Veggie Blog

Becoming Vegan is one of the longstanding reference books for readers who want to understand plant-based nutrition in detail. The original Veggie-Blog post named Brenda Davis alone, but the 2000 edition was co-written by two registered dietitians: Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. That correction matters because their joint work is central to the book.

What does the original edition cover?

Published by Book Publishing Company, Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet explores protein, calcium, fats and other essential nutrients in a fully vegan diet. It also discusses different life stages, including children, pregnancy, older adults and athletes. The original description describes possible health benefits, but those should be interpreted in light of modern evidence, not as promises that any particular diet prevents disease.

Is this book still worth reading?

Yes, especially as a well-known introduction to the questions vegans must consider. However, nutrition science and recommendations develop over time. Anyone using the original 2000 edition for precise advice on supplements or special medical circumstances should compare it with newer guidance.

Which edition should you buy?

The 2000 edition is still listed by second-hand booksellers. The publisher also offers Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition, a later and much more detailed reference by the same two authors. That is likely to be a better fit if you are buying the book now and want extensive nutrition tables and references. It is a distinct later edition, not the exact paperback originally featured here.

What deserves particular attention in vegan nutrition?

Vitamin B12 is the clearest non-negotiable: reliable fortified foods or a supplement are important because unfortified plant foods are not dependable B12 sources. The NIH vitamin B12 fact sheet provides a useful starting point. Iron, calcium, vitamin D, iodine, zinc and omega-3 fats deserve attention too, depending on age, diet and personal circumstances.

A vegan diet can be varied and satisfying, but pregnancy, childhood and medical conditions may warrant advice tailored by a healthcare professional or registered dietitian. That is compatible with the book’s practical, educational approach.

Our view

For anyone serious about understanding rather than merely trying vegan food, the authors’ work is useful. Choose the later edition if you want current breadth, and keep the original on your shelf as an influential earlier guide.

Related: Vitamins and Your Health.

Book: Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina
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Going vegetarian or vegan often starts with very practical questions: What do you eat for breakfast? What replaces meat in a weekday dinner? How do you get enough protein? Vegetarian Lifestyle was marketed as an all-in-one guide to answering those questions.

What does the original listing promise?

The surviving description is mostly a long list of search terms about vegetarianism, vegan diets, weight loss and the differences between vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. It calls the book Vegetarian Lifestyle: How To Be A Vegeterian Bible [Newly Revised], but gives little information about chapters, recipes or the author’s credentials. That promotional wording is not evidence of the book’s quality.

Vegetarian and vegan are not quite the same

Vegetarians generally avoid meat and fish, while some still eat eggs and dairy. Vegans avoid animal-derived foods altogether. Either pattern can include a wide range of meals, from vegetables and beans to processed convenience foods. The nutritional quality depends on the choices you make, not simply on the label.

A realistic way to begin

Start with dishes you already enjoy: lentil bolognese, chickpea curry, bean chilli or tofu stir-fry. Replace one or two meals at a time, learn a few reliable recipes and stock your kitchen with lentils, tinned beans, whole grains, nuts and frozen vegetables. This usually feels more manageable than buying an entirely new pantry overnight.

If you choose a fully vegan diet, make vitamin B12 part of your plan rather than an afterthought. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements explains which foods contain B12 and why fortified foods and supplements are important for people who avoid animal products.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Diet and Fitness and Vitamins and Your Health.

Book: Vegetarian Lifestyle
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The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O’Brien speaks to a familiar kitchen challenge: cooking satisfying food when you avoid both animal products and gluten. Rather than treating those restrictions as a reason to eat bland meals, O’Brien assembles a collection of everyday recipes and practical cooking advice.

What is inside the book?

The publisher describes more than 150 gluten-free, vegan recipes, alongside tips for sourcing ingredients, preparing foods efficiently and navigating dietary restrictions. The book was published in 2007, so its broad approach remains recognizable even though product availability and nutritional guidance have evolved. It is primarily a cookbook, not a medical reference.

Who is it most useful for?

People who enjoy plant-based meals but need to avoid gluten may appreciate having one cookbook that addresses both needs. Recipes and pantry ideas can be especially useful when you are tired of modifying standard recipes at the last minute. Readers who simply want to try more vegetable-centred dishes may also find inspiration.

Does gluten-free automatically mean healthier?

No. Gluten is essential to avoid for people with coeliac disease, but a gluten-free label is not a general guarantee of better nutrition. The US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) notes that people who do not have a medical reason to avoid gluten generally do not gain proven health benefits from doing so. Some gluten-free packaged foods are low in fibre or high in sugar.

For people with coeliac disease, cross-contact matters as much as recipe ingredients: sauces, seasonings, shared chopping boards and cooking equipment may introduce gluten. If you suspect coeliac disease, seek testing before cutting gluten out, because doing so can affect test results.

Is a gluten-free vegan diet nutritionally complete?

It can be planned to provide adequate nutrition, but it takes some attention. Include naturally gluten-free grains such as rice and quinoa, beans or tofu for protein, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. People eating fully vegan diets need a dependable vitamin B12 source; iron, calcium, vitamin D and iodine are also worth considering according to individual needs.

Our view

This remains an interesting specialist cookbook, particularly if you want recipes rather than another explanation of food restrictions. As with any older title, consider current advice on food labelling and allergies alongside the recipes.

Related reading: Vitamins and Your Health.

Book: The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O’Brien
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Book Description
Exercise, train, and compete at your best on a vegetarian diet.

Few segments of the population are more mindful of their food intake than athletes and vegetarians. This book combines the unique demands of sports with a healthy vegetarian diet that can help you build energy and endurance and reduce body fat. Whether you are carbo-loading before a marathon or fine-tuning nutrition to get the most out of your workout, registered dietitian and elite vegetarian athlete Lisa Dorfman provides step-by-step information on how to customize your own sport-specific nutrition program and calculate a personal dietary plan for training The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide includes personal stories of athletes who have made the switch to vegetarian diets from football players and wrestlers to ice skaters and marathoners, some of whom have beaten life-threatening illnesses with the help of this lifestyle. Lisa Dorfman provides a rich array of tasty and diverse vegetarian recipes, menus, easy-to-use charts, and food guides for vegetarians of all types, from the semi-vegetarian to the fruitarian. She also shares the training secrets of seventeen Olympic and world-class athletes who have used their vegetarian diets to achieve peak performance in their careers and optimum health in their lives.

Book: The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide by Lisa Dorfman
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Book Description
This beautiful follow-up to Anupy Singla’s widely praised first cookbook, the Indian Slow Cooker, is a unique guide to preparing favorite recipes from the Indian tradition using entirely vegan ingredients. Featuring more than 50 recipes, and illustrated with color photography throughout, these great recipes are all prepared in healthful versions that use vegan alternatives to rich cream, butter, and meat. The result is a terrific addition to the culinary resources of any cook interested in either vegan or Indian cuisine.

Singla–a mother of two, Indian emigre, and former TV news journalist–has a distinctive style and voice that brings alive her passion for easy, authentic Indian food. Some of these recipes were developed by her mother through the years, but many Singla developed herself, including fusion recipes that pull together diverse traditions from across the Indian subcontinent. She shows the busy, harried family that cooking healthy is simple and that cooking Indian is just a matter of understanding a few key spices.

As Singla sees it, acquiring and using the proper spices is the key to preparing her healthful recipes at home. Singla has recently brought to market her own line of traditional Indian spice trays (also known as a masala dabba), which is being sold by retail outlets like Williams-Sonoma. Vegan Indian Cooking builds off of Singla’s vast expertise in simplifying and perfecting Indian spices and unique, custom spice blends, making delicious Indian cooking accessible to even the most hurried home chef.

Book: Vegan Indian Cooking by Anupy Singla
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