The quintessential book on eating plant-based I dare anyone to argue with

I’m so stoked to have taken advantage of a free Kindle promo that debut author Tiffany Pagni offered through her publisher this year, The Vegan Publisher (whose community I’m happy to be a part of!).

I had no idea what the book was about. I learned through this interview with Chef AJ (a notable vegan chef) that Pagni wanted to write this book, put it out there, and be left alone. She’s not one of these authors that wants to be interviewed everywhere, and I get that!

The first thing I loved about this book is that she wrote it in the point of view of an unhealthy American. Pagni says she was on track to die of a heart attack and she had other heart and kidney issues. She tried various diets as a result, and through different health organizations was led to try a vegan diet.

I don’t know why it’s taken so long for someone to point it out, but Pagni says we adopt our parents’ conditions through diet. It’s true! My mom’s side of the family is pretty healthy. My dad’s side had/has a host of health issues (none of which I have symptoms of yet), which no one in my family’s attributed to or tried to solve with food.

I’ll point out the highlights I found useful below, but I will say that Pagni has packed the book with evidence-based facts and statistics.

At the end, you’ll find recipes, healthy cooking tips, substitution ideas, and resources that include films, videos, books, and how to order vegan fast food. Her list had a lot of titles that were new to me, which I’ve since seen. Many of the videos and films I watched for the first time I added to a new “Docs & videos about veganism” playlist on YouTube and my Vegan Resources list here. She’s also intentionally priced the book VERY reasonably, so please, if you have any chronic health issues, I encourage you to pick it up (Amazon links are below).

Highlights:

• LDL cholesterol causes heart disease, the #1 global killer
• Pagni points out the link between high blood pressure and stroke
• She talks about the BROAD study on whether carbohydrates make us fat. The intervention group lost an average of 26 pounds, and the control group was given the same information after the study.
• Fat causes Type 2 diabetes, NOT sugar
• The USDA is required to promote meat, dairy, and eggs
• Nutrition labels can show 0g trans fat if there is under 0.5g of it (WTF?!)
• Biologically, humans need starch (glucose) to survive. (This is the basis of Dr. John McDougall‘s work.) Our taste buds determine what we like. Foods that are high in fat have a high caloric density, which is why we like cooked meat. We would never eat meat raw.
• Most cows and seafood have bovine AIDS, mastitis, strep, staph, E.coli, bacteria, and leukemia (BKV). The bacteria is still present even after pasteurization, and all of this goes into you when you consume it.
• Non-organic farmed animals are fed urine/feces, hormones, animal feed, antibiotics, and plastic.
• “Grass-fed” can include anything that is foraged, including soy.
• “Free-range” or “pasture raised” does not specify the area the animals have access to. It just means they have access to an open door, and most animals become too sick or fat to go out (this was shown in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!). Chickens can also still be caged over grass.

I love the statement she makes about pandemics, which still isn’t talked about enough: “I would not financially support the creation of pandemics and refused to buy animal products.” Amen, sister!

Get the book on Amazon Canada or Amazon USA here.

Need a book coach, ghostwriter, editor or formatter to help you create your non-fiction book so you can get it in the hands of readers? Read more about my services here and contact me if you’re ready to begin!