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The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life
Lose weight, increase energy, and boost your immunity―without giving up meat! "With her flexible mix-and-match plans, Dawn Jackson Blatner gives us a smart new approach to cooking and eating."
--Joy Bauer, M.S., RD, CDN, "Today" show dietitian and bestselling author of Joy Bauer's Food Cures " The Flexitarian Diet is a fresh approach to eating that's balanced, smart, and completely do-able."
--Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network's "Healthy Appetite" and author of The Food You Crave "Offers a comprehensive, simple-to-follow approach to flexitarian eating--the most modern, adaptable, delicious way to eat out there."
--Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, senior food and nutrition editor of Health magazine "It's about time someone told consumers interested in taking control of their weight and health how to get the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle without having to cut meat completely out of their life."
--Byrd Schas, senior health producer, New Media, Lifetime Entertainment Services Introducing the flexible way to eat healthy, slim down, and feel great! "Flexitarianism" is the hot new term for healthy dieting that minimizes meat without excluding it altogether. This ingenious plan from a high-profile nutritionist shows you how to use "flexfoods" to get the necessary protein and nutrients--with just a little meat for those who crave it. As the name implies, it’s all about flexibility, giving you a range of options: flexible meal plans, meat-substitute recipes, and weight loss tips. Plus: it’s a great way to introduce the benefits of vegetarianism into your family's lifestyle. Enjoy these Five Flex Food Groups: Flex Food Group One: Meat Alternatives (Beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and seeds; Vegetarian versions of meats; Tofu; Eggs)
Flex Food Group Two: Vegetables and Fruits
Flex Food Group Three: Grains (Barley, corn, millet, oat, quinoa, rice, wheat, pasta)
Flex Food Group Four: Dairy
Flex Food Group Five: Natural flavor-enhancers (Spices, buttermilk ranch, chili powder, cinnamon, Italian seasoning, herbs; Fats, oils, butter spreads; Sweeteners, granulated sugars, honey, chocolate; Ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, vinegars, low-fat sour cream)
--Joy Bauer, M.S., RD, CDN, "Today" show dietitian and bestselling author of Joy Bauer's Food Cures " The Flexitarian Diet is a fresh approach to eating that's balanced, smart, and completely do-able."
--Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network's "Healthy Appetite" and author of The Food You Crave "Offers a comprehensive, simple-to-follow approach to flexitarian eating--the most modern, adaptable, delicious way to eat out there."
--Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, senior food and nutrition editor of Health magazine "It's about time someone told consumers interested in taking control of their weight and health how to get the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle without having to cut meat completely out of their life."
--Byrd Schas, senior health producer, New Media, Lifetime Entertainment Services Introducing the flexible way to eat healthy, slim down, and feel great! "Flexitarianism" is the hot new term for healthy dieting that minimizes meat without excluding it altogether. This ingenious plan from a high-profile nutritionist shows you how to use "flexfoods" to get the necessary protein and nutrients--with just a little meat for those who crave it. As the name implies, it’s all about flexibility, giving you a range of options: flexible meal plans, meat-substitute recipes, and weight loss tips. Plus: it’s a great way to introduce the benefits of vegetarianism into your family's lifestyle. Enjoy these Five Flex Food Groups: Flex Food Group One: Meat Alternatives (Beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and seeds; Vegetarian versions of meats; Tofu; Eggs)
Flex Food Group Two: Vegetables and Fruits
Flex Food Group Three: Grains (Barley, corn, millet, oat, quinoa, rice, wheat, pasta)
Flex Food Group Four: Dairy
Flex Food Group Five: Natural flavor-enhancers (Spices, buttermilk ranch, chili powder, cinnamon, Italian seasoning, herbs; Fats, oils, butter spreads; Sweeteners, granulated sugars, honey, chocolate; Ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, vinegars, low-fat sour cream)
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
223 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 27, 2012
On a whim, I decided one day to try this New Age vegan diet thing for about a week to see how I like it. It seemed like an appropriate--and the easiest--time to pursue a vegan diet as it's summer and there's no better time for fresh produce than now. Plus, it's beach weather.
So I tried it for a week.
It was not fun.
On principle, the prospect of cutting out whole food groups makes me nervous. No meat, fish, animal byproducts (cheese, milk, eggs, etc.) at all? OMG, who are these people and how do they do this??
The Flexitarian Diet offers a more "middle ground" perspective on going vegan (or vegetarian). The idea revolves around adding more into your diet, rather than taking out. I can eat more now? Sign me up!
In practice, the idea is simple: consider your normal diet, and add in more plant-based foods. To make room for the increase in greens, you will gradually eat less meat and animal byproducts. According to the book, plant-based foods are the healthiest things you can eat and incorporating more into your diet will result in tremendous health benefits. You can still enjoy that steak dinner, but make it a splurge, rather than a regular. On other days, replace meat for legumes and tofu as a source of protein.
Over half of the book contains recipes for easing into and maintaining this sort of lifestyle. The recipes are very simplistic, often needing just a handful of ingredients, and very easy to make. Good when you're in a rush, not so great when you're trying to impress a dinner crowd.
What did bother me about this book was that the writing was repetitive, the ideas weren't super groundbreaking, and there were no pictures. *gasp* I kind of regret paying for a book whose ideas could be explained just as easily with Google searches, and also for the very tame recipes. It's as if the author couldn't decide whether to make this a diet book or a cook book, so instead decided to make it both by cutting out some vital parts.
Overall, though, I think the author makes a lot of valid points for switching over to a plant-based diet, and I like that her book acts as a bridge between a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet. 3 stars for motivating me to eat more greens, though I strongly suggest you flip through the book first before buying. In my opinion, it would be more worth your time (and money) to keep the flexitarian idea in mind and search the Internet for good vegetarian recipes.
So I tried it for a week.
It was not fun.
On principle, the prospect of cutting out whole food groups makes me nervous. No meat, fish, animal byproducts (cheese, milk, eggs, etc.) at all? OMG, who are these people and how do they do this??
The Flexitarian Diet offers a more "middle ground" perspective on going vegan (or vegetarian). The idea revolves around adding more into your diet, rather than taking out. I can eat more now? Sign me up!
In practice, the idea is simple: consider your normal diet, and add in more plant-based foods. To make room for the increase in greens, you will gradually eat less meat and animal byproducts. According to the book, plant-based foods are the healthiest things you can eat and incorporating more into your diet will result in tremendous health benefits. You can still enjoy that steak dinner, but make it a splurge, rather than a regular. On other days, replace meat for legumes and tofu as a source of protein.
Over half of the book contains recipes for easing into and maintaining this sort of lifestyle. The recipes are very simplistic, often needing just a handful of ingredients, and very easy to make. Good when you're in a rush, not so great when you're trying to impress a dinner crowd.
What did bother me about this book was that the writing was repetitive, the ideas weren't super groundbreaking, and there were no pictures. *gasp* I kind of regret paying for a book whose ideas could be explained just as easily with Google searches, and also for the very tame recipes. It's as if the author couldn't decide whether to make this a diet book or a cook book, so instead decided to make it both by cutting out some vital parts.
Overall, though, I think the author makes a lot of valid points for switching over to a plant-based diet, and I like that her book acts as a bridge between a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet. 3 stars for motivating me to eat more greens, though I strongly suggest you flip through the book first before buying. In my opinion, it would be more worth your time (and money) to keep the flexitarian idea in mind and search the Internet for good vegetarian recipes.
January 14, 2010
This book is a bit misunderstood based on many of the other reviews I have read. It is not intended as the be-all-end-all on nutrition or vegetarian diets. The intent is to move people toward a more plant-based diet. I find the nutrition tips and information to be excellent. The recipes are wonderful and I find it a plus that they are mostly single servings. The author is a very well respected dietitian and I think her style of writing is very down to earth and appeals to readers. I have become a very big fan of Dawn Jackson Blatner and I visit her website (http://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com) on a regular basis to watch her videos and to try recipes in her recipe archive. I couldn't recommend this book more highly. If I could give it more stars I would. GREAT BOOK!
September 7, 2009
This book is very contradictory. The opening chapters are devoted to explaining how it is unnecessary to go completely vegetarian, how it is very easy to start this life style change one step at a time and says that you can still enjoy the treats you like. Unfortunately the book does seem to push a vegetarian style of life, does not explain how to institute this life style change one step at a time, and pushes not eating cake, cookies or other desserty type non fruit sweets. There is also some confusing conflicting advice, on one page the author offers the reader the advice of only sharing sweets such as cake and cookies in social situations. Two pages later, she tells the reader not to eat sweets at work (i.e. sweets in the office with coworkers), I can only assume something else was meant than what I interpreted, because we only have sweets at work for social situations (birthdays, showers and holidays). On the plus side many of the recipes provided did sound yummy and recipes were offered in portions appropriate for one person (something I feel not enough cookbooks offer.)
May 10, 2023
I really enjoy many recipes in this book. I am not vegetarian but do love vegetables and healthy choices. I love the ideas for better nutrition and meal planning also.
September 26, 2010
I read this book in one night because half of it is recipes. Actually, the first chapter or 2 is just the author hyping up how great the recipes will be and how you will use them to eat new foods in exciting ways or whatever bullcrap she says. I only gave it 2 stars because the recipes are truly generic, nothing original and the overall idea of the book is wishy washy. You could pretty much go to realsimple.com and find similar recipes for free without having so read this crappy book. One of the recipe is literally soy nuts + raisins. WHOA, SUPER CREATIVE TOP CHEF SHIT GOING ON HERE PEOPLE. I don't think "flexitarianism" is a mind blowing idea (only eating meat once in a while) so I don't think this topic deserved an entire book. Maybe if I was one of those people who hates vegetables and eats meat at every meal I would find this more eye opening but it seems like nothing new is going on here to me.
January 28, 2012
I am actually a 100% vegetarian, using a flex approach towards veganism.
While I have already been living the lifestyle for 10 years I still picked up a lot of great new facts, tips, and recipes from this book.
The majority of the book is recipes which I think makes this a great resource for anyone who wants to try eating less meat. The recipes all look so EASY that I can't wait to try them myself as they look perfect for anyone with a busy life!
While I have already been living the lifestyle for 10 years I still picked up a lot of great new facts, tips, and recipes from this book.
The majority of the book is recipes which I think makes this a great resource for anyone who wants to try eating less meat. The recipes all look so EASY that I can't wait to try them myself as they look perfect for anyone with a busy life!
March 12, 2014
Much of this book was basic common sense for anyone who keeps up with basic nutrition.
September 14, 2019
Books explains concept of flexatarian diet, but falls short with the meal plan and recipes. Most recipes are simplistic. Ex: celery sticks with peanut butter.
I expected more from this book.
I expected more from this book.
July 18, 2017
For someone just learning to clean their food choices or stop the negative talk in their head, then this would be a good choice. It's not excellent, because it doesn't go into depth about making better food choices over others, but I suppose no book can include absolutely everything?
Pages 12-13 have a quick quiz to determine where you are on the flexscore. What does that mean? If you score well it means you already know how to eat healthy and eat a variety of the healthy foods and know how to include fitness activities in your life. If you score low, it means you will enjoy the book and gradually make slow changes in your life to have a better lifestyle. (how true that is depends on the individual I suppose.)
There's a pop quiz on pages 40-41. How many fruits and vegetables have you eaten in the past month? If you're not a big fan of fruits and veggies, there's a url included http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematter...
There are fun fact stack, craving control and time cruch snippets of information spread out in the book. The one on page 60 contradicts something else in the book about eating 3-4-5 (on page 76) eat 300 calories in the morning, 400 at lunch and dinner is 500 calories. But the fact stack says when we eat 70 percent of our calories in the early part of the day, we can lose 1.5 pounds more in six weeks, than those who eat most of their calories in the evening.
There are recipes in the book to help get people on track, but some include cheese or yogurt and some include agave. Now again, for the typical American eater, these recipes would be a great start. Chapter 4 is also good for anyone who has excuses on why they cannot exercise.
I like page 242 For any weight-loss or healthy-living plan to work long-term, exercise is essential. It's nonnegotiable.
30 minutes of activity most days of the week helps prevent diseases without much impact on weight. Sixty minutes most days prevents disease and helps keep your weight stable. Ninety minutes most days leads to disease prevention and weight loss.
Pages 12-13 have a quick quiz to determine where you are on the flexscore. What does that mean? If you score well it means you already know how to eat healthy and eat a variety of the healthy foods and know how to include fitness activities in your life. If you score low, it means you will enjoy the book and gradually make slow changes in your life to have a better lifestyle. (how true that is depends on the individual I suppose.)
There's a pop quiz on pages 40-41. How many fruits and vegetables have you eaten in the past month? If you're not a big fan of fruits and veggies, there's a url included http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematter...
There are fun fact stack, craving control and time cruch snippets of information spread out in the book. The one on page 60 contradicts something else in the book about eating 3-4-5 (on page 76) eat 300 calories in the morning, 400 at lunch and dinner is 500 calories. But the fact stack says when we eat 70 percent of our calories in the early part of the day, we can lose 1.5 pounds more in six weeks, than those who eat most of their calories in the evening.
There are recipes in the book to help get people on track, but some include cheese or yogurt and some include agave. Now again, for the typical American eater, these recipes would be a great start. Chapter 4 is also good for anyone who has excuses on why they cannot exercise.
I like page 242 For any weight-loss or healthy-living plan to work long-term, exercise is essential. It's nonnegotiable.
30 minutes of activity most days of the week helps prevent diseases without much impact on weight. Sixty minutes most days prevents disease and helps keep your weight stable. Ninety minutes most days leads to disease prevention and weight loss.
October 17, 2019
So I'm a "more plant-based food FOR THE PLANET" type of gal and I like having plans because on my own I'd just eat chicken sandwiches + fries + honey mustard + iced tea 5-6 times a week. (I'm a good cook and love all sorts of food, but the effort meal planning and cooking takes overwhelms me). So while I'm not like "this book is the greatest ever" it was useful for me right now. I sat down and was like "OK, so if I wanted to REALLY put this into practice, what would it look like?" and to me it would look like eating out for dinner once a week with my family, having a regular dinner group on Friday nights, eating out salad 2x a week a work, and all the other meals being plant-based. My spouse is Jewish so she heard of this idea, MOOSHY (meat only on Shabbat, Holidays, and Yom Tov) and I was like "I can go with that with 'and also restaurants if desired'" so reading about flexitarian options, realizing we're already making progress toward a more sustainable, less meat-driven lifestyle was also heartening. Now I have a bunch of recipes I need to add and shift so that I really am eating vegetarian or vegan 5 days a week for a number of good reasons and this book helped with that.
January 19, 2020
It was fine. Didn’t really tell me much I didn’t already know, since this is pretty much how I eat anyway. Will definitely try some of the recipes though. I’m always looking for healthy new ways to prepare my food.
September 9, 2018
Will refer to this book often. Following Whole30 90% of time but like concept of Flexitarian diet.
January 27, 2019
If you have not been adding more "meatless" meals to your diet, over the years, this is a good book for getting started.
May 4, 2021
Very informative. I'm not sure I could follow this exactly, but it was well presented and I did learn quite a bit.
November 27, 2021
This book gave a lot of good health advice and a 5 week meal plan for 1. Very helpful. I may buy it.
February 24, 2025
The explanation was fine. The recipes seem like they were developed for a single college student with limited cooking abilities and access to a stove only when they visit their parents on weekends.
April 2, 2022
This is a book I didn't know I had been waiting for! Yes, I realize it was published in 2008 but, to be fair, I did not hear or see the word Flexitarian until 2021. For years, I've been saying, "No, I'm not a vegetarian but I'm just not a big meat eater" and "Not every meal needs meat!" My husband even once told me he "probably wouldn't notice" if I went completely vegetarian. However, I do need a burger every so often and I will never, ever give up seafood.
I have made exercise a focus in the past two years and like to believe that I eat fairly healthy. Sunday afternoons are often spent preparing salads for lunch for the coming week, for instance. However, I am sure I could do better and I wasn't sure what the daily recommendations even are. (I realize they may have changed since 2008 but, if so, I doubt it's by much so I'm not going to worry about that right now.) The first 30% of The Flexitarian Diet offered that information I was looking for plus additional health information, helpful tips, the essentials to keep stocked in the house, and so much more. Before I even got through this section, I knew I would need to own this book.
About 65% of the book is composed of recipes. It is a 5-week plan of 35 breakfasts, 35 lunches, 35 dinners, and 35 snacks. They can be mixed and matched, or can be tried on a much rarer frequency (eg, try just 3 recipes in one week). Many include suggestions of how to change it if you would like to include meat. It is not a race to try all of these or meant to be a complete lifestyle overhaul. Now, here is where I am honest in that I have not made any of these yet. I read the book quickly and will look more closely at trying some of these when I have my own copy. Also...I do not really like to cook. It took me a long time to be honest in that I just really don't have much interest in it. It always seemed like something I "should" like but I'm at a point in my life where I know it will likely never be something I really like to do. I did see recipes in here that I want to try, and I like how Dawn said these meals are more like "meal assembly" than really cooking.
The last 5% of the book is about the importance of exercise. Good stuff here, too.
I am only giving the book 4 stars for now since I have not actually tried the recipes and the weekly shopping lists look a bit intimidating (despite the assurances at how easy these meals are). Overall, though, this book was great and I look forward to using it as an ongoing resource.
I have made exercise a focus in the past two years and like to believe that I eat fairly healthy. Sunday afternoons are often spent preparing salads for lunch for the coming week, for instance. However, I am sure I could do better and I wasn't sure what the daily recommendations even are. (I realize they may have changed since 2008 but, if so, I doubt it's by much so I'm not going to worry about that right now.) The first 30% of The Flexitarian Diet offered that information I was looking for plus additional health information, helpful tips, the essentials to keep stocked in the house, and so much more. Before I even got through this section, I knew I would need to own this book.
About 65% of the book is composed of recipes. It is a 5-week plan of 35 breakfasts, 35 lunches, 35 dinners, and 35 snacks. They can be mixed and matched, or can be tried on a much rarer frequency (eg, try just 3 recipes in one week). Many include suggestions of how to change it if you would like to include meat. It is not a race to try all of these or meant to be a complete lifestyle overhaul. Now, here is where I am honest in that I have not made any of these yet. I read the book quickly and will look more closely at trying some of these when I have my own copy. Also...I do not really like to cook. It took me a long time to be honest in that I just really don't have much interest in it. It always seemed like something I "should" like but I'm at a point in my life where I know it will likely never be something I really like to do. I did see recipes in here that I want to try, and I like how Dawn said these meals are more like "meal assembly" than really cooking.
The last 5% of the book is about the importance of exercise. Good stuff here, too.
I am only giving the book 4 stars for now since I have not actually tried the recipes and the weekly shopping lists look a bit intimidating (despite the assurances at how easy these meals are). Overall, though, this book was great and I look forward to using it as an ongoing resource.
March 22, 2015
It's sometimes difficult to judge reviews. You naturally throw out the top ones and also the ones that seem unnecessarily harsh. Usually the ones in between are the ones you go for. This book was not available in my library system (red flag) so I had to order it.
I also have to admit that I cook. I cook a lot... and I like to cook food that is delicious.
Just because you want to eat less meat does not me you are giving up delicious food. The first thing I always do is look at recipes to see if I would even start down the road using this book. It didn't look good. It looked bland to me.... but I like to give chances (maybe too many)
The first part of the book was vaguely based on real research but was presented in a way that 6th graders can understand. Great. Moving on, the book moved into a maddeningly perky infomercial. I was losing enthusiasm so i went to make a recipe. Tempeh pad thai. Sounds pretty decent, right?
It was so bland that I had to spice the crap out of it. The cooking technique was wrong. By that I mean, I followed the instructions to the letter (which I do when I'm dubious) and it was a train wreck. I think I ended up throwing Sriracha on it and making some corn tortillas (from scratch, thank you) for "asian inspired" tacos. Now, I like soy non-meat options: they are pretty much a staple in my house- which is why I wanted to find something else... too much soy is too much soy.
I don't want to say that the bottom-of-the-barrellers were right, but they were. I wish they had explained it better and maybe recommended an alternative. It's rare for me to get so down on a book. But this one? You are better off going to any RANDOM site and trying a random recipe. You will have better luck.
So I will tell you my alternatives:
I got "Thug Kitchen" and have been enjoying it very much. Sometimes those recipes are a little funky also, but that's owing more to my cooking style and having to swap out ingredients because I live in the great white north.
Jamie Oliver's site has a lot of vegetarian recipes that are 1. easy 2. budget-friendly 2. clearly tested. I'm using it a lot.
Additionally I checked out some of the Moosewood books from the library: Low-fat and New Classics. While they also can be bland, the textures are never off. They are good basics.
To lose weight? I joined weight watchers. Why? I guess because I'm a chump. It's working for me though, so I'm not going to complain.
I also have to admit that I cook. I cook a lot... and I like to cook food that is delicious.
Just because you want to eat less meat does not me you are giving up delicious food. The first thing I always do is look at recipes to see if I would even start down the road using this book. It didn't look good. It looked bland to me.... but I like to give chances (maybe too many)
The first part of the book was vaguely based on real research but was presented in a way that 6th graders can understand. Great. Moving on, the book moved into a maddeningly perky infomercial. I was losing enthusiasm so i went to make a recipe. Tempeh pad thai. Sounds pretty decent, right?
It was so bland that I had to spice the crap out of it. The cooking technique was wrong. By that I mean, I followed the instructions to the letter (which I do when I'm dubious) and it was a train wreck. I think I ended up throwing Sriracha on it and making some corn tortillas (from scratch, thank you) for "asian inspired" tacos. Now, I like soy non-meat options: they are pretty much a staple in my house- which is why I wanted to find something else... too much soy is too much soy.
I don't want to say that the bottom-of-the-barrellers were right, but they were. I wish they had explained it better and maybe recommended an alternative. It's rare for me to get so down on a book. But this one? You are better off going to any RANDOM site and trying a random recipe. You will have better luck.
So I will tell you my alternatives:
I got "Thug Kitchen" and have been enjoying it very much. Sometimes those recipes are a little funky also, but that's owing more to my cooking style and having to swap out ingredients because I live in the great white north.
Jamie Oliver's site has a lot of vegetarian recipes that are 1. easy 2. budget-friendly 2. clearly tested. I'm using it a lot.
Additionally I checked out some of the Moosewood books from the library: Low-fat and New Classics. While they also can be bland, the textures are never off. They are good basics.
To lose weight? I joined weight watchers. Why? I guess because I'm a chump. It's working for me though, so I'm not going to complain.
July 1, 2009
(I will admit, part of this review is stolen from the collaborative blog that I contribute to, Stacked Books.)
Every year, I make a Lenten resolution of some sort. This past year, I vowed to give up meat and fish, a tough move for an avowed meat eater like myself. Well, 40 days seemed to fly by... and I actually enjoyed eating more vegetables. I noticed that this book has been a popular title on the hold shelf, so I decided to give this whole "flexitarian" craze a read.
Now, onto what I thought about it - I liked the recipes, but like many weight loss cookbooks, everything seemed to require a bit more seasoning. Or some added pizazz. I know that I improvised a lot with the simple structures. You could tell it was a dietitian, not a chef, who wrote this thing.
The goals of the book are great, and the author wrote in a clear, easily understood style. And many people, including Michael Pollan, espouse similar eating lifestyles. I know that others, with the recent release of Food, Inc., are interested in learning about where we get our food. Including more vegetables, especially those that are locally sourced and organic, makes sense. However Blatner doesn't always espouse purely "whole foods" sensibilities. She includes many grains like quinoa and wheat berries, but she also uses some processed ingredients like margarine.
Overall, this was a good nonfiction book that gave me some good ideas about vegetarianism. I'd recommend it, but really just to skim, not to buy.
Every year, I make a Lenten resolution of some sort. This past year, I vowed to give up meat and fish, a tough move for an avowed meat eater like myself. Well, 40 days seemed to fly by... and I actually enjoyed eating more vegetables. I noticed that this book has been a popular title on the hold shelf, so I decided to give this whole "flexitarian" craze a read.
Now, onto what I thought about it - I liked the recipes, but like many weight loss cookbooks, everything seemed to require a bit more seasoning. Or some added pizazz. I know that I improvised a lot with the simple structures. You could tell it was a dietitian, not a chef, who wrote this thing.
The goals of the book are great, and the author wrote in a clear, easily understood style. And many people, including Michael Pollan, espouse similar eating lifestyles. I know that others, with the recent release of Food, Inc., are interested in learning about where we get our food. Including more vegetables, especially those that are locally sourced and organic, makes sense. However Blatner doesn't always espouse purely "whole foods" sensibilities. She includes many grains like quinoa and wheat berries, but she also uses some processed ingredients like margarine.
Overall, this was a good nonfiction book that gave me some good ideas about vegetarianism. I'd recommend it, but really just to skim, not to buy.
September 19, 2011
I like the idea of a Flexitarian diet - lots of plant based foods, with a little meat/dairy here or there. I do not agree with replacing meat with soy products, however, so a lot of these recipes were not useful to me. I also like to use real fats (like butter) instead of tub margarine or cooking sprays. Many of the recipes are not kid-friendly. (They'll fire me if I make Lentil and Feta Bulgur with Broccoli Raab or Sunflower Seed Salad.)
I wasn't looking for a discussion on the benefits of the diet, just looking for recipes to add to my vegetarian collection. I found 9 recipes I'd like to try (or that inspired me to rework a recipe I currently have). I do appreciate that she gave you breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas (plus shopping lists) and "Flex" options if you want to switch ingredients out. In all, it's a library type book, not an "own" type book. And no pictures. Boo.
I wasn't looking for a discussion on the benefits of the diet, just looking for recipes to add to my vegetarian collection. I found 9 recipes I'd like to try (or that inspired me to rework a recipe I currently have). I do appreciate that she gave you breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas (plus shopping lists) and "Flex" options if you want to switch ingredients out. In all, it's a library type book, not an "own" type book. And no pictures. Boo.
April 4, 2015
This was released in 2008, so some of the nutritional information is out-dated - she talks a lot about how saturated fat is bad fat, but more recent research has shown that saturated fat & dietary cholesterol do NOT actually cause bad cholesterol levels or heart disease. She also makes some recommendations that I don't agree with, like some of her suggestions on sweeteners & fats. She focuses a lot on low calories vs. nutrients, and low fat. I read this book because I'm trying to start incorporating more non-meat meals into my diet, so for that I have found it useful. There is good information on cooking beans & grains, as well as lots of recipes I've bookmarked to try. Overall a decent book if you just take her dietary advice with a grain of salt since it's out-dated.
March 5, 2013
I have found this book very useful. It makes it easy to make the switch to a more vegetarian lifestyle while not giving up meat all together. There is a lot of good advice here that covers the basics and plenty of tips for staying on track. The emphasis is on making changes at a pace with which you are comfortable. I have so far only tried the first week of recipes, but the whole family has enjoyed most of them so far. Most of the recipes take very little time to prepare and many incorporate easy-to-find, quick foods. The whole approach is designed to make the transition to a more plant-based diet easy for anyone.
April 4, 2009
This book could be boiled down to one sentence: To be healthy, eat less meat. In terms of practical information or real in-depth nutritional information, it is severely lacking. I didn't find the recipes to be particularly appetizing sounding (peanute butter tofu dip-yuck) or creative (oatmeal for breakfast - gee never would have thought of that). Also, the lack to photos of what the dishes should look like is a real bummer. Don't waste your time or money on this book, there are so many better ones out there.
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March 10, 2010I like the recipes in this book. There are definitely time saving suggestions which you don't always find in whole foods cookbooks. However, I didn't appreciate the "writing" part of this book as much as the recipes. One of the things that turned me off was the suggestion to shop for produce at warehouse stores. While I agree that prices may be better, I feel it's important to shop locally whenever possible and warehouse stores are the complete opposite of that. I would use this book as a recipe reference, but other than that it wasn't that helpful to me.
April 20, 2012
I liked the recipes and the general idea, but I thought the author's attitude was a little odd. Really? You think "veggie white meat" sounds more normal, or less off-putting, than "tofu"? I guess I didn't feel like I was her target audience--it felt like she was talking to people that were very different from me most of the time. I liked the meal plans, though, and will try out some recipes. I liked that they were so adaptable, and that there were so many interesting options for breakfast, in particular.
May 12, 2010
This book contains loads of nutritional information and a delicious assortment of recipes. As someone who enjoys eating healthy, I appreciated the fact that the dishes could be prepared quickly and with a limited number of ingredients. My favorites include the Lentil and Feta Bulgur with Broccoli Raab; Tortilla and Cheddar Chili; and Black Bean Taco Salad. If you want to be a vegetarian who occasionally "cheats," this is the book for you!
April 9, 2010
What I like about this book is that it's not absolutely vegetarian. Many of the meals include alternative choices for meat eaters and vegetarians. The recipes are easy, with about 5 ingredients (not including staples), healthy and filling. My family liked these meals enough that I bought the book.
December 5, 2010
I am hoping to start teh new year off with this way of life. I have been struggling for a healthy lifestyle, the recipes sound good, easy and it doesn't seem too hard to follow. I guess time will tell. But is certainly not a pushy book.
February 7, 2014
Some great ideas and I love the simple meal plans. I'm going to start using the meals as soon as I get some fresh fruits and veggies. Looking forward to adding these little suggestions into my (already) healthy diet.
November 28, 2008
It was pretty good. Basically though it is just eating mostly vegetables at every meal and not eating so much meat. A good eating plan.
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