Veggie Blog

The promise of a fast-start diet is tempting, especially when you are busy and want a clear plan rather than another long nutrition lecture. How To Lose Weight Quick was advertised as a short-term programme with ten days of vegetarian recipes and motivational guidance.

What does the original description say?

The book describes the approach as a way to lose weight, “detox” and regain energy. It also refers to years of experience and numerous personal testimonials. Those are the author’s marketing claims. Testimonials are not controlled evidence that a diet is safe or produces lasting results.

What is the concern with rapid-loss promises?

Very restrictive diets can reduce weight quickly at first, partly through changes in water and food intake, but often do not help people build habits they can maintain. The US NIDDK guide to safe and successful weight-loss programmes recommends looking for realistic goals, nutritious eating, physical activity, ongoing support and a maintenance plan. It specifically warns readers to question programmes that promise dramatic results.

Does “detox” add anything?

There is no good reason to assume a short menu of juices or special foods removes toxins from the body. Healthy kidneys and liver already perform key processing and excretion functions. The NCCIH overview of detoxes and cleanses explains the limited evidence for these programmes and their potential risks. Staying hydrated and eating well is useful, but it should not be marketed as a special cleansing treatment.

What can you take from the book’s approach?

A ten-day collection of vegetarian recipes can still be enjoyable as meal inspiration. Beans, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, nuts and sensible portions offer variety. The problem begins if a short-term plan is presented as a substitute for individualized medical guidance or as a guaranteed weight-loss solution.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Exercise for Weight Loss.

Book: How To Lose Weight Quick
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Thai food makes a wonderful starting point for vegetarian cooking: bright herbs, fresh lime, chillies, mushrooms, vegetables and fragrant rice can turn a simple meal into something memorable. Yet traditional Thai recipes often include fish sauce, shrimp paste or dried seafood, even when the main ingredients look meat-free. That is the challenge Nancie McDermott takes on in Real Vegetarian Thai.

What is in the cookbook?

Originally published by Chronicle Books in 1997, Real Vegetarian Thai offers roughly 100 vegetarian interpretations of Thai dishes. Its description highlights salads, soups, curries, noodles and other dishes, along with a glossary explaining ingredients, equipment, substitutions and cooking methods. It is an exploration of a cuisine, not just a collection of recipes without meat.

What makes vegetarian Thai cooking different?

In a Thai kitchen, flavour often depends on balancing sour, salty, spicy and sweet tastes. Lime, tamarind, chillies, fresh herbs, soy-based seasonings and aromatic curry pastes can provide complexity without meat. But it is worth checking every sauce and paste: “vegetable curry” does not automatically mean vegetarian if the paste contains shrimp or the seasoning includes fish sauce.

A good vegetarian Thai pantry might contain jasmine rice, rice noodles, tofu, mushrooms, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, basil and coconut milk. Labels matter if you are avoiding eggs as well, because vegetarian and vegan recipes are not interchangeable.

Who is the book for?

Readers who want to learn Thai flavours and understand unfamiliar ingredients will probably enjoy the glossary as much as the recipes. The book is particularly appealing to confident home cooks who like learning a few new techniques, although beginners can start with basic stir-fries and soups.

Is it still available?

The original 1997 edition and a later digital listing are documented in book catalogues, but I could not confirm consistent new physical stock at Amazon.com. The existing Amazon link is retained for reference; check which format and condition appear before ordering.

Our view

This is a distinctive vegetarian cookbook with a strong sense of place. If your goal is authentic Thai flavour without hidden meat or seafood ingredients, its ingredient explanations are especially helpful.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Antioxidant Foods.

Book: Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott
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Book Description
The mere mention of soul food brings thoughts of greasy fare and clogged arteries. Bryant Terry offers recipes that leave out heavy salt and refined sugar, “bad” fats, and unhealthy cooking techniques, and leave in the down-home flavor. Vegan Soul Kitchen recipes use fresh, whole, high-quality, healthy ingredients and cooking methods with a focus on local, seasonal, sustainably raised food.

Terry’s new recipes have been conceived through the prism of the African Diaspora—cutting, pasting, reworking, and remixing African, Caribbean, African-American, Native American, and European staples, cooking techniques, and distinctive dishes to create something familiar, comforting, and deliciously unique. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African-American and Southern cuisine—capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products.

Includes recipes for: Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; and Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits.

Book: Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry
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Book Description
A unique and invaluable guide to raising a baby on a healthy vegetarian diet. The Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book is a sensible, comprehensive, and deeply reassuring handbook for mothers, mothers-to-be, and anyone who is caring for a vegetarian child. It provides essential information about nutrition before conception, during pregnancy, and after birth, and gives a detailed and well-balanced range of recipes for mothers and for babies up to the age of two. Practical guidelines on every aspect of motherhood and baby care include: Information on all the essential nutrients — what they are, which foods have them, which are needed during pregnancy and which after, and how to put them all together for a balanced diet Complete weekly menus for the mother-to-be, for breastfeeding mothers, and for baby and toddler Ways to plan ahead and save valuable time and energy: preparing and freezing baby food, making quick, healthy snacks for breastfeeding mothers, preparing lunches for both baby and mother Delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-prepare recipes Invaluable advice for the first two years — about feeding, toilet-training, and playing with your child — plus tips on balancing family and work time.

Book: The Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book by Rose Elliot
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