Вилки вместо ножей: Простой путь к здоровью

by Gene Stone

В чем секрет долгой, здоровой и активной жизни? Ответ — в том, что вы едите. Участники проекта «Вилки вместо ножей», среди которых автор бестселлера «Китайское исследование» Колин Кэмпбелл, выяснили, что всего лишь одно простое изменение в вашем питании может избавить вас от большинства проблем со здоровьем в настоящем и будущем. Какое? Переход на цельные растительные продукты.
Даже если вы слишком привыкли к жирному, соленому и сладкому, эта книга поможет вам отказаться от такой пищи и перейти на растительные продукты всего за несколько недель. Возьмите свою жизнь в свои руки уже сейчас.

Genres: Health, Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Vegan, Cooking

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2011

About the author

A graduate of Stanford and Harvard, Gene Stone is a former Peace Corps volunteer, journalist, and book, magazine, and newspaper editor. He has also written, co-written, or ghost-written forty-five non-fiction books, including a dozen New York Times bestsellers, as well as a novel, The Awareness. His website is www.genestone.com.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS IS ONE OCCASION IN WHICH THE MOVIE IS BETTER THAN THE BOOK!!! PLEASE WATCH IT!! The book is pretty good for recipes but it basically is just a summary of the movie. The movie, on the other hand, was totally mind blowing. I am a registered nurse and I see first-hand what obesity & poor diet do to people.

I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 15 years but started to eat seafood on occasion because of convenience. Anyway, I started to see myself suddenly gain weight & thought it was just peri-menopausal. As a result, I started to eat more seafood & dairy to increase my protein as a modified low carb diet. I lost a little weight but my energy level was very low. Earlier this year, I developed Shingles. I thought, "How can this be? I'm a healthy person who is extremely active!" I have the normal amount of stress but I don't sleep & again, I attributed that to hormones. The Shingles were extremely painful & after they went away, the pain remained despite any sort of medication.

I watched this movie on a whim & it really made an impression on me. Who would have thought high protein was so dangerous? I always thought that maybe those high protein diets would cause renal damage, but many people I know have lost weight without their kidney function being affected but now I worry about problems they will have later in life. While thinking of the long term, I decided that for me, altering my diet is so much more preferable than to take medications & then have to take more meds to alleviate the side effects. Remember, I'm a nurse. I know this to be true.

I decided to try this diet for a month & see how I would feel. I cut out all processed foods, all dairy, & all seafood. Within a week, I was amazed at how wonderful I felt! I had tremendous amounts of energy, my clothes were getting looser, and best of all, my Shingles pain disappeared!! Incredible!! I decided to continue the diet for even longer! A month into it, I got my cholesterol checked & it was the lowest it has ever been IN MY LIFE!!

But the most amazing thing was that we had 3 parties over the next month & I cheated by eating a small amount of processed food, a piece of cake, some chips, a brownie. And wouldn't you know it, I felt like garbage the very next day. My face was swollen, my Shingles pain came back, & I was definitely more tired. And this happened on 3 different occasions, like clockwork! It seems the stuff that comes in boxes & bags with all those crazy ingredients are what are so dangerous to us. Our bodies must go into some sort of inflammatory mode to figure out how to rid ourselves of this stuff. Again, it's truly amazing!

One other thing is that I've been having my periods every 20 days for years (I know, to much information). It is not fun to go through that so often. Well, since I've started this diet, it went right to 27 days. We really don't realize that the food we eat has so many immediate consequences.

It is true that in this society, eating this way can be a difficult. I went to a birthday dinner for a relative at a steakhouse (I ate before I went out) and decided I would eat some broccoli so I wouldn't stand out. This broccoli was loaded with butter! I looked at the menu & there was absolutely nothing on it without some sort of animal product on it. It's really awful.

The people in this movie who drastically changed their diet were on death's door but are still alive over 20 years later. If you are relatively healthy, you may be able to lower the amount of processed foods & animal products that you eat a little at a time, but I'm telling you you will feel the difference. Eat things as close to their natural state as possible. Eating this way is definitely challenging & you need to learn to cook a whole new way with new ingredients but you can really come up with some yummy stuff!

I really hope this catches on because people are the fattest & unhealthiest they have ever been. Breaks my heart especially to see children this way. I bought the video to show all the other nurses I work with and EVERY SINGLE NURSE who has seen it was deeply impressed & they are all learning to cook vegan meals & getting their spouses involved. If people educated in science & health practices are impressed, you should take it seriously too!

[Sarah Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much controversy over this book...
Jones and I saw the movie on the recommendation of a friend. We thought it was worth trying, mainly because we have become aware over the years of how adulterated our food supply has become and how drastically our food choices affect how we feel. For years we have slowly been moving in this direction...away from processed crap foods, sugar, fried foods, etc and towards clean, organic foods. Our goals have been an improved quality of life and management of Jones' Type I diabetes (and hopefully avoidance of some of the life-shortening consequences of that disease).

For many years, I have felt like one of the canaries in the coal mine. I have multiple food allergies and chemical sensitivities. As time has gone on and our food supply has been more and more drastically manipulated, I have had to work harder and harder to keep my diet clean and have been forced to drop more and more options from my diet in order to avoid feeling ill. After we saw the Forks Over Knives documentary, we decided that we would try this way of eating for 90 days starting January 1, 2013.

We are now in week 8 and although we are still keeping an open mind and reserving the option to go back to our old way of eating, I can not imagine ever going back. Within days of taking on this "challenge", we started noticing improvements to our health. Problems that Jones has had for 25+ years have improved drastically to the point of near eradication (chronic sinus infections, SERIOUS digestive problems, sleep issues). These are conditions for which he has visited multiple doctors, including specialists, time and time and time again, with no relief. He is using HALF the insulin that he used before. I am sleeping better, have had only one headache in 8 weeks, do not get ill after eating, and do not get hit with a daily tidal wave of exhaustion in late afternoon.

We have both lost about 10 pounds, our skin is glowing, energy levels and mental clarity are WAY up.

It's true, the book is not as good as the movie. But it is a wonderful tool if you want to give this way of life a shot. The recipes are easy and truly delicious. We eat as much as we want and are never hungry. Our bodies seem to be more satisfied because we do not crave foods the way we always did before. We also bought the Forks Over Knives cookbook and we switch back and forth daily.

We will continue to monitor our health and make changes if needed, but we hope to keep eating this way permanently. We are looking forward to J's next endocrinologist visit so we can check improvements to his cholesterol levels, etc. His doctor has been pressuring him to go on statin meds for years and we're hoping to finally put that argument to rest. Neither of us is on a single medication (other than insulin for J's diabetes) and we plan to do everything in our power to keep it that way.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic. I'm a believer in Forks Over Knives, but only because I tried it and am experiencing the evidence first hand. Oh, and I put "challenge" in quotation marks up there in the third paragraph because it really isn't all that challenging. It's actually really easy...we're just conditioned to eat the way we eat in this country and most people think it is insane to consider giving up meat and dairy. Get over that mental hurdle and a whole new world opens up.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get it. Eat plants not animals. At the basic level it all makes sense, it seems so damn simple. This book is not only bias but also reads of peta like propaganda. I do agree the way we treat animals is wrong, and at times down right criminal, I do not agree that human beings are made herbivores. We are omnivores, canine teeth and all. The problem is the way in which the masses get their food, they way we abuse our power of being the earths caretaker.
This book give a LOT of information but not much in the way of solutions. We never really talk about how hard it would be for low income families to survive in a meat-free, organic home. You don't see it because it isn't economical or easy to do. We need a fundamental change in they way we feed each other. A reworking from the ground up.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the only time in my life that I will ever say to just watch the movie.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read any other vegan book in your life you won't learn anything new here. It's rehash. It's good information, but rehash to seasoned vegans nonetheless.

And, I really hate to say this, but I actually think Forks Over Knives might ultimately turn more people off than create new converts.

Don't get me wrong. I agree with what they are saying, and their philosophy on how to live is in line with what most of us vegans believe in. But what this book recommends is an extreme form of the lifestyle that even vegans like myself might find hard to transition into (let alone omnivores!).

No oil, really? Not even a little olive oil? This book is promoting a raw vegan diet with very little wiggle room. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but a book geared towards the general public shouldn't expect people to jump right into this kind of veganism. Speaking for myself, the transition was much easier when I learned to bake vegan and create meals that reminded me of old favorites. And not worry about oil. Most of the general public finds veganism restrictive enough without all of these other no-no's thrown in!

I haven't checked out all of the recipes yet (which seem to take up about 3/4 of the book) but I'm sure they're great - for people who are already vegan. Omnis, on the other hand, I doubt it.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the companion book for the film: Forks Over Knives; it works fine as a standalone book. The film is specifically mentioned in a paragraph at the end of the book and it's clear from the beginning of the book that a documentary film exists. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I do want to see it. I knew about the film long before I knew about this book.

This is an excellent mish mash of various people’s stories of how they came to eat a plant based diet, which I think is very helpful for newbies. It definitely concentrates on health (no fat added, whole food based, plant eating style), but also has sections on why people would want to eat plants and avoid eating animals for animal rights/animal suffering and environmental reasons too. Then, most of the book is the last section, which is all recipes, 125 of them, also from a bunch of different people, and they come with little blurbs about them, which always makes for an enjoyable read.

The recipes are all “healthy” vegan and most of them look delicious to me.

The Yamadillas and Acorn Squash Soup look particularly enticing, along with the MVP (Most Valuable Pesto) Stuffed Mushrooms, the Sensational Herbed Bread, the Raise-The-Roof Sweet Potato-Vegetable Lasagna, the Wild Rice Stuffed Squash, the Creamy Noodle Casserole, and the Layered Tex-Mex Lasanga, Eggplant Pecan Pesto, Cream of Broccoli Deluxe Soup, Hearty Minestrone Soup, Oatmeal with Fruit, Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal, Broiled New Potato Puffs, Red Potatoes with Kale, and some desserts: Banana Ice Cream, Lime Mousse, and the Instant Chocolate Pudding. I’ll probably keep this cookbook for reference as one of my cookbooks handy in the kitchen. The recipes look easy to make (and clean up usually looks easy too, especially the ones sans food processor/blender), which is a huge plus for me.

This is an excellent book (and I’ve heard an excellent movie) for new vegans or people open to a plant based diet, especially if their main motivation is their health.

[CS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

I watched the documentary; I thought it was brilliant. I read this; I think I am brilliant.

Where is the science? Where is the bibliography, the facts, more than just two scientists' opinion about this way of life? (And MacDougall - really? The dude profits off his program!)

This felt like having Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons coming to my door telling me how wonderful their life is and how if I JUST accepted their elixir, all my cures would go away. Or those people JP Sears jokes about selling essential oils that cure anything. I like the idea of moving more towards plants, less heavy on meat and dairy, but DAYUM, again, if these guys don't sound like they are selling you a bridge on Mars!

As for the recipes - one of them is for oatmeal. OATMEAL PEOPLE. Sure, some of them are great, but for a companion book for the movie, a good 2/3 of the book is recipes!

Lame, unless you need some new recipes to spice up your diet.

Full Review:

"Forks Over Knives" was a fascinating documentary I caught on Netflix exploring the American diet, heavy on animal protein and dairy and how it affects health. It also shows the benefits of eating more plants on that diet - weight loss, heart health, etc.

Typically, the book is WAY better than the movie - but in this case, the exact opposite is true. Where the movie is packed full of science, the book is packed full of anecdotes of different people's experiences going (essentially) vegetarian/vegan and like 3 scientists who all are heavily invested in the plant-based movement anyway (McDougall for instance promotes his McDougall Program, sells food and 10-day treatment plans in Santa Clara, CA). These people are the same people who like to say "Big corporations are making money off of making you fat" - well, hard to not think that these people are making money off of making you thin!

It's sad because the fact is, eating too much meat and dairy isn't good for you. A balanced diet is modest protein (NOTE: not necessarily meat!) and fats with hearty servings of fruits and veggies.

While this program isn't as arduous as Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" diet of 1lb of raw vegetables and 1lb of cooked, omitting all oils from your diet is probably going to drive you insane. (Really, olive oil is a naughty, naughty, bad, bad thing now?) And the "recipes" that make up a good 2/3rds of the book aren't the most ground-breaking - I think most people can figure out oatmeal and fruit smoothies!

Unless you are in desperate need of recipes or have never heard of a plant-based diet ever, I don't think most people would find much use in this. It's supremely basic, relying way more on anecdotes and biographies for random people than science. (And yes, I do realize that an anecdote is a type of evidence - but let's not forget, it is ONE piece of evidence out of a whole series of other data points.) I love the idea of eating more plant-based, but this book did not make me more motivated to join the plant-based movement. If anything, it made me think that the plant-based movement was way more "woo woo" than I know it to be.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. takes the credit for pioneering the movement to embrace a vegan diet of whole, plant-based foods in the mid-2000s. I rather think that the real credit should go to the Moosewood collective (especially Mollie Katzen) and its delicious Moosewood Restaurant cookbook series, the first of which, The Moosewood Cookbook: Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, New York, first appeared in 1977. (In fairness, Katzen and crew did allow dairy products and eggs.)

That said, let’s cut to the real point: How good is Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health? Well, for those late to the game, the book provides scientific evidence that a vegan lifestyle makes you slimmer and much healthier. It also provides some recipes that even meat-and-potatoes kind of men would appreciate. (Just don’t announce that it’s vegan, and they’ll just think it’s delicious stuff! And, whatever you do, don’t advertise recipe names like Joey’s Lifesaving Sweet Potato Chips, Nutrient-Rich Smoky Black Bean Soup or Hearty Dal Soup. That will just scare them off before they give the dish a chance.)

While not as good as the Moosewood Restaurant recipes or my new favorite, Good and Cheap, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health is definitely worth a gander. I’m glad that Amazon Kindle Daily Deal brought it to my attention.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I understand where the authors and propnants of eating plant based diets are coming from. However, I found this book (2/3 of which are recipes) to be fanatical in their position and less than objective. I do agree that plant-based foods belong in one's diet; and I do agree foods we eat can *contribute* to disease and illness. I also believe in a well balanced diet. I take offense that the authors and supporters take the position that I caused the cancer that invaded my body. I read the studies they referred to; and I know there are studies that have counter arguements. Balance, people. Balance.

[Kristle Dayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I netflixed the documentary and and I just had to order the book....The next time someone asks me why I'm a vegetarian/aspiring vegan, I'm just going to tell them to read this book.....fascinating statistics of how animal products are ruining our health and the environment....good stuff =D And you should def check out the documentary too.

[Linda Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book mainly out of curiosity, hoping for some health inspiration. As it turns out, I'm very inspired and will give this kind of vegan eating another try.

I've been vegetarian most of my adult life (and I'm over 70 now) so plant based eating is really what I'm used to, but now I'll try (again) to eliminate dairy foods. I won't miss eggs much.

I've ordered two more books about the Forks Over Knives plan (one is a cookbook) so I'm seriously doing this.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book deserves a read for three reasons: the sake of one's health, the sake of animal health, and the sake of our environment.

First, the editor shows how incidences of heart disease and cancer fall upon adoption of a plant-based whole foods diet. I have been eating copious amounts of dairy products - particularly milk, cheese, and yogurt - for much of my life and did not know that casein can lead to cancer and will, henceforth, attempt to reduce my casein intake to the extent possible. I also learned that the human body does not need animal protein and nutrients from animals -- with the exception of vitamin B12 - and can derive all of its nutrients from a plant-based diet instead.

Second, I learned that a plant-based diet benefits animal health in ways I had previously underestimated. For instance, the average meat-eater in the United States kills 29 animals per year based on his or her own eating habits. That amounts to over 2,000 animal deaths that result from one human life. Moreover, recent farming practices have become increasingly cruel and resulted in inhumane acts of torture and cruelty toward animals, who do have feelings and experience pain. Because the food industry has lobbied against showcasing practices of animal torture, most people acquiesce to eating meat due to their ignorance of how the food ended up on their plates.

And third, eating a plant-food based diet preserves our environment. A meat-based diet leads to deforestation, depletion of water reserves, and the emission of harmful toxins into our environment. The author points out for instance that a meat eater who switches to a plant-based diet can have a greater impact on polluting emissions than one who switches from driving a traditional car to a hybrid.

Think of all the money wasted on the current healthcare system on treatment. If instead physicians focused on prevention, many more people would live healthier lives. Physicians, however, have little incentive for their patients to adopt a plant-foods based diet because physicians receive higher payments each time they treat patients. That's why books like these matter and deserve attention (the documentary of the same name delivers the same message with greater visuals). Moreover, for everyone that tries to do their part by giving to charity each year, benefiting the environment or doing a good deed, why not instead make the basic change of adopting a plant-food based diet to help our environment and not kill 29 animals per year based on their own eating habits? Lobbyists from the food industry will object to this book but all others who care about their health, animal health, and the environment's health should read this book and heed its message.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am changing my review today because I've spent the last four years studying the science of a whole-food plant based diet. My original review defended continuing to eat a little meat, but I know now, based on thousands of studies, that this view is incorrect. Meat (in all its forms, including dairy, eggs, fish, fowl, and mammals), and chemical-filled processed foods, cause most of the problems of our modern American poor health, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, and cancers. The huge industries (supported by our taxes) that market these products to us do not care one whit for our health, but do care very much that they fool us into eating their expensive, dangerous products. We should eat whole plant foods of all kinds -- it's how we're made.

However, this book kept making me mad, as well. I really hate it when people quote celebrities as if they knew something more about health than everyone else. They don't. Oprah is not a health expert. And Dr. Oz is blatantly trying to sell something all the time, and appears to pay no attention at all to science, and once had a bunch of naughty dancing nurses (we nurses really, really, really hate that stereotype) on his show. I can't ever give the man any respect after that display of idiocy, for which he offered a very belated, non-public, snotty sort-of apology. This book just keep quoting people like Oprah and Dr. Oz, and it really hurt its credence.

In the meantime, I have read several other excellent books, the latest of which are "The Starch Solution" by Dr. John McDougall and "How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger. Based in science, both of these are better, although Forks Over Knives is still the most widely known because of the excellent documentary of the same name.

[Stephanie Douglass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy there is a book out there with practical plant-based recipes. I knew when I wanted to go towards a vegan diet that I wanted my approach to be more whole-foods based. Reading the first part of this book helped convince me to go for it. I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 11 and a half years and didn't make the switch because "it would be so inconvenient in social situations." Then when I found out my cholesterol was very high, at age 29, I knew that I had to change what I was doing no matter what. And I had an important leg to stand on, my health.

I love that this book has recipes I can make right away, and fast. Most of the ingredients were already in my home. I'm having trouble with other vegan cookbooks, noticing that the recipes look delicious but those meals will take time to prepare, plus I don't have many of the ingredients. Last night I made the Cauliflower Rice (p. 175) and served it in a bowl with black beans; sautéed onions, carrots, kale and mushrooms; and topped it with tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. It was delicious, filled up my bottomless pit fiancee, and took me less than 30 minutes to make.

I recommend this book if you want plant-based recipes that you can do without spending a ton of money on new ingredients and time on making fake cheese.

[Kristel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that is the companion to the documentary Forks over Knives (available at Netflix). The book did not get 5 stars because it isn't pretty and at points it seems to draw criticism unlike the movie which everyone notes is far better than the book. Still, I liked it and found it interesting. This gives you the research behind why meat has been reported to cause cancer. I didn't believe this when it first came out in the news but after reading the research, I have changed my mind. More concerning is dairy but nothing is being said about dairy. I read this book along with The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat and have recently finished Lab Girl. I am convinced that eating plant based diet, whether you go Vegan, Vegetarian or just VB6 (VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good) I think you will find a lot of benefit in health and the environment will benefit as well. What really was impressive to me is that both books delved into the agricultural industry and reported how livestock for food purposes generates more climate-heating gases than do all carbon-dioxide emitting vehicles combined. Cows are worse than cars. The American diet derives 47 % of its calories from animal products. This amounts to a carbon footprint of 2.52 tons of CO2 emissions per person per year. The book also provides 125 recipes in case the reader wants to make the transition to a plant-based diet.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t watched the movie yet, but the book was a fast read with interesting facts and lots of recipes I’m excited to try. It’s probably more helpful for someone new to a plant based diet, but still had information new to me!

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short introduction on plant-based eating, with some big names involved. Not a fan of everyone in this book, I'd rather keep to the actual MDs and scientists. The book lacks some in-depth explanation for most standpoints, but the in-depth information is easily found in other books (Dr. Greger's, for example).

Some nice recipes, I made the arugula pesto, which was a big success. I haven't seen the documentary, but it's supposed to be better than the book..

[Zen Nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to stop reading fiction for a while. I have a pile of books on health and wellness (of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual kind) patiently waiting for me to read them, so I will. The first one is Forks Over Knives: The How-To Companion to the Feature Documentary Forks Over Knives. I've seen the film. but first I saw Stone on Bill Maher's show, where he made a very convincing case for the vegan life. When Maher asked him to explain the title, his answer was the kind of grandpa-doesn't-really get-the-question answer, but the answer is simple -- mind what's on your fork and you won't need to go under the knife. There's a whole lot of very persuasive evidence that the plant-based, whole foods diet can do things like lower cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. That evidence is presented in both the film and the book, but I recommend seeing the film first. The book add lots of recipes and tips for actually living this way. If you're eating the Standard American Diet, it may seem drastic to you at first, but if you've been trying to "eat healthy" it won't. The two middle-aged men who lost a lot of weight and shifted their "numbers" (the ones your doctor gives you when you get a physical) so much that you will be convinced. And that's to say nothing of the woman with cancer who changed her body chemistry through diet and lived another decade (so far).

I have food allergies, and so does everyone else in my family, so there some adjustments to be made and some whole recipes I can't use. Even so, I found this book a great addition to the film and there are some recipes I will definitely try. But the bottom line is that this is a new way of eating that we can all try, at least partially. When the results start showing, the more strict regimen doesn't look so daunting anymore. The most amazing thing about all this is how we apparently can reverse the damage done by years of "normal" eating and it's never too late to start.

Usually I would advise reading a book first and then (if you must) seeing the movie. But in this case, see the movie and then get the book. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to negotiate the table fork rather than the surgeon's knife.

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A companion book to the excellent documentary, the majority of the book is comprised of vegan recipes, though it also contains compelling information on the healthy benefits of a vegan diet and the dangers of the Standard American Diet. I have been following a vegan diet for six or seven months--inspired by my mother's veganism and the veganism of friends as well as reading "The China Study" and viewing "Forks Over Knives." I was raised a vegetarian (ate no meat until I was sixteen), though I ate meat for about half of my life. While I like the vegan diet for many reasons including health, I think it is truly the inhumane nature of modern factory farming that is one of the most compelling reasons for a vegan diet for me personally. I don't necessarily agree with all of the claims made about dairy products or even absolute vegetarianism--there is ample evidence of healthy societies who ate dairy and meat in moderation throughout history, and I am not interested in being a vegan "fundamentalist" who thrives off of argument and conflict--but I do think that the work done by the people of "Forks Over Knives" is well worth consideration. It is a healthy and humane way of life--it does no harm.

Who cannot respect that?

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forks Over Knives companion book does a good job of laying out the argument that the sicknesses that plague modern society stem from our diet laden with process foods and animal products. The book added upon the foundation of the documentary without a lot of repetition, which was nice. Most of my complaints about the book would be critiques of the wholesale claim that humans should never eat any animal products. For example, even the famous casein rat study fluctuated the intake of casein (a milk protein) between 5% and 20%, not 0% and 5%. However, people will choose the lifestyle they wish, and I certainly do not want to reproach anyone entirely following a whole-foods, plant-based diet. For me the ecological and health arguments were compelling enough to make me scale back on meat (only humanely and sustainably raised meat and eggs) and attempt to eliminate dairy altogether (still trying to figure how to do this part). One other complaint would be that the recipes aren't particularly family-friendly. While I appreciate that they aren't the common vegan cookbook let's-just-add-a-mock-soy-replacement approach, I had a hard time figuring out how I am going to sell some of these meals to my children at dinner time.

[Jamie Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty good but the movie is much more detailed. I HIGHLY recommend every American watch the movie or get the digest version from this book. From my personal experience, I can honestly say this theory works 100%. It will save lives and make you a healthier person.

FYI - Forks over Knives the documentary is on Netflix. :)

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished and after three days I'm beginning to realize just how hard it is to stay away from meat/animal products, since I've managed to eat it at pretty much every meal since finishing the book anyway. It's like I have to make an active, conscious decision to not eat meat 3x a day! So hoping it may help kick start some weight loss if I actually manage to make better eating decisions.

[Kiki Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Misinformation and bland recipes! This book has it all!

Relying on anecdotes and flawed studies (for example, there have been several takedowns of The China Study in the last couple of years) and filled to the brim with blaming you for your health problems, this book is a compendium of everything wrong with veganism.

[Sundry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I saw the film, so it was good to read a concise overview of the ideas. it's still compelling. The recipes look so tasty and simple that I'm excited about trying them.

I do like to cook and try new things.

Made my first dairy free smoothie today and it was great.

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may overturn most of the diet advice you've heard, but noting else you can do for your health (including prescriptions and surgery) can match the benefits of a nutrient rich det.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes I have tried so far have been incredibly tasty - it makes veganism seem almost attainable (but I am a cheese-a-holic, so I don't see full veganism in the future).

[Bart Deawesome · Rating 1 out of 5]

book could be one page long. filled with anecdotes and shitty science.

[Elizabeth Puntolillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Save it for the documentary. Note: The recipe section (most of the book) is a representation from well-known vegan cookbooks.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I can't realistically eat like this all the time, but I certainly can a good part of the time. Just add a number of vegan meals a week, maybe half or so of the time and I'm sure it will still positively impact health.

I'm looking forward to making thr hearty dal soup and wild rice stuffed squash.

[Susan]

Most of the back of the book is recipes. I also watched the documentary. Very informative!