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The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family
The Vegetarian Way is the vegetarian bible. It is an authoritative, comprehensive, single-source reference book for the growing number of people who are embracing a vegetarian diet, as well as for more than 12 million Americans who are already committed vegetarians.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 24, 2026
This book is relevant, especially considering the huge wave of propaganda with high protein, low carb diets now(Montignac, etc.). If for example one reads Diet for a New America and doesn't want to contribute to animal suffering this would be a good book to follow to stay healthy. However, the absolute best on the subject is Michael Greger's How Not to Diet. He takes it a step further in scientific analysis (veganism, not vegetarianism).
July 30, 2024
AN EXCELLENT, COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF VEGANISM
Husband-and-wife team Virginia and Mark Messina have written a number of other books, such as 'Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet,' 'The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications, 'The Simple Soybean and Your Health,' etc.
They wrote in the Introduction to this 1996 book, "We expect that our readers will approach this book from varied perspectives. Perhaps you are a new vegetarian... Or maybe you had absolutely no interest in a vegetarian diet until last week when your sixteen-year old daughter arrived home for dinner... and announced that she had gone meatless. Finally, you may be looking to cut down on your meat intake... as a way to improve your health... We bring a dual perspective to the subject. First, we are professional nutritionists---a registered dietitian and a Ph.D. in nutrition---who have chosen to make vegetarian diet our area of expertise."
They note, "A raw-foods diet is similar to a natural-hygiene diet except that the emphasis is on consuming only uncooked foods... One underlying belief is that this is the natural diet of humans, since it is certainly our original diet, consumed for many thousands of years before fire was discovered... There is certainly some merit in raw foods, since cooking does destroy nutrients. However, eating foods also makes them more easily digested and destroys antinutritional factors." (Pg. 24-25)
They observe, "The popular image of a farm is that of a peaceful hillside dotted with contented animals---calves frolicking with each other and nuzzling their mothers, or pigs rooting in the earth or rolling happily in barnyard mud, and a group of busy chickens, clucking and scolding and strutting around the barnyard. The reality is that many food animals never see the outdoors, and most suffer much painful and uncomfortable treatment during their lives." (Pg. 56)
They admit that in Frances Moore Lappe's book Diet for a Small Planet, "she made one mistake... She taught that in order to achieve adequate protein intake from plant foods, one had to eat them in certain combinations... In the tenth anniversary edition to her book she corrected earlier ideas about protein combining..." (Pg. 81)
They note, "Vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians is a controversial issue. Some scientists feel that overt B12 deficiency is a rarity or that most or all cases are due to absorption problems... But other scientists feel that B12 deficiency may be more common than we think... mild B12 deficiency can go undetected... we think vegans should not be too complacent about vitamin B12." (Pg. 104) But they add, "what we know about B12 SUPPORTS the case for a vegan diet... our system can get by on very little B12. This suggests that our 'natural' diet was quite low in this vitamin... But as the food supply and our lifestyle change, we need to consider new sources. For vegans, this simply means consuming foods that are fortified with vitamin B12 or using a supplement. If B12 is an issue for vegans, it is one that is easily resolved." (Pg. 106)
I don't know that "If you could only read one book" is ever applicable, but this book certainly comes close to that ideal.
Husband-and-wife team Virginia and Mark Messina have written a number of other books, such as 'Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet,' 'The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications, 'The Simple Soybean and Your Health,' etc.
They wrote in the Introduction to this 1996 book, "We expect that our readers will approach this book from varied perspectives. Perhaps you are a new vegetarian... Or maybe you had absolutely no interest in a vegetarian diet until last week when your sixteen-year old daughter arrived home for dinner... and announced that she had gone meatless. Finally, you may be looking to cut down on your meat intake... as a way to improve your health... We bring a dual perspective to the subject. First, we are professional nutritionists---a registered dietitian and a Ph.D. in nutrition---who have chosen to make vegetarian diet our area of expertise."
They note, "A raw-foods diet is similar to a natural-hygiene diet except that the emphasis is on consuming only uncooked foods... One underlying belief is that this is the natural diet of humans, since it is certainly our original diet, consumed for many thousands of years before fire was discovered... There is certainly some merit in raw foods, since cooking does destroy nutrients. However, eating foods also makes them more easily digested and destroys antinutritional factors." (Pg. 24-25)
They observe, "The popular image of a farm is that of a peaceful hillside dotted with contented animals---calves frolicking with each other and nuzzling their mothers, or pigs rooting in the earth or rolling happily in barnyard mud, and a group of busy chickens, clucking and scolding and strutting around the barnyard. The reality is that many food animals never see the outdoors, and most suffer much painful and uncomfortable treatment during their lives." (Pg. 56)
They admit that in Frances Moore Lappe's book Diet for a Small Planet, "she made one mistake... She taught that in order to achieve adequate protein intake from plant foods, one had to eat them in certain combinations... In the tenth anniversary edition to her book she corrected earlier ideas about protein combining..." (Pg. 81)
They note, "Vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians is a controversial issue. Some scientists feel that overt B12 deficiency is a rarity or that most or all cases are due to absorption problems... But other scientists feel that B12 deficiency may be more common than we think... mild B12 deficiency can go undetected... we think vegans should not be too complacent about vitamin B12." (Pg. 104) But they add, "what we know about B12 SUPPORTS the case for a vegan diet... our system can get by on very little B12. This suggests that our 'natural' diet was quite low in this vitamin... But as the food supply and our lifestyle change, we need to consider new sources. For vegans, this simply means consuming foods that are fortified with vitamin B12 or using a supplement. If B12 is an issue for vegans, it is one that is easily resolved." (Pg. 106)
I don't know that "If you could only read one book" is ever applicable, but this book certainly comes close to that ideal.
May 8, 2022
The Vegetarian Way is an excellent book to keep in your library if you are a vegetarian or thinking about becoming a vegetarian. It was recommended in a fantastic vegetarian cookbook by Lemlin, Simple Vegetarian Pleasures. Although I have read many books regarding vegetarianism or healthy living over the years, this book was a very comprehensive guide regarding the nutritional aspects of eating a vegetarian diet. And, most importantly, it is easy reading.
It has chapters on vitamins and minerals with detailed nutritional recommendations for each, but also chapters on vegetarianism as it relates to diabetes, calcium deficiency, weight loss, etc. The book details pantry stocking, menu planning, diet while traveling, and finishes with some recipes to get you started. This would be a fantastic gift to anyone who is thinking about going vegetarian or a book for your own library, if you are already a vegetarian, to use as a reference. One of the best things about this book is it's lack of "preaching". Gentle, authoritative, scientific guidance leading you to success with your vegetarian diet.
It has chapters on vitamins and minerals with detailed nutritional recommendations for each, but also chapters on vegetarianism as it relates to diabetes, calcium deficiency, weight loss, etc. The book details pantry stocking, menu planning, diet while traveling, and finishes with some recipes to get you started. This would be a fantastic gift to anyone who is thinking about going vegetarian or a book for your own library, if you are already a vegetarian, to use as a reference. One of the best things about this book is it's lack of "preaching". Gentle, authoritative, scientific guidance leading you to success with your vegetarian diet.
stopped-reading
December 2, 2014Haven't finished it - mostly because it's one of those books you don't read front-to-back, but also because it's almost twenty years old. Very good, though! I appreciate the authors' frankness and knowledge about nutrition and some history around food. Didn't realize how many athletes eat a vegetarian diet. I also learned that meat-eating is an expensive way to get protein and (for the most part) humans haven't eaten much of it in the past. Many people get by just fine without consuming animal flesh - and may be healthier for it. But that's all I'll say for now. Check out The Omnivore's Dilemma (which isn't about vegetarianism, by the way) if you're looking for an awesome book about food in America. I learned a ton and enjoyed the read.
April 1, 2008
This is a very readable and comprehensive vegetarian nutrition guide. The only downside is that it's now over 10 years old. I'd love to see this book updated with the latest research. Regardless, the basic concepts are sound making this a good guide for people wanting to learn more about planning a healthy vegetarian diet.
July 4, 2012
Very informative, but quite dry and a bit outdated.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews