Author Archive

Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott

by on Saturday, February 9th, 2013

Book Description
Real Thai has gone vegetarian! Everyone loves Thai food, but it’s not easy to find truly meatless dishes. Thai cooking expert Nancie McDermott has developed inventive variations on traditional recipes, providing health-conscious cooks with a repertoire of meatless dishes that captures the vibrant spirit of Thailand. A helpful glossary introduces readers to the seemingly mysterious yet widely available ingredients and equipment used in Thai cooking and offers tips for finding or substituting them. With an emphasis on the classic techniques, ingredients, and flavors of Thai cuisine, this groundbreaking cookbook provides one hundred delicious recipes for everyday meals and special occasions.

What is this book about?

The description says Thai cooking expert Nancie McDermott has developed vegetarian variations on traditional Thai recipes, for people who want truly meatless dishes.

Is it suitable for beginners?

The description does not say whether the book is aimed at beginners. It only mentions the glossary of ingredients and equipment.

What recipes can I expect?

The book has one hundred recipes for everyday meals and special occasions, with an emphasis on classic techniques, ingredients and flavors of Thai cuisine.

Who wrote it?

Nancie McDermott is named as the author in the title.

What will I learn from it?

A glossary introduces Thai ingredients and equipment and offers tips on finding or substituting them.

Everything above comes from the book description on its Amazon page.

How does coconut milk fit into a healthy diet?

Coconut milk gives Thai curries their silkiness, and it is high in saturated fat. The Harvard types of fat page lists coconut oil among the tropical oils high in saturated fat. That does not forbid it, but it suggests using it as part of a pattern rich in vegetables, and choosing a light version or a smaller amount if you eat curries often.

Fresh herbs, lime, chilli, garlic and ginger add flavour without much salt, so you can taste the dish before adding extra fish-sauce alternatives or soy sauce. The WHO fact sheet on salt reduction sets a ceiling for adults of 5 grams of salt daily, about a teaspoon.

If you have high cholesterol or heart disease, ask your doctor how much saturated fat suits you.

Related on this blog: Antioxidant Foods: Why Colorful Plants Beat Supplements and Eating to Lower Cholesterol: Oats, Fruit, Beans and Healthy Fats

Book: Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry

by on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

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
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

The Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book by Rose Elliot

by on Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

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
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis

by on Thursday, January 31st, 2013

Book Description
Every day, more people are shifting towards a plant-based diet without meat, eggs, and dairy products due to concerns about their health, the environment, or animal ethics. Two of North America’s foremost vegetarian dietitians present up-to-date findings on how to meet all of your nutritional needs eating a nutritious, vegan diet. From infants and toddlers to seniors – as well as the special needs of athletes and pregnant women, -you’ll discover the information you need to stay healthy and enjoy a balanced diet. Also includes a section on how a vegan diet can protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. Considered the definitive work on vegan nutrition, anyone interested in becoming a vegan should read this book.

Who wrote Becoming Vegan?

The author named in the title is Brenda Davis. The description speaks of “two of North America’s foremost vegetarian dietitians” without naming them.

What does the description claim about health?

It says the book includes a section on how a vegan diet can protect against cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses, and calls it the definitive work on vegan nutrition. Those are the description’s claims and are not confirmed here.

Who is the intended reader?

It says the information covers people from infants and toddlers to seniors, as well as the special needs of athletes and pregnant women.

What kind of book is Becoming Vegan?

The Amazon description says the book presents up-to-date findings on how to meet your nutritional needs on a vegan diet, which it describes as a plant-based diet without meat, eggs and dairy products.

This summary of the book description is not medical advice.

Which nutrients need planning on a vegan diet?

Vegan diets exclude all animal foods, so a few nutrients need a deliberate source. ODS vitamin B12 fact sheet states that only animal foods have vitamin B12 naturally, so fortified foods or a supplement are the usual route. Vitamin D, calcium, iodine, omega-3 and zinc also deserve a look.

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on omega-3 fatty acids says ALA, the plant omega-3, is found mainly in plant oils such as flaxseed, soybean and canola oils, while DHA and EPA come from fish and seafood.

Needs differ by age, pregnancy and health. A registered dietitian or doctor can review your diet and blood tests, and adjust supplements to your situation.

Related on this blog: Vitamins and Your Health: Do You Need a Supplement? and Antioxidant Foods: Why Colorful Plants Beat Supplements

Book: Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

Vegetarian Lifestyle by Abby Brooks

by on Monday, January 28th, 2013

Book Description
If you are looking for more information related to: veganism, vegan, vegetarian diet, vegan diet, vegan for life, vegan life, vegan lifestyle,
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vegan diet, going vegan, benefits of being a vegetarian, becoming vegan, veganism, what is a vegan, what is vegan,then the Vegetarian Lifestyle: How To Be A Vegeterian Bible [Newly Revised] is all you will ever need.

Who is Vegetarian Lifestyle meant for?

It speaks to readers who want more information about veganism and vegetarian living, including how to become one. It says nothing about the contents or recipes.

What is this book about?

The description is mostly a long list of search terms, such as vegan diet, vegetarian lifestyle and vegetarian weight loss, and then names the book as Vegetarian Lifestyle: How To Be A Vegeterian Bible [Newly Revised].

Everything above comes from the book description on its Amazon page. The description is short, so check the Amazon page for the full contents.

What is the difference between vegetarian, vegan and plant-based?

Search terms like “vegan living” and “vegetarian lifestyle” hide real differences. The MedlinePlus vegetarian diets entry distinguishes them: vegans eat only plant foods, lacto-vegetarians add dairy, lacto-ovo vegetarians add eggs, and semi-vegetarians eat some animal foods.

“Plant-based” is looser and can mean mostly plants or only plants. People choose these diets for health, ethics, religion, cost or the environment, and the reasons shape how strict they are.

Whichever pattern you choose, check the nutrients that animal foods supplied. The ODS vitamin B12 fact sheet notes that only animal foods have it naturally. A doctor or dietitian can recommend supplements and tests.

More on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Vitamins and Your Health: Do You Need a Supplement?

Book: Vegetarian Lifestyle by Abby Brooks
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)