetarians face and what it means to be a vegetarian. The stereotypes of vegetarians as "hippies," weak and unhealthy, or even un-American are discussed. Large photographs of famous athletes like Martina Navratilova are presented to counteract the negative stereotype of vegetarians. A sidebar features actor Richard Gere, who is not only a committed vegetarian, but he is also a Buddhist.

The book concludes with a glossary, a brief list of books to read, some websites to visit, and a few organizations.

Why Are People Vegetarian? is one book in a series called "Exploring Tough Issues." As vegetarians, we probably don't think of this as a tough issue. Other books in the series like "Why do People Live on the Streets?' and "Why do People Fight Wars?" seem more appropriate as "tough issues."

The author and publisher should be commended for creating an attractive, well-written illustrated work to introduce young people to vegetarianism. Each page has at least one illustration and may also include a sidebar or graphic box. The book appears to be directed at pre-teens but may also appeal to reluctant teen readers. None of the photos picture young children. At times superficial, this is a worthwhile outline of basic vegetarian principles. Anyone wanting more detailed information might want to consider other titles with less of a Reader's Digest approach.

 [ send green star]

In conveying the vegetarian message to young people, a writer needs to employ both language and writing style that will engage that audience. Ellen Schwartz successfully achieves that goal in I'm Vegetarian.

Beginning with an introductory section titled "So You've Decided to Be a Vegetarian," the author presents statistics to show that vegetarianism is a growing worldwide trend. "More than one million kids in the 6 to 1 7 age bracket have said 'no' to meat," she writes. In addition to announcing what she intends to cover, she introduces her readers to vegetarian young people who tell what they like about being vegetarian.

Schwartz uses the words of young people like Tim, Rachel, Jesse, and others to show the reasons children turn to vegetarianism. The major reasons she covers are animal rights, the environment, health, world hunger, religion, and good taste.

Under Animal Rights she quotes young people who are repulsed by the killing of animals for food and how those animals are treated before they are killed. The toll on the environment focuses on the effects of livestock production: air and water pollution, energy waste, soil erosion, and the destruction of the rain forests.

In a section dealing with health considerations she writes that a nutritionally balanced vegetarian diet "is actually better for you than a diet that contains meat." In "Did You Know" sections sprinkled throughout this chapter the author presents bulleted facts related to the information. "Vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to get heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis (brittle bones), and other diseases," says Schwartz.

The World Hunger issue is addressed by showing that land used for animal production could be used more efficiently to raise crops for human food. Certain religions teach nonviolence and are opposed to killing animals for food.

Good Taste seems to be the least persuasive reason for becoming vegetarian. Becoming vegetarian just for the fun of it or because a friend has turned in that direction seems frivolous compared to the other reasons.

One of the most delightful and interesting sections of the book concentrates on sticky situations a young person faces in making the choice to be vegetarian. One by one the author dispels the myths and misconceptions about getting enough protein, calcium, iron, B12, lack of energy, and the inability to eat out.

Schwartz turns to the Veggie Dude, her vegetarian guru, to answer questions that her young vegetarians have been anxious to ask. She then proceeds to advise her readers on how to convince parents, family, and friends and alleviate their concerns. She gives practical advice on handling sticky situations like family holiday dinners, eating in restaurants or the school cafeteria, surviving at summer camps, or traveling. The author even presents some snappy comebacks to dumb questions like, "Plants have feelings, don't they? So why don't you give up plants, too?" Her comeback answer: "It's my way of preventing the world from getting completely overrun with wild vegetables."

In Food, Glorious Food the author races through a short history of vegetarianism that superficially attempts but fails to cover the subject in three pages. Far more valuable is The Vegetarian Foods Hall of Fame that includes information about the principal foods in a healthy vegetarian diet. Leading the list is the soybean and soybean products like tofu, soy milk, tempeh, miso, soy sauce, and TVP (textured vegetable protein). Other Hall of Fame foods discussed are lentils, quinoa, peanuts, potatoes, and chickpeas. The chapter concludes with a pro and con discussion of genetically modified foods.

Readers embarking on vegetarianism or those who have been on that path for awhile will benefit from Guidelines for Healthy Vegetarian Reading. Those who face the dangers of filling up on side dishes, replacing meat with too much dairy and eggs, or filling up on refined grain products will want to read what Schwartz labels as "Smart Moves" in these situations. She also presents a valuable checklist in her Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming Vegetarian.

Under the heading Nutrition 101 the author discusses carbohydrates, fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. She delves into the food groups for vegetarians and gives recommended servings for grains; vegetables and fruits; legumes, eggs, nuts, and seeds; and milk and alternatives. She also presents Menu planning and meal ideas and a list of foods to stock with suggestions on where to obtain vegetarian foods.

In Let's Get Cooking the author presents recipes under the following categories: beverages, breakfast, soups, sandwich fillings, dinner, and baked goods and desserts. Each recipe is labeled Lacto-ovo Vegetarian, Lacto Vegetarian, or Vegan. If the recipe is not vegan, it is followed with information on how to "Veganize It!" The recipes, none too complex, are presented on mock recipe index cards and offer dishes like Tofu Scramble, Chick Pea-Nut Soup, Spaghetti and Nut Balls, Whole-grain Pudding, and Vegan Chocolate Cake.

The book concludes with a resource list of organizations, websites, magazines, books, cookbooks, and a glossary. There is no index, a definite flaw of the work.

As a mother who has raised two vegetarian daughters, Elle  [ send green star]

How does the busy editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine and the principal cast member of the PBS television show America's Test Kitchen find the time to cook everyday vegetarian meals for his wife and two daughters, and still set aside hours to write a landmark cookbook? Since A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen is Jack Bishop's third cookbook, we must assume he has secretly garnered extra hours many of us wish we had.

Shortly after 5 in the evening, Jack steps out of his home office and spends a relaxing, creative hour or less in the kitchen to prepare the family's dinner. He's focused on inventive family-style meals that incorporate the plethora of fresh vegetables he and his family harvest from their membership organic community farm from June to November.

In recent years, many people have abandoned the kitchen because they believe cooking is too difficult. Jack's philosophy "Buy local, cook global, and keep it real," brings realistic recipes to everyday meals that are entirely workable. His innovative style of featuring fresh fruits and vegetables in keeping with today's food trends makes this book so enticing for the discriminating palate and may even encourage reluctant novices to embark on a new kitchen adventure.

Variety being key to Jack's culinary creations, he draws inspiration from the international cuisines of Mexico, the Caribbean, India, Thailand, Italy, Spain, France, China, and Japan. Dishes like Spinach-Onion Quesadillas with Avocado-Chipotle Salsa and Mexican Wraps with Golden Tofu, Roasted Poblanos, and Avocado have their origins South of the Border, while the Pizza with Carmelized Onions and Thyme or Pasta with Squash Sauce and Parmesan draw ideas from Italian traditions.

The book is divided into the four seasons of the year and features recipes that incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables that come to market during that season. Because Jack acknowledges that a hectic schedule allows only limited time in the kitchen, he offers a brief chapter of seasonal menus that feature only a few appealing dishes that are easy to prepare. An index of recipes that appears at the beginning of each segment lends an appealing introduction to anyone searching for a quick meal idea.

The first recipe in the Spring segment is Curried Carrot-Apple Soup with Golden Tofu Cubes, a tantalizing soup that incorporates McIntosh apples so abundant during that season. Other creative spring dishes to whet the appetite include Wilted Spinach Salad with Japanese Flavors, Turkish or White Bean Wrap Sandwiches, or the Red Curry-Braised Tofu with Snow Peas, Red Pepper, and Scallions.

Exciting flavors for Summer are offered in creations like Cold Emerald Peanut-Sesame Noodles or Chard Bundles Stuffed with Bulgur and Sautéed Red Peppers. Fall recipes introduce hearty corn dishes like Millet, Corn, and Red Pepper Pilaf or Corn, Tomato, and Lima Bean Stew. Winter is when Jack prepares more warming foods like Black Sesame Noodles or Fusilli with Green Lentils, Root Vegetables, and Parsley-Caper Puree.

Graphically attractive, the book features eight full-color pages of beautifully styled, irresistible dishes that could easily entice one to the kitchen. Yellow ochre-shaded side-bars set in yellow ochre type offer relevant information about special ingredients and are paired with the recipes that incorporate that ingredient. Also appealing are the recipe annotations that match the color of the sidebars.

While the book does include recipes that employ dairy products and eggs, many of Jack's dishes are totally vegan or can easily be converted to vegan. The Everyday Basics section covers frequently used recipes such as Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable Stock, and Lighter Refried Beans. He even reveals his secret for keeping pesto green. Most cookbooks have one index, but this one actually includes three: one has an excellent general index, another contains recipes by category, and the third is a section index for each season.

Surprisingly omitted is dessert, a standard inclusion in nearly every cookbook. Believing we had somehow overlooked the dessert section, we searched through each chapter and, finally, the Recipe Index but couldn't find a single dessert recipe in the entire book. Since we usually favor fresh fruits for dessert, we were not disappointed by the omission. To the contrary, we applaud Jack for leaving out the fatty ingredients and empty calories.

A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen is a well-crafted gem with recipes that are innovative, beautifully presented, and packed with healthful, truly delicious dishes with a flair for flavor fusion. Anyone who loves to cook will find A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen the perfect addition to the home kitchen because of its multitude of family recipes designed for everyday meals with a fresh style. It seems Mother Nature herself has given author Jack Bishop a thumbs up.

 [ send green star]

One wonders how the mother of eight children, author of two highly regarded books on handwriting, and motivational speaker could possibly find the time to write a dynamic vegan cookbook. Author Vimala Rodgers actually used her kitchen as her experimental lab and her children, who ranged in age from infant to teenager, as her taste testers in developing the 101 quick and easy recipes in Vegetarian Meals for People-on-the-Go.

The special feature of these recipes is the ease of preparation, bringing the time spent in the kitchen to about 30 minutes. The author even tells us that an eight-year-old child can prepare most of the recipes in the book. Today, many people are too busy to cook, but if they found a collection of appealing, healthy recipes that could be assembled in as little as 30 minutes, they might be enticed to return to the kitchen for short preps like these.

Vimala gained her knowledge of the vegetarian lifestyle from many sources and offers eating tips and shortcuts in The Basics of Vegetarian Cooking chapter. Tips like buying organic whenever possible, including nuts in your diet, considering bananas and avocados as meat substitutes, including plenty of raw foods in the diet, drinking water 30 minutes before or after a meal, and many more give the reader a few basic guidelines.

Informative and well presented is a brief section on stocking the pantry with condiments that enhance the flavor of foods naturally like whole sea salt, Tamari, and apple cider vinegar. The author also includes a few paragraphs on items to avoid, such as MSG. Food manufacturers have many ways to hide monosodium glutamate, such as in hydrolyzed vegetable protein, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein, autolyzed yeast, and hydrolyzed oat flour.

A kitchen philosopher, Vimala writes, "The attitude of the cook automatically spills into the preparation of the meal. . . . Cooking is an opportunity to bless those whom you love--not only with the food you prepare, but also with the heartfelt energy you put into it."

The sections on Main Dishes, Rice, and Tofu feature recipes that are realistic everyday foods for a busy family with dishes that are bean, tofu, or rice based and are hearty. Many of the recipes appear in beautiful, full-page color with attractive food styling that turns a simple, earthy dish into an irresistible course such as the Chinese Spaghetti, Tofu-chiladas, or Tofu No-Meat Balls.

Although recipes like the Nutso Pesto, Magic Black Beans, and Vimala's Holiday Nut Loaf are not accompanied by appealing photos, they are equally inviting. For the families who love burgers, the Earth Burger or Oat Burger, with their preparation time a mere 10 minutes, are both health-enhancing meals in a bun.

Soups and Vegetable Dishes provide an array of treats from simply steamed artichokes to Spaghetti Squash. Vimala views a puree of vegetables as a gourmet touch that can dress up other vegetables like baked potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or parsnips. Her Puree Medley with Carrots, Beets, or Yams offers the family chef a quick and easy way to add color and spark to a simple dish.

The family salad doesn't have to be the same dull bowl of lettuce night after night if one selects from Sara's Mexican Salad or Aloha Delight Salad, or even a Sweet and Sour Beet Salad. Salad dressing can be made almost instantly by combining the ingredients for Ginger and Lemon Dressing in the blender. A quick hand at the brown bag sandwich, the author offers Brown Baggin' It, a brief section with great suggestions for the nutritious sandwich.

In the Breakfast and Appetizer sections tempting photos display Killer Granola and French Toast, both made with ingredients most home cooks have on hand. For a dazzling appetizer, the Avocado Cups pictured in brilliant color are alluring and could actually double as an ideal light lunch or could be enhanced with rice or beans for a satisfying dinner dish.

Among the 101 recipes are some impressively easy-to-make desserts. Holiday Mince Pie, Basic Apple Crisp, Cranberry Crisp, and Blissful Brownies are winning temptations. In Breads, the final section of the book, Vimala says that breads are the eighth wonder of the world and marvels that "an innocuous wet mass of ingredients, then, as they blend and interact, a new shape emerges." She has recipes for Cornbread, Quick & Easy Spelt Bread, and Kaleidoscope Bread that are featured in some of the photos.

Though Vimala refers to her recipe collection as vegan, she does occasionally use ingredients such as honey and ghee. Vegans can easily substitute these items with extra virgin olive oil or an unrefined sweetener.

There is no nutritional analysis for the recipes, but the reader will quickly notice they contain only a minimum of oils and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes. One cannot doubt the high fiber content of the collection and the overall health focus.

Vegetarian Meals for People-on-the-Go is the perfect book for families who want to provide the best for their children and themselves. The simplicity and ease of preparation are exceptional features as are the easy-to-locate ingredients. Busy home chefs will find this book an excellent introduction to vegan cooking because of its uncomplica  [ send green star]

Combine the innovative team of Chef Eric Tucker, Sous-Chef Bruce Enloe, and Pastry Chef Amy Pearce in the inspired vegan kitchen of the Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco and the result is pure culinary wizardry. The signature team has put its creativity into an equally inspired vegan cookbook, The Artful Vegan, with 130 recipes that reach new dimensions in gourmet vegan cuisine. This volume is a follow up to the successful The Millenium Cookbook that appeared in 1998.

The Artful Vegan is the result of a unique staff that thrives on creative freedom and finds inspiration in every corner of its culinary surroundings. From a visit to a farmers' market to encountering a purveyor's new chanterelle to gleaning ideas from global cuisines, the restaurant crew blossoms with extraordinary teamwork in presenting their elegant visionary vegan dishes to appreciative diners.

Chef Eric Tucker says,". . . creating a dish is very much like composing a song. We always make musical references when tasting a dish. It needs more of a top note . . .It needs more bottom end, more bass. . ." When originating a dish for the following day's special, the three chefs literally sit down at a table and brainstorm ideas together with each contributing artful components to enhance the final symphony of flavors, textures, and colors drawn largely from the produce of small, local organic farms.

Tucker is passionate about every aspect of food and dotes on the idea of personally visiting the farms and talking food with the farmers that grow the produce for the restaurant. Perusing the cookbook, one can quickly recognize that holding the position of executive chef is not just a job for Tucker but an opportunity to express his talent with cutting edge cuisine in the still new arena of vegan cooking.

Former Sous-Chef Bruce Enloe, a self-taught wine aficionado, was the restaurant's wine steward. He is an avid proponent of organic wines and takes a creative approach to pairing wines with food, sometimes complementing them with the flavors lacking in the dish or mirroring the flavors that stand out in a food.

The cookbook's title The Artful Vegan is apropos of each of the artful dishes presented in the book as well as the attractive graphic design. Each page introducing the various chapters is enhanced with a soft, cream-colored background. The listing of recipes in the chapter appears in burnt sienna printer's ink, while a soft-focus close-up photo of a featured food rests at the top of the page. The full-color pages featuring outstanding dishes are breathtaking, the food styling magnificent.

The appetizer section features 23 amazing recipes, each offering complex flavors. Many of the starters require several components, yet the directions are so clear they make the dish convincingly doable. Each recipe is paired with a wine suggestion and the comments preceding the recipes provide a warm insight into the workings of the kitchen wizards. The Asian Eggplant Caviar with Black Sesame Buns and Saffron-Lotus Root Pickles or the Sesame-Crusted Oyster Mushroom Calamari over Burdock Kimpira will easily tempt foodies who enjoy preparing exceptional restaurant dishes. But then, the other 21 starters are equally exciting.

The dramatic color photos of the Southwest Salad Timbale with Nopal Cactus and the Indian Summer Grilled Fig and Radicchio on a Rosemary Skewer with Cherry Tomato Salad are typical examples of the elaborate preparations that are an everyday event at the restaurant. Soups, pastas, and entrées all receive the same awesomely intricate approach as evidenced in the entrÈe dish of African Teff Cakes with Fava-Wild Mushroom Wat and Carrot-Chile Chutney.

Even the names of the dishes do not follow traditional cookbook styles with minimalist titles. These chefs are proud to show off their creations and spare nothing in their descriptive recipe names.

Northern California is home to the most abundant produce California grows. The Artful Vegan takes full advantage of the diverse heirloom varieties of fruits, berries, and vegetables available from small specialty farms. The outstanding desserts feature unique seasonal items like huckleberries in the Pear-Huckleberry Trifle and persimmons in the Cardamom-Persimmon Flan with Dried Fruit Compote. Fresh fruit sherbets and sorbets are another opportunity pastry chef Amy Pearce takes to employ fresh fruits at the peak of their season.

The last chapter of the book, Basics, is a highly informative section that provides numerous recipes essential for preparing the dishes. The chefs suggest keeping many of the preparations on hand like the Vegetable Stock, Cashew Cream, flavored oils, and Chipotle Paste. Although some basics can be purchased ready-made, Tucker advises the home chef to expand his or her culinary repertoire by creating these from scratch.

Secrets of the professional kitchen are shared with information on smoking foods and techniques for preparing foods for cooking, such as how to skin and toast hazelnuts or how to supreme citrus fruit. A brief glossary and a detailed index listing the recipe titles as well as featured ingredients complete the book.

The Artful Vegan lives up to its title. It's a singular book that brings vegan cooking into the realm of haute cuisine. While the field of gourmet vegan food preparation is still in its infancy, this volume sets the mark high and pres  [ send green star]

The Artful Vegan lives up to its title. It's a singular book that brings vegan cooking into the realm of haute cuisine. While the field of gourmet vegan food preparation is still in its infancy, this volume sets the mark high and presently stands unequalled.

Watching a member of your family suffer from the ravages of a chronic, debilitating disease can be a shattering, heart-wrenching experience, especially when you realize the diesease could have been prevented by lifestyle changes. Authors of Defeating Diabetes, Brenda Davis, a registered dietician and Dr. Tom Barnard, a specialist in disease assessment and management, were both in that unenviable position.

Both Barnard and Davis have personal stories to tell about how diabetes impacted the health of members of their families. Barnard begins the book describing his sister who has Type II diabetes and was awaiting heart bypass surgery. He knew his sister's health problems were the result of not taking care of herself by following a healthier diet.

While his sister was undergoing surgery, Dr. Barnard arranged for good food to be brought to her while she was recovering. He also had her work with Dr. Dean Ornish's Reversal of Heart Disease program. Years later he says she is "living well and prospering."

Brenda Davis describes her father, a 50-year-old smoker who had Type II diabetes and extremely high blood pressure (240/120). During an angiogram, the surgeon trying to clear his plaque-clogged arteries punctured his aorta. This led to major surgery to repair his arteries. The doctors said he had three months to live if he didn't quit smoking and maybe three years even if he did.

The surgery not only saved his life, but it also brought remarkable changes in his attitude toward diet and exercise. He gave up bacon and eggs for oatmeal. Beans and vegetables replaced burgers and chips. The former couch potato was now rollerblading, biking, weight lifting, and golfing. Twenty years later he is still alive, but still faces some of the ravages of his former lifestyle. The circulation problems remain, and he still feels pain walking up a hill.

In writing Defeating Diabetes, the authors have collaborated to develop "an aggressive plan for stopping the disease in its tracks." The plan is not to manage the disease with a complicated diet and special foods, but to reverse the disease with lifestyle changes incorporating simple whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, and daily exercise. Their program is essentially a low fat, high fiber, low sodium plant-based diet.

Since weight control is essential for diabetics, the authors offer counsel on how to achieve a desired weight. They discuss Body Mass Index (BMI) and incorporate charts into the discussion so that people can determine whether they are overweight or obese and realize the dangers they face. They are quick to point out that there are no satisfactory quick fixes like pills, weight loss clinics, appetite suppressants, special diets that feature one food, high protein low carbohydrate diets, and even low fat high fiber programs.

Instead they offer "Seven Simple Steps to Lifelong Healthy Weight."

1. Set realistic goals.
2. Center your diet on whole plant foods.
3. Use beverages to your advantage.
4. Limit fat intake to not more than 25 percent of calories.
5. Build healthful habits
6. Make physical activity a priority in your life.
7. Take care of your inner being.

In designing a diet for diabetics Barnard and Davis have their own pyramid that is quite different from the one promoted by the USDA and scorned by many nutrition experts. Their pyramid of food choices is labeled "Plant-Based Food Guide for People with Diabetes." The daily program includes Grains and Starchy Vegetables (6 to 11 servings), Vegetables (4 or more servings), Legumes (4 to 6 servings), Fruits (2 to 5 servings), Nuts and Seeds (2 to 4 servings), Dairy Products (0 to 2 servings), Eggs and Other Animal Products (0 to 2 servings), Fats and Oils (0 to 4 servings), and Sugars (0 to 3 servings).

Dairy Products, Sugars, Fats and Oils, and Eggs and Other Animal Products are at the top of the pyramid and are labeled optional to allow some choice for people in transition to a healthy plant-based diet.

Surprising to the reader is the servings of sugars. The authors feel the occasional use of sugars is reasonable. They reveal that certain sugars, those that contain a higher proportion of fructose to glucose or sucrose, have less impact on blood sugar levels. One they mention is agave nectar or syrup that is 90% fructose and has a very low glycemic index.

Glycemic index is discussed in detail. This index is not just a measure of how fast sugar enters the blood stream. "The more glucose that reaches the blood stream in the first three hours, the higher the GI (Glycemic Index) will be." In a chart with glucose pegged at 100, it is surprising to find cornflakes with a glycemic index of 84 and white bread at 70. At the low end of the scale are peanuts at14 and soybeans at18.

Barnard and Davis offer numerous suggestions for those eating away from hom  [ send green star]

(continued from the previous)

Barnard and Davis offer numerous suggestions for those eating away from home in a chapter called Defensive Dining. They cover eating in restaurants, going to parties, traveling, and special occasions. They also provide a chart labeled "Energy and Fat Content of Selected Restaurant Favorites."

In chapters Essentials of Living Well and Self Care they address physical wellness through exercise, getting sufficient sleep, and achieving emotional and sexual fitness. They suggest starting each day with a safety check of muscles and joints, eyes and ears, skin and hair, feet, mouth, teeth, and gums. Also important is evaluating stress level and working to lower it with relaxation or meditation.

One of the most practical chapters is Kitchen Wizardry: Tricks of the Trade. Included here is a basic shopping list and suggestions on where to find these foods, such as grains, fats and oils, and beans, as well as storage guidelines. A list of basic kitchen equipment is provided. A section called Transforming Traditional Favorites offers suggestions of nutritious plant-based substitutes for meat, eggs, or dairy dishes.

To answer questions like, "But what do I eat?" the book provides 50 easy recipes from Barb Bloomfield. The recipes include suggestions for breakfast, breads, cereals, muffins, salads, soups, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and snacks. Each recipe contains a complete nutritional profile with calories, fat, protein, fiber, and cholesterol as well as vitamin and mineral content. Also listed are diabetic exchange values. Completing the volume is a section of references to studies and information in the text, a glossary, and an index.

As the cover announces in large type, Defeating Diabetes is truly "A No-Nonsense Approach to Type 2 Diabetes and the Diabesity Epidemic." It is an essential handbook for anyone with diabetes or anyone who is overweight and likely to become diabetic. With its numerous charts, graphs, and sidebars and easy to understand text, the book presents a comprehensive overview of the subject. As is the case with so many degenerative diseases, lifestyle does matter.

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Furhrman summarizes his diet by providing "Ten Easy Tips for Living with the Six-Week Plan"

1. Remember, the salad is the main dish; eat it first at lunch and dinner.
2. Eat as much fruit as you want, but at least four fresh fruits daily.
3. Variety is the spice of life, particularly when it comes to greens.
4. Beware of the starchy vegetable.
5. Eat beans or legumes every day.
6. Eliminate animal and dairy products.
7. Have a tablespoon of ground flaxseed every day.
8. Consume nuts and seeds in limited amounts, not more than one ounce per day.
9. Eat lots of mushrooms all the time.
10. Keep it simple.

For doubters who feel the diet may be too drastic, Fuhrman offers suggestions for those transitioning to this program. A weekly shopping list, menus, and recipes are included. The book concludes with a chapter of answers to frequently asked questions, a glossary, notes, and an index.

Eat to Live must be taken very seriously by anyone who wants to lose weight and not endanger his/her health. Dr, Fuhrman's diet does not involve any complex calculations or calorie counting. What you eat and don't eat are spelled out very simply. The author is careful to support his plan with scientific studies to bolster his position.

The book does not rely on scientific jargon but instead is a very readable work because of Fuhrman's sense of humor and his conversational writing style. Sprinkled throughout are charts and sidebars that make the information more accessible.

In a society where so many are overfed, overweight, or just plain obese, people need to be aware of Dr. Fuhrman's message and focus on how to Eat to Live.

Those desiring more information about Dr. Fuhrman or wish to consult with him should visit his website at http://www.drfurhman.com

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Nestle reveals how the dietary supplement companies, a small part of the food industry, have convinced the public and Congress that their products do not need to be regulated like foods and drugs. She focuses on the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 that she says, "DSHEA gave the industry everything it wanted and then some; it deregulated dietary supplements and undermined the FDA's regulatory authority over supplements and conventional foods as well." Following the enactment of this law, consumers could never be certain that the information they were reading on labels is accurate.

Unlike drug companies that have to prove their products are safe, supplement manufacturers are not held to the same standards. DSHEA gave the responsibility of proving the products were unsafe to the FDA who would need to prove the danger before the products could be removed from the marketplace. The removal could only be accomplished after the FDA received approval from four levels of bureaucracy. The cumbersome process led to few removals.

Both supplement manufacturers and food companies achieved another victory in 1997 with the FDA Modification Act (FDAMA). Provisions in the law said that the FDA had to authorize nutrient-content and health claims for foods if those claims were supported by an authoritative statement currently in effect published by a U.S. government scientific body or the National Academy of Sciences. If the FDA did not respond in 120 days, the manufacturers' claims would automatically prevail. During that four-month period the FDA would have to issue a regulation prohibiting the use of the product or file a lawsuit.

Any attempts by the FDA to regulate supplements by holding them to the same scientific standards that were applied to pharmaceuticals were interpreted by the supplement industry as attempts to change the intent of DSHEA. Court decisions have said that not permitting companies to make health claims because there was no significant scientific support would be a violation of the First Amendment that guarantees freedom of speech.

The relaxed regulations resulted in a boom and boon for both the food and supplement manufacturers who unleashed an array of products that claimed all kinds of health benefits. New categories of nutritionally enhanced foods were conceived: functional foods, designer foods, nutraceuticals, and techno-foods. All of these events lead Nestle to ask two important questions:

1. Is it not in the public interest to demand that there be some federal system to guarantee that all those products on the shelf are safe and effective?
2. Shouldn't there be some regulatory framework to control patently absurd or misleading claims?

Nestle also reveals how the food industry has exploited children by targeting them with television advertising for non-nutritious foods. The industry has invaded the schools with soft drink machines and even fast food items. She cites statistics showing that by 1997 30% of high schools were selling fast foods from nine different chains. One high school, operating as a franchise of a major fast food company, makes a profit of approximately $100,000 annually.

As consumers, we are all like Alice in Wonderland tumbling down this giant hole stuffed with a myriad of unhealthful creations the food industry wants us to purchase. As Marion Nestle suggests in Food Politics, we need to "vote with our forks." We need to be willing to pay more for our food, give up out-of-season produce, and avoid buying packaged foods and anything advertised on television. Unless people take these measures, they are endorsing the status quo of the food system. She draws some interesting parallels between the food industry and the tobacco industry. Both groups argue that citizens should make decisions without government interference or regulation. Both are promoting products that are harmful to health. Both use advertising, public relations, philanthropy, experts, political funding, lobbying, intimidation, and lawsuits to protect sales.

Fortunately we have writers like Nestle who can help guide us through the blizzard of advertising and erroneous information. Unfortunately, not enough people are exposed to the extensive information that has been carefully documented in this volume. As consumers we need to shun junk food and thus lessen demand and hurt sales. We also need to become more aware of the industry attempts to capture votes in Congress and push their agendas. By becoming more vocal and working to elect people who are more responsive, we elect representatives who will enact tough measures to protect citizens from unsafe food, supplements, and medications. We also need to separate Tweedledum and Tweedledee by removing politics from the food arena.

As the author stresses throughout Food Politics, food manufacturers want us to eat more, and we need to eat less.

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Though vegetarians are fully committed to their meat-free diets, many hold nostalgic memories for the familiar flavors and aromas of the comfort foods they used to eat. Now a return to delicious comfort foods is not only possible, it comes alive, this time without the meat in an all-vegetarian cookbook filled with old-style recipes.

Author Jennifer Warren became a vegetarian at age seventeen, a decision that concerned her parents who operated a restaurant that served familiar comfort foods like shepherd's pie and stew with rich gravies. Jennifer had to learn to cook for herself. Her first year was a struggle as she poured over vegetarian cookbooks whose recipes didn't satisfy her yearnings for foods with homestyle flavors.

Eventually, she began to create her own dishes. Now, this under 30 lover of comfort foods shies away from fancy, intricate recipes and opts for simply prepared tasty dishes.

While the author reveres classic dishes and foods of the 50's and 60's she considers quite "retro," she has kept her recipes simple with ingredients present in every household pantry. She also recognizes there are some vegetarian items that may be unfamiliar to most new vegetarians and provides an informative glossary of ingredients readily available at the health food market.

Jennifer recognizes the importance of mastering a few basics and provides the how-to's of Reading Recipes, Pots and Pans, Things That Go in the Oven, Herbs and Spices, Milk, Butter, and how to make Vegetable Stock.

Recipes for breakfasts and brunches stick to well-known basics like pancakes, French toast, muffins, and mini-quiches with a Tofu Scramble representing an up-to-date veg favorite.

Egg Salad Sandwiches, Avocado-Tomato Melt, Welsh Rarebit, and Grilled Cheese are featured in the Sandwich section while her soup kettles sport old fashioned favorites like Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Tomato, Split Pea and French Onion Soup.

While most of her recipes represent dishes that originated in past decades like Macaroni and Cheese, she surprises the reader with occasional hip concoctions like her Asian Sesame Salad Dressing, Sweet Potato Ravioli, and Skewer-Free Vegetable Satay.

An extensive main course section includes all the familiar dishes mom used to make. Side dishes feature specialties like Faux Gras, a veggie pate that surprised a non-vegetarian who thought it was the real thing.

Desserts are clearly among the author's favorite foods with 26 dishes to please the yearnings for something sweet and memorable. From cakes, pies, and puddings she covers the subject well, including two versions of a classic dessert, Sherry Trifle #1 and #2.

Well indexed, the book contains a bounty of old-fashioned recipes transformed from their meaty beginnings into the modern vegetarian style. Though vegans will find many of these recipes challenging to convert, there is no shortage of treasures for the lacto-ovo vegetarian.

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When two premiere vegan cookbook authors combine their efforts for a culinary adventure, readers can be assured of a win-win opportunity to experience the crème de la crème of vegan taste delights. Between them, Bryanna Clark Grogan and Joanne Stepaniak have authored more than a dozen vegan cookbooks. Now they have produced yet another cookbook treasure for the vegan table. The icing on this cake is Brenda Davis, a registered dietitian and nutrition author, who lends her expertise to explain the many ways dairy products challenge a healthy body.

Davis covers the subject well, discussing how dairy products affect those with lactose intolerance and how they increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. She briefly discusses how diary products contribute to environmental degradation and how dairy cows suffer a miserable existence living their short lives on factory farms. They are forced to produce unnatural quantities of milk, fed diets unnatural to their species, are artificially inseminated every year to maintain milk production, and are sped to an unnaturally short life of four years before being sent to slaughter.

She informs the reader about the causes of food allergies, symptoms of milk allergy, and ways of determining whether someone has a predisposition to milk allergy. Readers can turn to the Testing for Milk Allergy and The Dairy Challenge pages and learn to test for themselves.

This author, a natural teacher, tells readers how to provide the body with adequate calcium from sources other than milk. In the chapter Building Strong, Milk-Free Bodies Davis shares her knowledge of calcium, offering pointers on how much the body needs and what causes the body to lose calcium. Included here is a helpful chart listing foods high in calcium and a section on calcium supplements.

Everything you've wanted to know about milk, how to substitute with non-diary foods, down to the specifics of Dairy-Free Dining are covered in Davis's opening portion of the book. This experienced nutritionist covers a multitude of topics from travel tips to using nutritional yeast that creates a cheese-like flavor.

In The Uncheese Book, Joanne Stepaniak introduced her readers to a wealth of original cheeseless cheese recipes that have become standard fare in many vegan homes. She continues her cheeseless journey with yet more delectables like Tofu-Cashew Cream Cheese, and Quick Tofu Ricotta Cheese. We can't wait to try the Classic White Uncheese to see how it becomes "soft, melty, and gooey when heated."

Bryanna Clark Grogan, author of Nonna's Italian Kitchen, draws from her Italian roots to offer Tofu Frittate, an Italian omelette recipe on page 92 that sounds like the ideal company dish.

Hollandaise sauce without eggs and butter? This team surpasses the classic version with their egg and dairy-free Hollandaze Sauce. Some might think pancakes and French toast are impossible to make without eggs, yet Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes and Phenomenal French Toast stand proudly eggless.

Cheddar Cheeze Soup and its variations of Broccoli Cheeze Soup and Cauliflower Cheeze Soup, Mac and Cheese, Potatoes Gruyere, and Vegetables Camembert sound like the authors bought out the cheese factory to create these hearty soups. Yet, a careful perusal of the ingredient lists reveals not a single shred of cheese, and that includes the cheesecake recipes, as well.

This creative pair of kitchen wizards applies their vegan sorcery to make dairy-free cooking a household standard. Those acquainted with their many outstanding cookbooks can count on more of their high quality, well-tested and tasty dishes. We found the recipes easy to follow, a delight to prepare. Though the book contains no glossary, it doesn't need one--the ingredients are familiar vegan pantry items.

Consider this book an excellent introduction to cooking without dairy products. It's a great gift for anyone contemplating taking the big step toward vegan living. Even if you are vegan, you may want to treat yourself to a copy of Dairy-Free & Delicious. Then you can celebrate the New Year with friends and family while sipping a very special Vegan Eggnogg (page 154).

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Didi Emmons rocks and rules the kitchen when it's time to entertain! Her newest book, Entertaining for a Veggie Planet features "250 down-to-earth recipes," that take the fuss our of entertaining. "This is No Big Deal Entertaining. Add a few friends, get ready for the unexpected, and learn that less than perfect is where the fun is," says the author.

Didi, who is the chef/owner of Veggie Planet in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has mastered the art of vegetarian entertaining with ease. Her philosophy of less is more demonstrates that it really isn't necessary to frazzle the nerves with difficult food preparations or worry about the house not being spotless. Being relaxed with guests, having a well-stocked pantry, preparing tasty, fun and uncomplicated foods, and rolling with the punches when the unexpected guest pops in are the wise words of the master of vegetarian entertaining.

As mundane as popcorn may seem, Didi raises this prosaic snack to new heights in the section on Nibbles and Drinks by turning her readers on to the old-fashioned method of making popcorn on top of the stove. A few variations in seasoning, such as Honey or Maple, Asian Style, or Exotic offer an easy party snack that may even have guests begging for the recipe.

The book is loaded with side bars, large and small, that cover a host of ideas from clean-up tips and the history of edamame to storing Welsh Rabbit and what inspires the author into new creations. Didi shares so much of herself with her multitude of innovations, tips, and tricks, that readers may feel they have actually gained the password into her brain. Many invaluable suggestions appear in shaded boxes throughout the book as well.

What do women eat when they get together for a little gossip? Didi reveals that they prefer to graze and suggests 22 knock-out, easy-to-make recipes from which the hostess can choose the final two or three. Stand-out dishes like Extra-Smoky Baba Gannouj with eggplant cooked directly over a flame to create the pungent smoky flavor or Hip Dip, a departure from the traditional guacamole with edamame in place of avocado, are just some of Didi's delectable innovations.

While a good portion of the author's recipes are vegetarian and heavy on the dairy products, substituting tofu or soy cheese, soy cream cheese, and soy yogurt can easily veganize the majority of offerings. Didi favors the exotic spices of Malaysia, Vietnam, and India, and has a flair for blending them with American favorites that result in dishes that practically jump off the plate with originality and tantalizing flavors.

Some cooks consider soup as a first course. Didi, however, considers soup "the main event," and offers 14 fabulous soup recipes. One is a variation on the classic pea soup she names Chilled Curried Pea Soup. Other tasty kettles include Cambodian Tomato Soup, Mulligatawny Soup, and Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle and Sage.

Didi's reigns with truly refreshing ideas for approaching that fried by Friday night syndrome yet wanting to invite a friend for a video and munchies. The section Rent-a-Video Burgers, Pizzas, Sandwiches, and Snacks offers several easy-fix meals with a near empty fridge like Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Portobellos, and Parmesan and other "couch potato food" like Shiitake Risotto with Edamame, or Black Bean Soup in a Hurry.

Nice Over Rice is packed with ideas for cooking up luscious dishes to serve over rice, couscous, or quinoa. Didi always cooks up a double quantity of grain to have on hand for those spontaneous moments when friends drop in. She's no stranger to noodles, whether they are Thai, Chinese, Italian, or Japanese soba noodles. These, too, receive her boundless supply of imaginative seasonings.

Suggestions for entertaining friends to a "preferred Thanksgiving" or Grilling Without Animals on Independence Day seem to fly out of the author's creative kitchen without end. Super Bowl Sunday, The Olympics, and Kentucky Derby Day provide more opportunities to gather with friends over dishes like Crispy Rice Cakes on Spinach with Viet Red Pepper Sauce or Root Stew with Millet Cakes.

Didi is enthusiastic about brunches and offers seven reasons to have guests over for brunch. Brunches are less work than dinner parties; they provide a pleasant change; expectations are lower; they are cost saving; they provide an opportunity to show off hidden baking skills; brunch doesn't last all day; and lastly, it's convenient for both the host and the guests.

While the majority of Didi's mouth-watering desserts are vegetarian, she does feature a Vegan Chocolate Cake that sounds positively irresistible. For the last course of the meal, the sweet indulgence, the author suggests that you "Simplify your dessert course with wine." Instead of fussing with coffee and tea, splurge on a bottle of sweet dessert wine: whites to go with sweets that feature berries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and tropical fruits and a port to compliment the chocolate treats.

The author's intimate, almost one-on-one style that weaves through the book carries through to the last feature, a glossary, called A Friendly Guide to Unfamiliar Ingredients. Each entry, explained in detail, gives the reader a full introduction to each of the ingredients described. The book concludes with an excellent index.

Some vegans may tak  [ send green star]

The Nutty Vegan cookbook, appearing sometime next year, will feature nuts and seeds in over 150 recipes. The nuts and seeds are not sprinkled on as an afterthought, but instead are an integral part of the food creation. Though nuts are certainly the centerpiece of each recipe, most of the recipes contain only limited amounts of them in order to maintain good health.

While you're waiting to have your own personal copy of the book, be sure to watch this page for more information about The Nutty Vegan and for tidbits about nuts in general.

The Romans associated the walnut with Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and the wife of Jupiter. This association led to the unique wedding practice of throwing walnuts at the bride and groom as a symbol of fertility. Women often carried walnuts to promote fertility.

 And the Food and Drug Administration Says:

"Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."

 [ send green star]

Becoming Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Vegetarian Diet
by Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, Victoria Harrison

Product Details

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I thought this book was very thorough, yet easy to follow. Every recipe I've made has been very delicious. I was a vegetarian for 6 years before I became pregnant and began to eat meat for fear I wouldn't get enough protein my babe needed. I wish I had this book then, as the authors lay out precisely what you need for nourishment. My son and I now have a great reference so we can be healthy lacto-ovo vegetarians, and possibly convert my husband as well!

Do not stop at Lacto-Ovo Vegetarianism, July 23, 2002
Reviewer:"mtssolutions" (Bracknell, Berkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviewsRead the previous reviews for a clear and sometimes thorough description of what you will find in this book (bypass other comments of much less value, that you will easily spot). Read on for more general and in-principle comments on the text.

This book is a clear, concise, thorough, practical, no-nonsense book about nutrition. The underlying idea and the scientific ground of vegetarianism is built and reinforced as one proceeds through the book. The laudable approach is indeed to give solid reasons for a vegetarian preference, instead of freely attacking diet based on food of animal origin.

The text is ideal for people who have started to change or are thinking to change their relationship with food, who have started to demolish old beliefs about food of animal origin and need a solid ground to be able to contrast negative pressure coming from inside themselves, from family members, from friends and from society.

With this book you will learn in an easy, pleasant, and often funny way the chemistry in our body of vitamins, minerals, metals, proteins, essential ammino acids, lipids (fats), fibers. This is fundamental to be able to throw away old false beliefs and substitute them with the pretty obvious (once you are enlightened) conclusion that eating lower in the food chain is a habit perfectly tuned to the chemistry of our body, to the ultimate sole possible realisation that nature made (healthy) humans vegetarian.

Read this book and to you it will be common sense to refuse old tests and studies made on rats "proving" that animal proteins are superior (do we really need the same protein that they need to grow their thick hair?) and to just look at a picture (you will not find them in the book, though!) of a Gorilla, our Body Builder cousin, which by the way is a vegan, or of an elephant, who rarely suffer from osteoporosis, lives a long life, has a very good memory and, again, is a vegan.

A final word. This book is ultimately a guide to be healthy and energetic. But why giving up meat and keeping a little of the old beliefs and continuing with milk and eggs? Why not going for the 100% energy availability that nature is ready to give us, if we stick to the lower end of the food-chain? If you are a person aiming at an excellent health, you are missing a lot: you are giving away an outstanding health and an oustanding energy availability. A Pure Vegetarian nutrition is the complete disgregation of obsolete, wrong beliefs that, consciously or unconsciously, some people have instilled in our mind. Be in charge of your ideas about the world in and around you, starting from where it is more important: breathing, drinking, eating, moving, thinking, communicating.

Great book, even for someone who hates to read, April 11, 2002

Reviewer:John DiGenova (Philadelphia, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

I thought that this book was excellent. I fully made the change with very few problems. I did still have an issue with low iron, but I believe that is one of the most common problems. This book was very thorough. From what foods are really good, to how much, and even how to prepare. First thought was that they seem to give very limited food ideas, but once you realize that they are creating a foundation, the world opens up and grows. Very good info on the protein myths, etc. Only thing that I found very humorous was the social situations. Yes, skip that part, if you are like me, but otherwise, they are pretty funny.
Definitely the best going Vege book there is..........

 [ send green star]

I bought this book when my 13-year-old son asked me about going vegetarian. While I am a closet vegetarian, I would not have had a clue on what healthy, growing youth might require. What I found was a book that included sections, not just for vegetarian/vegan adolescents but also sections for: Infancy to two years: Children 2-10 years-old; as well as Adolescents Ages 11-17. This also includes appropriate warnings of what not to do for each age group.

While #1-Son had not switched to a fully vegetarian life-style, we as a family have incorporated a much more healthy diet, due in great part to the information in this book.

The cover says, " The complete guide to adopting a healthy vegetarian diet." I would add, " for the entire family".

Excellent choice!!!!!, February 14, 2002
Reviewer:"jemison2" (Jemison, Al United States) - See all my reviewsThis book is an excellent choice to read if you're even the least bit interested in eating properly for good health! It explains everything you need to know about being a vegetarian. I really like how it goes into great detail in each chapter about the foods our body needs and how to replace protein and dairy when restricing meats and dairy and eggs from your diet. The recipes are great! Even my meat-eating husband has liked some. The information on feeding vegetarian and vegan children is very helpful. This book would be great even if a person was still a non-vegetarian in that it explains so much about what our bodies need daily to be healthy. Recommend to everyone!!!!!

Super!!, February 7, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
This book was a really big help for me. I just recently decided to change my eating habits and limit all or most meat in my diet. This book was such a super help to me. It broke down all the facts and made them easy to understand, This book didn't preach that you have to be a vegetarian, it gave several reasons why people switch to this type of diet.
If you are just starting out on this new adventure in your life like I am, this book is very, very helpful, and informative. It contains recipes to get you started, and they look really simple! This book is great and I recommend it to anyone new to the vegetarian lifestyle!

Excellent & comprehensive info, yet consice and easy to read, April 29, 1999
Reviewer: A reader
Not just for vegetarians!! For everyone who wants information on human nutrion -- cancer patients, heart-attack survivors, pregnant women, or just plain folks who will continue to eat meat but want info on cholesterol, carotenoids, fiber, carcinogens, etc. All the basics and the subtlies of human nutrition are covered in an easy to understand book. Topics include protien consumption, both qualitiy and quantity, as well as iron intake, B-12, fatty acids, ecetera. Did you know that while spinach contains iron, it also contains a substance that makes iron unabsorbable by the body? Read this book and you will learn. The book isn't 'preachy' and is not judgemental; it is well written and covers everything you need to know. It debunks myths, and gives real-life examples of how many communities have survived and thrived for generations as vegetarians. This book is not about a fad diet, nor is it trendy.

Includes great practical info, like what to cook for dinner, how to feed an adolenscent, being a diplomat with those dismissive of vegetarians, and even a grocery shopping list with a glossary to define what aduzuki beans are and a recipe on how to cook them.

By the way, I was a vegetarian for 20 years before I picked up this book, and I learned alot from it! I continue to use it as a reference book with all of its nutritional tables and RDA charts.

 [ send green star]

A Nutrition Guide for Everyone, August 9, 2001
Reviewer:"devielee" (Buckhannon, WV United States) - See all my reviewsThis book is a fabulous resource, not just for vegetarians, but for anyone who wants a straightforward approach to nutrition. After reading this book, I understand much more fully the role that iron, protein, calcium, fiber, vitamins, etc. play in my diet and my health. I found the nutritional breakdowns of different diets (omnivore, ovolacto vegetarian and vegan) to be especially helpful. For those who ARE considering vegetarianism, there is a wonderful glossary of terms and a helpful section on vegetarian menu planning. There is also a chapter on how to gracefully deal with the potentially sticky social situations vegetarians sometimes face and a section of basic vegetarian recipes to get you started. Overall, I found this book to be incredibly informative, without being intimidating. As a beginning cook who wants to avoid meat, I know I'll go back to this guide again and again.

Good Information at Last!, December 27, 2000
Reviewer:Glenn R. Gibson "redbaron8849" (New Windsor, NY USA) - See all my reviewsI just finished reading this book. I have tried becoming a vegartarian for years and was never able to accomplish it. I didn't understand how to do so. Much of the book is dedicated to explaining to an average reader how to get the necessary nutrients that your body requires without animal products. It also acknowledges that there are some that will try lacto-ovo vegatarianism as well and includes dairy and eggs too. This book is clear concise and explains everything you'll need to get started. I would recommend that you purchase the companion cook book "Cooking Vegatarian" as the recipes are good but short in this book. I am goin to get the Becoming Vegan book next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to take real steps to improve the quality of the food you eat and are tired or "Fad Diets". Thanks to the authors for giving me the tools to get started.

Full of useful information and easy to understand!, February 1, 2000
Reviewer: A reader
This book was recommended by a friend of a friend and it has definitely changed my life. I have developed food allergies (dairy being one of them) and needed information on nutrition and meal planning. This book is so thorough and spells out all the different nutrients you need to live a healthy life. And they can all be found in plants! It even has recipes in the back which I have made for non-vegetarians and they loved them. This book is a great gift for anyone who wants to learn to eat healthy.

Nutritional Science Made Easy, November 15, 1999
Reviewer: A reader
There are many reasons to become vegetarian, including personal health, costs to the environment and the treatment of animals. Whatever your philosophical bent, this book provides the nuts-and-bolts information needed to maintain a healthy diet. As an athlete, I found it especially helpful to understand the function of fat and the different kinds of fats. Although this book helped ease my conversion into a lacto/ovo vegetarian a year ago, and I did enjoy the section on training non-vegeterians to understand the meatless choice, I would recommend the book highly to anyone, vegetarian or not, wanting to understand human nutritional needs. Food has an enormous social subtext and is surrounded by so much myth and fable it is hard to know what to believe. This book, in its sensible and attractive way, is completely credible.

 [ send green star]

This is the single best book on vegetarian nutrition in print today. I cannot say enough good things about it. The authors are very familiar with the latest nutritional studies and cover curent issues such as omega-3 fatty acids. No myths or new age babble here. The authors don't pretend there are no nutritional pitfalls in a vegetarian diet, instead pointing out areas of concern and how to deal with them. This includes not just obvious issues like B12 in a vegan diet, but also other critical and not always addressed issues such as riboflavin. For those who don't rely on dairy for their dietary calcium, non-dairy sources of calcium are not just listed, but there is detailed discussion of the dietary factors that both help and hinder calcium absorbtion. The authors avoid the errors of other vegetarian advice-givers and don't make the mistakes of suggesting spinach for calcium (because calcium in spinach is not well absorbed -- read the book and find out why) nor suggesting seaweeds or tempeh for B12 (because the B12 in these foods, when present, is an analog our body cannot use). Whether you are a new vegetarian or have been one for 20 years, this book is a MUST PURCHASE. Give it as a gift to every vegetarian you know!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1570670137/ref=cm_rev_next/102-9115891-9048966?%5Fencoding=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&n=283155&customer-reviews.start=11&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/offer-listing/1570670137//102-9115891-9048966?condition=all (brand new copy starts from $4)

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Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (California Studies in Food and Culture, 3)
by Marion Nestle "THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN TELLING PEOPLE WHAT TO eat for more than a century, and the history of such advice reflects changes in agriculture,..." (more)
SIPs: unauthorized health, using health claims, supplement deregulation, health claims for supplements, food labeling rules (more)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520240677/ref%3Dpd%5Fsxp%5Felt%5Fl1/102-9115891-9048966

Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Nestle (chair, nutrition and food studies, NYU) offers an expos‚ of the tactics used by the food industry to protect its economic interests and influence public opinion. She shows how the industry promotes sales by resorting to lobbying, lawsuits, financial contributions, public relations, advertising, alliances, and philanthropy to influence Congress, federal agencies, and nutrition and health professionals. She also describes the food industry's opposition to government regulation, its efforts to discredit nutritional recommendations while pushing soft drinks to children via alliances with schools, and its intimidation of critics who question its products or its claims.

 [ send green star]

Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry
by Gail A. Eisnitz

Product Details

Its not about cruelty or even safety, its about PROFIT, August 18, 2004
Reviewer:Schtinky "Schtinky" (California) - See all my reviews
   This book is for everyone to read, not just animal activists or vegetarians. This is a book about corporate greed and government ineffectiveness, and how absolutely everyone in the room refuses to see the Pink Elephant at the table, stuffing itself at the expense of your health and hard earned money.

Pay Attention! Virtually every piece of meat you purchase from your supermarket with the "USDA Inspected" safety stamp on it HAS NEVER BEEN INSPECTED AT ALL. USDA inspectors are no longer responsible for "Contamination Control", which amounts to debris coating the carcass such as feces, urine, mucus, pus, hair, dirt, grease, rat droppings, blood clots, etc. Their only responsibility is to examine the organs and head for gross malformations, and the inspectors are severely reprimanded or even fired for stopping the line, so virtually every filthy and disease ridden corpse makes its way to your table anyway.

A) Taking the butchering of animals away from the smaller, pride-of-ownership slaughterhouses and moving virtually all of the animal product production to high-speed, high profit corporations was a deadly move, and it is up to the working-class people to stop it.

The US is the only industrialized country that cools their chicken carcasses in water instead of air cooling, creating a virtual disease pool filthier than a public toilet next to a crack house. Why? Because water adds weight, so you get the privilege of actually paying increased poundage for the putrid and infected water your chicken soaked in.

C) Going against the National Academy of Science recommendations, the USDA relaxed standards and cut back on inspections while allowing production to increase over 40%. The question is no longer "IF" there is fecal matter on your meat, but "HOW MUCH IS ACCEPTABLE". Feces has been reclassified from a "Dangerous Contaminant" to a "Cosmetic Blemish". So has hair, mucus, dirt, droppings, etc.

D) With greed and profit being the only driving force behind the industry now, they have tried to pass the buck to you, the consumer, by telling you that the process of decontamination is up to YOU; i.e. cook your meat before you eat it. When did the decontamination issue switch from containment BEFORE occurring to recovery AFTER they allowed the feces to literally pass under their noses?

E) Working conditions in these Flesh Factories are deplorable, with chances of injury or illness six times greater than working in a coalmine. Workers cannot leave the floor to tak

 [ send green star]

E) Working conditions in these Flesh Factories are deplorable, with chances of injury or illness six times greater than working in a coalmine. Workers cannot leave the floor to take a bathroom break, and often urinate into the blood trench or on themselves. If a worker removes a carcass as "condemned", the Supervisors at the plant often put it back into production and reprimand the worker.

F) Slaughterhouses take advantage of immigrant labor, knowing they are too poverty stricken or scared to protest their working conditions. The USDA Veterinarians who oversee the Plant's Inspection Line are mostly Foreigners, who fear for their jobs more than American workers.

G) Animals go through the Kill Line ALIVE all the time, it is so common that slaughterhouse workers do not even see it as an infraction any longer, they are more worried for their own safety from dropped carcasses, flying hooves, slashing knives, faulty equipment, and inhumanely high speed Lines.

So, are you scared yet? I simply skimmed the surface of this book, and if you are not already terrified by these seven points, you should be.

This isn't just about animal cruelty, or poor working conditions; its about the unfathomable corporate greed that we the people have let our Politicians slip past us, where only a few come out ahead and millions of others will suffer. From the mistreated workers and their families, to taxpayers whose hard earned dollars are now paying for a toothless agency (USDA), all the way down to the victims of the tainted food passed down to us by an industry no longer accountable for its own greed.

Ms. Eisnitz has sworn affidavits from people all across the industry, from plant workers and plant supervisors, USDA Inspectors and USDA Veterinarians, even a letter from the (then) Secretary of Agriculture Edward Madigan (who not only denied any wrongdoing in a letter, but also unwittingly documented that the USDA was breaking the law) stating that inspectors were not allowed near the line.

She took her entire caseload of documented proof of the industry's greed, neglect, and cruelty to the shows 20/20, 60 Minutes, and other prime time media, but was told that her story was "Too Graphic" for the public-at-large to handle.

Too Graphic? We see war, murder, rape, incest, child abuse and more just on the 30 minute segment of news, and the media felt this would be "too graphic" for you, the consumer, to handle. I found this horribly pompous of them, and have since written a letter to both shows.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was its lack of a reference listing; web sources and whatnot. But Eisnitz does name names, and references the Human Farming Association if you want further information. Overall, I highly recommend this book, but don't read it before dinner. Enjoy!!

Corruption and cruelty of factory slaughterhouses exposed, June 7, 2000
Reviewer:"blackhorseranch" (Clear Lake, WA United States) - See all my reviewsMs. Eisnitz is frank and candid in her exposure of the uglier side of factory farming. Slaughter of live animals is never pretty, but in many of the USDA supervised plants, the conditions are unbelievably cruel and digustingly filthy. The workers are exploited, placed in harm's way, and are treated little better than the animals they have to process. The animals themselves meet terribly slow deaths when stun bolts fail and stick pit knives don't cut deep enough to allow them to bleed to death before skinning and gutting. And if the cruelty isn't enough to grab you, wait until you read about the offal blocked drains that flood slaughterhouse floors with blood and fecal material. Wait until you read about manure being classified as a "cosmetic defect" that can simply be rinsed off and the meat passed off as USDA select to an unsuspecting public. This book will turn your stomach and make you angry.

You have probably already read many of the reviews and a majority of them come from vegans and vegetarians. Well, I'm not one of them. I raise meat animals and I eat meat. This book is important to me because I believe that Americans have a right to eat meat and not worry about it killing them with E. coli or Clostridia infections. I believe Americans should be able to believe that the USDA seal means the meat is safe and was killed in a humane fashion. Right now the American meat eating public is being betrayed by the USDA and "Slaughterhouse" details this with painstaking research and first-hand accounts.

"Slaughterhouse" is graphic and readers should expect it to be disturbing. But it is also very, very accurate. I've toured several slaughterhouses myself and found conditions similar to what Ms. Eisnitz has described. The USDA needs to step up enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act, they need to POLICE the industry they oversee, not just sit idly by.

Ignorance is NOT bliss!!!!!!, May 10, 2005
Reviewer:Twyla Red - See all my reviewsYou must know what you are supporting when you buy your food. And if your buying meat, you are supporting corporate greed  [ send green star]

This book questions the notions that the government ensures the wholesomeness of our food and insures that slaughter technique is free from any form of animal cruelty. It is a stinging indictment of the meat industry and the USDA and if true will make you stop eating meat and wonder where the government and industry in general, and humanity in particualr is heading. I read this book in one sitting two weeks ago and haven't eaten a single piece of meat since. I could not turn away.

If you are quite content to eat the food that is placed in front of you, don't read this book. If you love animals and couldn't concieve of hurting one of them, don't read this book.

If you wonder why restaurants refuse to serve rare meat read this book. If you want to follow the path path of an animal from the farm to your table read this book. I walked away from its reading ashamed.

This is a guided tour through hell.

 [ send green star]

Editorial Reviews

 [ send green star]

Our family stopped eating meat about 10 years ago. (There were so many reasons---health, humaneness, environmental concerns---but I'm probably preaching to the converted here.) My wife has a shelf full of cookbooks, but whenever a meal turns out to be especially delicious and interesting, it's usually from one of Jeanne Lemlin's books. I can't recommend them highly enough!

Really easy - Really Great for those who like quality food, May 9, 2003
Reviewer:M. Vogen "gotdot" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
   This book is great for making really tasty food that just happens to be meatless. It is all elegant enough for company, but easy enough for a monday night. I am especially fond of the white beans and tomatoes. I would highly reccomend this cookbook for those who like to use canned beans and veggies in their meals. These dishes certainly don't taste like you did though! It's my favorite veggie cookbook.

I love this cookbook!, September 25, 2001
Reviewer: A reader
I have a lot of cookbooks, many of them vegetarian, but Jeanne Lemlin's books are the only cookbooks I get "stand-by" recipes from - recipes that I make again and again - and the only cookbooks from which I use lots of recipes, not just one or two. I've made several of the recipes from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures so far with great results, and I intend to continue. Favorites to date are: Sweet Potato Chili; Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Enchiladas; Thai Fried Rice; Couscous Topped with White Beans, Tomatoes and Zucchini; and Chocolate Almond Orange Torte (made for company, who were very impressed).

 [ send green star]

The New Vegan Cookbook: Innovative Vegetarian Recipes Free of Dairy, Eggs, and Cholesterol
by Lorna J. Sass, Jonelle Weaver "Like a painter working from a large palette of colors, a cook takes inspiration from a pantry full of high-quality ingredients..." (more)
SIPs: fennel fronds
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Average Customer Review: based on 14 reviews. (Write a review)

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Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
by Eric Schlosser

Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
In this fascinating sociocultural report, Schlosser digs into the deeper meaning of Burger King, Auggie's, The Chicken Shack, Jack-in-the-Box, Little Caesar's and myriad other examples of fast food in America. Frequently using McDonald's as a template, Schlosser, an Atlantic Monthly correspondent, explains how the development of fast-food restaurants has led to the standardization of American culture, widespread obesity, urban sprawl and more. In a perky, reportorial voice, Adamson tells of the history, economics, day-to-day dealings and broad and often negative cultural implications of franchised burger joints and pizza factories, delivering impressive snippets of information (e.g., two-thirds of America's fast-food restaurant employees are teenagers; Willard Scott posed as the first Ronald McDonald until higher-ups decided Scott was too round to represent a healthy restaurant like McDonald's). According to Schlosser, most visits to fast-food restaurants are the culinary equivalent of "impulse buys," i.e., someone is driving by and pulls over for a Big Mac. But anyone listening to this audiobook on a car trip and realizing that the Chicken McNugget turned "a bird that once had to be carved at a table" into "a manufactured, value-added product" will think twice about stopping for a snack at the highway rest stop. Based on the Houghton Mifflin hardcover.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Product Details

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The Book of Tofu: Protein Source of the Future...Now!
by William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi "FOR OVER TWO millenia in China and 1,000 years in Japan, soybeans have served as one of the most important sources of protein..." (more)
SIPs: tablespoons natural sugar, fresh yuba, yuba rolls, tablespoons ground roasted sesame seeds, glutinous yam (more)

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Average Customer Review: based on 7 reviews. (Write a review)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #530,285 in Books

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Other Editions: Hardcover | Paperback (Revised) | All Editions

Everything you'd ever want to know about cooking tofu, March 10, 2001
Reviewer:Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
         Want to know more than just how to stir-fry tofu? This book has just about everything you'd want to know about that bland little block, including the history and manufacture of tofu. It even tells you how to make it yourself. Well, I tried it and got perfectly fine tofu (and a heck of a lot of okara, the bean residue left from straining the soymilk.) I nearly destroyed the kitchen, but it was fun and I learned to appreciate going to the store and buying a refrigerated pack.

If you don't care to try tofu in its Japanese guise (they even eat it cold with a dash of soy sauce) then you can try scrambled tofu. This is a real God-send  [ send green star]

Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking
by MADHUR JAFFREY

Product Details

I wish I could give it more stars!, April 20, 2005
Reviewer:wolverine librarian (Michigan) There hasn't been one recipe from this book that I haven't loved. I found in my public library and started copying the first few recipes onto cards. After my third time of checking this book out, I realized that I would be copying the whole book if I continued. My personal favorites are the Very Spicy Chickpeas, Her recipe for Paranthas, tofu and Broccoli. All I can say is don't be intimidated by the spice lists. It makes the ingrediants and recipe look twice as long and complicated as it really is. I also love the artwork! It is beautiful and elegant to me.

Something for everyone... and then something MORE, March 2, 2004
I've had this book since the early 80s, and I return to it whenever I need a shot of inspiration to get me out of a culinary rut. Not only is it jam-packed with all the recipes needed to serve up an endless variety of flavorful vegetarian menus, but it is an invaluable source of ideas for things to serve with non-vegetarian entrees. Potatoes With Whole Spices and Sesame Seeds gets dished up with steak or roast in our home, and I have even served it for breakfast. Green Beans with Sesame Paste and Garlic graced our Thanksgiving table, and Carrot Cake With An Indian Flavor is likely to turn up instead of brownies or cupcakes when the baking frenzy comes over me. All of the chutneys and relishes are fabulous, but I am particularly fond of the Apricot Chutney with Raisins and Currants and the South Indian Coconut Chutney. This is a great book for anyone who loves delicious, interesting, satisfying food, whether you are a vegetarian or not.
A world of tasty, healthy meals!, October 21, 2001
Reviewer:"erythina" (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) I love this book. I am trying to wean myself from meats, and all the recipes in this book look delicious! Following Ms. Jaffrey's instructions, I can easily give up meat without feeling like I'm missing a thing in my diet!

 [ send green star]

Vegetarian Sushi (Essential Kitchen)
by Brigid Treloar "Beni-shoga: Pickled red ginger made with older season ginger..." (more)
SIPs: lapanese soy sauce, seasoned tofu pouches, half nori sheet, sushi vinegar, toasted white sesame seeds (more)

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• Average Customer Review: based on 7 reviews. (Write a review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,463 in Books
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Excellent Introduction to Veggie Sushi, June 5, 2002
Reviewer:Beth (Los Angeles, CA United States) I'm a vegetarian and I love sushi. That statement confuses many people, who hear the word sushi and think, "raw fish". This book offers an excellent introduction to preparing and serving vegetarian sushi (including alternatives to the fish-based stock often used in preparation of vegetable sushi), from selecting the ingredients to preparing the rice to creating a roll to setting the table. The color illustrations demonstrate the artful presentation of the food (and make you hungry just looking at them!), and many of the recipes include several different suggestions for filling combinations. This is an idea cookbook, not just a how-to cookbook.
Beautiful photos - makes me want to prepare sushi right now!, March 19, 2004
Reviewer:Miss Kitty "crazygrrl1369" (Ohio, USA) There is lots of variety in this little book. The introduction gives you a fine initiation into the sushi-making realm with recommendations on tools and products available. Recipies are straight-forward with easy-to-follow instructions. In fact, I didn't know that there were so many types of vegetarian sushi available! So, what's wrong with my local sushi restaurant? The photographs are also a wonderful asset to this cookb

 [ send green star]

The Perfectly Contented Meat-Eater's Guide to Vegetarianism: A Book for Those Who Really Don't Want to Be Hassled About Their Diet
by Mark Warren Reinhardt
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Splendid, immensely entertaining treatment of vegetarianism, August 25, 1998
Reviewer: A reader
I picked up this book primarily because I was interested in thinking about my diet. Although I had heard you could become a vegetarian without atrophying, drying up, and blowing away, as a former meat cutter I was skeptical. Moreover, I wanted a non-threatening introduction to this topic -- how imposing can a book be when you hold the ultimate power over the book? -- after all, you can always pitch it in the trash or, for that matter, use it to kindle your next barbecue.

But there's a catch -- this book is very, very funny, and once you start reading you just keep going for the laughs. That's when it sneaks up on you, and the author starts slipping in information about diet and meat, all of which gets you thinking. Okay, you'll say to yourself, maybe he's got a point but before it gets too serious let me just get through a few more of these jokes, especially the ones about the vegetarians. Then I'll put the book down.

As the force of the nutrition arguments starts to take hold, you begin to think that a change in your diet may just save you a few years -- or at least make your remaining years more pleasurable. At just about that time, your second thoughts start coming in -- do I have to eat tofu all the time? Are there any people not wearing tie-dyed shirts who are into this? Can I ever date again? The author is ready -- he provides some important insights, the frank truths about vegetarianism, and some good hints about living through the rough spots until you get used to it.

Now, you may expect me to say that I experienced an epiphany, that I am now a card-carrying vegan, and that I geech at the thought of eating "food with a face." Not quite --maybe my years as a meat cutter hardened my soul, maybe I just don't have the sort of robust sense of imagination required to appreciate fully the moral problems with eating meat. Nonetheless, I dramatically changed my diet, eliminated the consumption of most meat products and by-products, and improved my health markedly.

I think I could have read fifty books on nutrition, health, and diet and never ben affected enough by any of them to take steps to change my diet. This book sets out the vital information well enough, but this author's true gift is his ability to package the message in an entertaining medium to keep readers' attention spans long enough to have some effect.

EXCELLENT BOOK!, January 27, 2000
Reviewer:Donna Ladd (New York City) - See all my reviewsI bought this book for my boyfriend right after we discussed going vegetarian. I thought it was a cookbook to help ease us into a meatless diet, which we were considering primarily because he wanted to lose weight. Instead, it changed my boyfriend's life -- addicted, he kept coming into the room to read me sections. It gave us permission to be vegetarians (year and a half now) for ALL the right reasons -- love of animals, the environmental and hunger problems perpetrated by the meat industry, all-around health, etc. -- although he did lose 30 pounds without getting hungry! This is a perfect antidote for all the stupid Adkins/Zone/high-protein diets that are so unhealthy -- and are only excuses for people to keep eating too much meat (which is *any*, now that we've read this book). And it's so funny and light-hearted that you'll be an avowed vegetarian before you know what hit you. Give a copy to everyone you know! We're sold.


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Quick and Easy Vegetarian Recipes
Third Edition

by Debra Wasserman and Charles Stahler
ISBN 0-931411-22-X
192 pages, recycled paper
Recipes, Charts, General Information
$12.00

Nutritionists recommend using whole grains and fresh fruits whenever possible. However, for the busy working person this is not always a reality.

Meatless Meals for Working People by Debra Wasserman shows you how to be a vegetarian within your hectic schedule. This book features 100 quick and easy recipes, convenient frozen food ideas, and a chapter on fast packaged foods. A vegetarian spice chart, vegan meal plan, and seasonal party ideas for twelve assist the reader who wants to do more.

Fast meals include Rigatoni Combination and Easy Tostadas. Just a few of the lunch ideas are Mock "Tuna" Salad, Rice Burgers, and Corn Fritters. For dessert try Coconut Clusters, Rice Pudding, Fresh Fruit Salad with Peanut Creme, and Spicy Date Nut Spread.

A special section of Meatless Meals gives you answers about what vegetarian foods you can eat or should avoid at 80 fast food and quick service chains. For example, more and more Subway restaurants around the country are now offering a veggie burger. Most Taco Bells will be happy to make a bean burrito for you, and the beans don't contain lard. Papa John's says their sauce contains no animal fat or flavors. In 1997, Burger King introduced French fries cooked in vegetable shortening that have not been pre-treated with animal fat.

Also helpful is the chapter, Vegetarianism on the Job. A computer programmer, sports writer, accountant, and others share ideas on how they cope with being vegetarian in the workplace.

Vegetarianism is the abstinence of meat, fish, and fowl. Like other types of cooking, vegetarianism can be simple or complicated, expensive or inexpensive, and use food that can be only bought in natural food stores or foods that can be purchased in your local supermarket. The second revised edition of Meatless Meals for Working People shows you how to be a vegetarian when you have little time. Over 50,000 copies of the first edition are in print.

Meatless Meals writer Debra Wasserman is author of Simply Vegan (over 80,000 sold) and Managing Editor of Vegetarian Journal.

• Vegetarianism in a Nutshell
• Fresh is Best, But ...
• Suggested Vegetarian Meals
• Eating Out
• Vegetarian Menu Items at 80 Fast food Restaurants and Quick Service Chains
• Quick and Easy Recipes
• • Breakfast Ideas
  • Beverages
  • Salads and Dressings
  • Soups
  • Lunch Ideas
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Soy Dishes
  • Chinese Cuisine
  • Mexican Fiesta
  • Spreads and Dips
  • Desserts
• Seasonal Party Ideas for Twelve People
• Vegetarian/Vegan Meal Plan
• Sample Two Day Menu
• Vegetarianism on the Job
• Nutrient Chart
• Spices for Vegetarian Cookery
• Nutritional Information
• True or False?
• Suggested Resources
• Index
• Vegetarian Resource Group Information
• http://www.vrg.org/catalog/meatless.htm

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by Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.
ISBN 0-931411-17-3
256 pages, recycled paper

Recipes, Tips, General Information, Nutrition Data, Shopping Sources

$19.95

All orders over $25 include FREE shipping! (free shipping in US only. Outside US add $3 per book, credit cards preferred)
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/veganhandbook.htm

The new Vegan Handbook is a needed guide for the novice and long-time vegetarian. It contains extensive information for vegans, including:

• Dietary Exchange Lists for Meal Planning
• Sports Nutrition for Vegetarians
• Vegan Meal Plan and One-Week Menu
• Senior's Guide to Good Nutrition
• 30-Day Menu for Those Who Don't Like to Cook
• Shopper's Guide to Leather Alternatives
• Business, Ethics, and the Environment
• Vegetarian History
• Online Resources for Vegetarians
• And much more!

I started editing and laying out the manuscript for this book on a hot summer day and completed the long task during a blizzard. Like the changing seasons, this book contains a wide variety of recipes and fascinating articles you'e sure to enjoy. We've tried to include information that will be useful to the beginning vegetarian as well as those who have been following this lifestyle for a long time. Many of the over 200 vegan recipes can be prepared with ingredients found in supermarkets. In some cases, you are encouraged to visit a natural foods store to purchase products. Most of the recipes in this book are lowfat; however, there are a few exceptions. A nutritional analysis is provided for each recipe and in many cases variations are suggested in case you do not have a particular ingredient on hand.

While using this book you may want to keep the following information in mind. First, to keep the sodium content down in each dish try to use salt-free or low-sodium vegetable broth, tomato products, and canned beans when included in a recipe. Second, if nutritional yeast is listed as an ingredient be sure not to use brewer's yeast which is bitter in taste. Nutritional yeast, on the other hand, is grown on a molasses medium and has a sweet, "cheesy" taste. It can be found in natural foods stores. Third, when you have the time you can prepare beans from scratch and freeze them in small containers to use in recipes calling for canned beans. When strawberries, blueberries, and other fruit are in season, you may want to freeze batches of these items in containers or bags for later use. Lastly, my motto is "fresh is best" and cooks should use seasonal ingredients. For example, if available, use fresh herbs. And finally, don't forget to enjoy life!

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• Luscious Vegetarian Pasta Sauces
• Pasta Perfect
• Potato Power
• Rice: The Global Grain
• Lentil Mania
• Carrot Cuisine
• Bean Bag: A Primer of Easy Bean Recipes
• Cooking With Greens
• The Green Scene

• Wholesome Baby Foods From Scratch
• Healthy Fast Food For Pre-Schoolers
• Children In The Kitchen!!!

• What's For Breakfast?
• Light Pancakes and Waffles

• Savory Winter Stews
• Main Dishes
• Vegetarian Recipes From The Southwest
• Taming Of The "Wild Rice"

• A Bit O' Irish Cookin
• Spanish Vegetarian Cooking Made Simple
• Satisfying Vegetarian Foods From Middle Eastern Lands
• The Wolesome Vegetarian Dishes Of North Africa

• Halloween Horrors
• A Vegetarian Thanksgiving
• Vegetarian Meals Even Carnivores Can Enjoy
• Holiday Gifts From Your Kitchen

• Easy Fruit Desserts
• Beyond Fruit Salad
• Berry Delicious Ideas For Spring
• Eggless Baked Treats
• Cindy's Gourmet Pie
• Can A "Real" Birthday Cake Be Vegan?
• Some Like It Cold: Vegan Frozen Desserts

• The Diversity Of Gums In Food Products
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Wild Flours: Cooking With Non-Wheat Flours
• Cooking With Gluten
• Vegetarian Crockpot Ideas
• The Pressure's On!

• Linkages Between Business, Ethics, and the Environment
• Ethical Entrepreneurs With A Mission
• Don't Get Bugged By Insecticides
• Vegetable Gardening

• Cornflake Crusade
• Dr. John Harvey Kellogg
• What Benjamin Franklin Really Said About Vegetarianism
• Amos Bronson Alcott
• Sylvester Graham: A Vegetarian Advocate of the Nineteenth Century

• Poems
• The Life Of Pete: The Male Bovine Is Not Welcome Anywhere
• The Son Of Big Sue
• Water Use and Disposal In Poultry Processing
• A Shopper's Guide To Leather Alternatives

• Choosing and Using A Dietitian
• Dietary Exchange Lists For Meal Planning
• Humans Are Omnivores
• A Senior's Guide To Good Nutrition
• Nutrition And The Eye
• Are You Getting Enough Iron, Or Perhaps, Too Much?
• Soyfoods As A Source Of Iron In Diets Devoid Of Meat
• Diet And Breast Cancer
• Soybeans And Cancer Prevention

• How Many Vegetarians Are There?
• Roper Poll On The Eating Habits Of Youths

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On May 12, 1997, ABC World News Tonight reported that "people may not be contracting Alzheimer's as often as we think. The bad news is that they may be getting something worse instead. . . . This is about Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. It is fatal. It destroys your brain, and what is worse, it is infectious."

In England, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) has already become a household word because of its association with that country's epidemic of mad cow disease. In 1996, the news that young people were dying from eating infected beef shook England and all of Europe.

Rampton and Stauber, authors of the critically-acclaimed Toxic Sludge Is Good for You: Lies Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry, reveal how mad cow disease has emerged as a result of modern, intensive farming practices whose true risks are kept hidden by government and industry denials

WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING
http://organicconsumers.org/madcowbook.htm

In Britain the meat industry's feeding practice of "animal cannibalism" has
unleashed a fatal Alzheimers-like dementia that is killing a growing number
of young victims who ate contaminated beef from mad cows. Some experts
predict hundreds of thousands of Britons may die in the decades ahead due
to the long and invisible incubation period of this brain-destroying
illness, called "new-variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease."

Mad Cow U.S.A. explains how mad cow disease and nvCJD have emerged as a
result of modern, intensive factory farming. Europe has banned most of the
feeding practices that spread this emerging disease. However, here in the
U.S. the dangerous practice of "animal cannibalism" continues with
government approval.

Mad Cow U.S.A. exposes the deadly game of "dementia roulette" being played
with our food supply, demonstrating how previously unknown risks can become
catastrophic. The U.S. already has its own versions of the brain-wasting
disease killing cows and people in Britain. The threat of a U.S. epidemic
persists as each year billions of pounds of rendered fat, offal, meat and
bone meal
are fed back to cows, pigs, chickens and pets.

Rather than invoking the "precautionary principle'" to protect human
health, the powerful U.S. food lobby is waging war against free speech by
legislating "food disparagement laws" in more than a dozen states,
criminalizing those who speak out for food safety. The first lawsuit is
currently proceeding against TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey for her show
examining U.S. Mad Cow risks.

Government cover-up in Britain and industry and bureaucratic collusion in the U.S. have kept these threats hidden from American view. Until now, when Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber answer the question of Mad Cow U.S.A.:
Could the Nightmare Happen Here?

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It was inevitable that one of the volumes of the “For Dummies,” “Complete Idiot’s,” or one of the other info book franchises would foray into the realm of veganism. There is one already about being vegetarian (I think in the For Dummies series). So it is a true milestone that vegan is gaining acceptance. The publisher found a most qualified and talented author in Beverly Lynn Bennett, who co-wrote this book with her husband, Ray Sammartano. Beverly runs an extensive vegan web site called The Vegan Chef, which I highly recommend that you check out for great recipes in every category. A couple of her desserts are standbys in my home.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living covers all the bases. First there are the nuts and bolts, including the hows and whys of going vegan, nutrition basics, and shattering cultural myths (such as But You Need Dairy For Calcium). Other sections provide all the tips you’ll need for social situations, such as handling family and friends and dining out, and a handy guides to how to substitute for animal products for vegan products, including protein sources, dairy, and eggs. One of Beverly’s fortes, baking, is covered in its own chapter.

Though not a huge part of the book, the reader will have the opportunity to sample Beverly’s recipes, which concentrate on fresh produce, beans, and whole grains—precisely the basis for any sound, healthy diet.

Finally, the issue of animal products in body care items and clothing is addressed. For anyone unfamiliar with veganism, the true vegan uses no animal products whatsoever, including leather or wool. Really, there is so much more to this book than I am able to showcase here, but in short, anyone looking for a fun-to-read, concise yet thorough guide to going vegan, this book is a great choice.

Check out The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living, and visit Beverly Lynn Bennett at The Vegan Chef.

http://www.veganchef.com/

My new book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living, has just been released

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Studies showed that casein, a protein in all milk products (and even used in many 'soy' and 'rice' cheeses) increased cancer 100% of the time when introduced at any stage of cancer development.... cancer growth could be reversed as well as expanded and contracted just by changing the amounts of animal protein consumed... no danger when plant proteins were eaten, even at higher percentages.

For the first 27 years of his career, Dr. Campbell's [T. Colin Campbell, MD, PhD, The China Study] studies, exposing the deleterious health effects of meat and dairy foods, were funded largely by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Campbell published in many of the world's most prestigious scientific journals.

The U.S. healthcare system showed disinterest in his earth-shaking findings (does this remind you of what happened to Dr. Bjorn Nordenstrom, head of the Nobel Committee, who successfully went to China when no one would go to his press conferences in NY or DC hailing his success with cancer?), so Campbell pursued the Chinese government, together with Oxford University, and established further research that definitively exposed the catastrophic effects that meat and dairy foods have on human health globally.

Dr. Campbell's work was published in 1990 in a scientific compilation named "China Study." These profound findings jolted the world of nutritional science, yet due to the extensive influence of corporate interests in the media, this invaluable information never reached the general public; thus, little changed.

Moved by a desire to touch a suffering humanity with these simple yet revealing findings, Dr. Campbell, along with his son, Thomas, recently published a beautifully edited and easily understood book called The China Study, which shares the discoveries of nearly four decades. It will provide you with the necessary 'scientific evidence' that so many adversaries in medicine claim is missing from our advocation of a plant-based diet.

"Sick and Tired" and "Reclaim your Inner Terrain", p 92-94, Dr. Robert O. Young... 10. Avoid alcohol, 11. Avoid All Products Containing Caffeine, 12. Avoid Peanuts and Peanut Products (about 35 years ago, in Africa, clusters of patients presented an unusual type of liver cancer, and the numbers were very large. Investigation revealed a relationship to the consumption of peanuts.) 13. Avoid Corn and Corn Products. Like peanuts, corn is poisonous and carcinogenic. In our opinion, there is no specimen of corn free of mycotoxin. Researchers have reported the positive correlation of corn (and wheat flour) and death from esophageal cancer; corn, with gastric cancer. 15. Avoid Heated Oils at All Costs. 16. Avoid All Microwave Food. PERIOD. 17. Wheat grass is 25% protein. Has 100% more laetrile than sprouts... 23. Sweat Your Way to Radiant Health.

"The therapeutic value of regular sweating has become immense. It has benefits for both body and mind, and, in fact, is the primary reason for exercise." After 30 minutes of sweating, large amounts of toxins, including toxic acids and heavy metals, are flushed from the body. Sweating inhibits the development of pleomorphic microforms and creates a "fever reaction" of rising temperatures that neutralizes them. Increases the number of leukocytes. Need to re-mineralize and re-trace-mineralize with rinsed dulse after sweating. Don't block the fever/sweat by eating cooked food.

Peace and love,
Flora

-- Dr. Flora van Orden III was Dr. Ann Wigmore's assistant for 22 years. Dr. Flora typed Dr. Ann's books and papers, managed her schedule, taught child-birthing classes, and traveled with Dr. Ann on her world-wide lecture tours. Dr. Flora is now retired and living in Homestead, Florida. You can contact Dr. Flora at drflora3rd@yahoo.com.

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The following message is brought from http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=1928&pst=344282

Cooking With S.
Yummy recipes from the writings of Swami Yogananda (author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi) in the 20's and 30's are available on our Yahoo board

 http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/cookingwithswamiyogananda
 Everyone will find a recipe they will love, whether they are into
Vegan, Vegetarian, or Raw Foods. They are eternal delectable delights. There is something for everyone.

Many of our Yahoo board members wrote to us thanking us for the
wonderful service we are providing, and requested books containing the recipes which we have been posting on our board.

Because creating a book, containing all of the 400 and some recipes will take a tremendous amount of work and time, during this past season we were inspired to start with a smaller version themed for the holiday time. We went through all the recipes and collected those worthy of a holiday feast.

We hope to inspire everyone, to not wait for a holiday time to get
together with loved ones.  Everyday can be a holiday.

If you are interested in yummy vegetarian recipes would like to
purchase it, you may do so at the following website:

http://www.lulu.com/content/216845

or you may search for "Cooking With Swami Yogananda: Holiday
Recipes" on Amazon.com

The cost for the book is $14.98. The price includes a donation
to Self-Realization Fellowship, a non-profit organization founded by Swami Yogananda in the early 20's.

CookingWithSwamiYogananda

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);

//-->www.CookingWithSwamiYogananda.com

 [ send green star]

http://www.vivausa.org/veganbasics/index.html

The Complete Guide for New and Aspiring Vegans

Viva!'s newest guide!

This 48 page booklet explains the who's (animals) and why's (planet & health) a person goes vegan. It describes what veganism is and provides a detailed product guide. Vegan Basics has ads from many well-known vegan companies along with those from rising stars. Delicious recipes fill the side panels. Information on cruelty-free products and non-leather items makes going vegan a cinch! Complete with Boo Hiss (animal products) and a Hurray (vegan items) glossary.

Below is a sample:

Ice Cream
Dairy ice cream obviously contains dairy products, usually in the form of milk or milk derivatives. If the label on your ice cream, however, reads 'non-dairy' or uses the phrase 'non-milk fats', don't assume that this makes it vegan as these may contain pork or other animal fats. The good news is there are loads of scrumptious vegan ice creams widely available! If you find it difficult to get hold of vegan ice cream or prefer something fruity, you could try sorbets and frozen fruit snacks instead. But more and more regular grocery stores are starting to carry these vegan ice cream treats!

Double Rainbow Soy Cream
All varieties are vegan. We have heard that Butter Pecan, Cookie Vanilla and Mint Chocolate Chip are a dream! Their sorbets are also vegan (Chocolate, Lemon, Mango Tangerine, Marion Blackberry, Rainbow and Raspberry). Both are available in parlors featuring Double Rainbow Ice Cream and some health food grocery markets and specialty grocery markets.

Rice Dream (Imagine)
In tubs; Rice Dream Bars, Rice Dream Nutty Bars, and Dream Pies

Soy Delicious (Turtle Mountain)
Everything Soy Delicious makes is vegan. Purely Decadent soy cream to ice cream sandwiches and cookie sandwiches. Cookie Avalanche is a vegan version of the favorite Cookies n Cream. They also make Sweet Nothings which includes delicious non-dairy fudge bars.

Soy Dream
Sold in pints as well as Lil’ Dreamers (ice cream sandwiches)

Whole Soy
Glacé soy ice cream (very rich and creamy soy ice cream)

Let’s Do...Organic
Organic Waffle Cones, Waffle Bowls, Chocolatey Sprinklez, Confetti Sprinkelz

Vegan by accident:

Dreyers Sorbet (west of the Rockies)/Edy’s (east of the Rockies)
Vegan products include whole fruit sorbets: boysenberry, lemon, mandarin orange with passion fruit, mango, peach, raspberry, strawberry; whole fruit bars include lemonade, lime, strawberry, tangerine and wild berry.

Howler Sorbets
All flavors

Safeway
Sorbets that are vegan (Lemon, Mango, Raspberry, Chocolate and Pineapple Passion).

Tofutti
In tubs (except for Honey Vanilla Chamomile), Tofutti Cuties (ice cream sandwiches), Tofutti Too-Toos (ice cream sandwich cookies)

 [ send green star]

Dining With Friends
The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine
By Priscilla Feral & Lee Hall

“It’s full of recipes that are indeed healthful, delicious, aesthetically pleasing, and sure to delight friends or family with wonderful memories for years to come. But what’s more, these excellent recipes are made entirely from plantfoods...so you can prepare and serve these recipes, comfortable and happy in knowing that you have in your hand the key to bringing your meals into alignment with your sense of compassion.” From the Foreword by John Robbins

129 innovative recipes as enjoyable to prepare as they are to eat. Everyday cooking ... raw foods... festive holiday occasions... homemade breads... salads... breakfasts... sandwiches...soups for all seasons... classic pastas... heirloom recipes... perfect cheesecakes...

This beautifully illustrated book also includes eight full-color photographs, and makes a great gift. So give it to a friend or family member, and invite yourself over for dinner.

Price: $19.95 plus $6.00 shipping and handling

"With their wide appeal and traditional feel, these recipes... are perfect for the holidays."

- "Family Fete: Easy Entertaining from the new Friends of Animals cookbook" by Lisa Barley

"With an abundance of wholesome dishes, this vegan volume is a valued collection of truly inspired recipes for every occasion. The banquet of innovative recipes features fresh fruits and vegetables in preparations that are easy, even to the new home chef... an ideal addition to the home cookbook shelf and would be a welcome gift item to the fortunate recipient."

"The book caters to people who want healthy, flavorful appetizers, side dishes, main courses and desserts."

- "New Eco-Friendly Cookbook Has Taste" by Liz Gay

http://friendsofanimals.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=FOA&Product_Code=ckbk&Category_Code=nwckbk

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http://vegkitchen.com/books.htm

With hundreds of thousands of copies in print, Nava's books have become known for their friendly approach as well as their striking design. Her straightforward recipes are healthy, tasty, and best of all, easy! These books are also beautifully illustrated and several are embellished with literary wit and fascinating food lore as well. Nava?s company, Amberwood Press, contributes a portion of profits regularly to humanitarian charites in the areas of hunger, poverty, environmental protection, and animal welfare.

Click on the book covers to learn more about each book

The Vegetarian Family Cookbook
by Nava Atlas

This definitive volume features more than 275 recipes and simple ideas for quick breakfasts, healthy snacks and lunches, classic comfort foods, hearty main dishes, wholesome baked goods, and more -- with vegan options throughout.

Broadway Books | Paper | 322 pages | $17.95

Your price: $12.21

Buy The Vegetarian Family Cookbook from Amazon.com Now

The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet
250 Simple Recipes and Dozens of Healthy Menus for Eating Well Every Day
by Nava Atlas

This bountiful collection of recipes goes beyond "quick and easy" by showing the busy cook how to keep meal preparation simple. Focusing on whole foods and fresh produce, great meals are pared down to the essential. With this book on hand, take-out will be far less tempting!

Broadway Books | Paper | 272 pages | $15.95

Your price: $11.53

Buy The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet from Amazon.com Now

Vegetarian Celebrations
Festive Menus for Holidays and Other Special Occasions
by Nava Atlas

It's been called the definitive guide to vegetarian entertaining! More than 250 recipes feature fresh seasonal produce, whole grains, and low-fat protein sources. These imaginative menus make every special occasion a true celebration.

Little, Brown and Co. | Paperback | 276 pages | $18.99

Buy Vegetarian Celebrations from Amazon.com Now

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Vegan Family Favorites Cookbook - Super Clearance Sale! - $8.00 for a very limited time!
200 kid-friendly, easy-to-make, delicious vegan recipes your entire family will love! Want to see photos of every single recipe in the book? Click here! or Buy now

Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World - Super Clearance Sale! - $8.00 for a very limited time!
The only book that covers the social and emotional challenges you will face raising vegan children in today's society. All your questions answered, plus real tips from real vegan parents!
Buy now

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