Back in 2010, when I started considering a plant-based lifestyle, I read and poured over everything I could get my hands on looking for the best information I could find. I decided if I was going to take the big plant-based plunge, I wanted to be sure that I knew what I was doing. In the process, I discovered a lot of materials (books, some videos, and a few websites), and these five books are some I found most helpful. They are listed in alphabetical order, not necessarily in the order of preference.
They are all written by doctors and PhD’s who use plant foods in their practices for helping patients achieve and maintain good health.
The China Study
Raised on a dairy farm, T. Colin Campbell, PhD grew-up believing that the more milk, eggs, and meat you ate, the better. But, then his research started to tell him something very different. This book is based on “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted.” The study followed thousands of people in China for over 20 years and looked at the relationship between diet and chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes. Through this study, they discovered that those diseases could be prevented and even cured by adopting a diet of whole, plant-based foods.
Co-authored by T. Colin’s son, Tom, this book is full of a ton of references and research, so if you’re looking for “proof”, you will find it. I recommend you take a look at this best selling book on plant-based nutrition.
Eat to Live
One of the first books I read was Eat to Live. Dr. Fuhrman’s book is really about a diet plan and it’s a strict one! He calls it the “Nutritarian” diet and promises a big weight loss in only six weeks. He suggests eating a ton of vegetables, some fruit, a small amount of legumes, and very few starches each day. The diet does not allow: meat, dairy products, oils, processed foods, and fruit juices. Snacking between meals is a no-no too.
I found his plan to be more about what you cannot have rather than what you can eat. If I feel deprived and hungry all the time, then I don’t do a good job of sticking with something. However, there is good information in the book about nutrition and if you’re needing to reboot your diet, this plan might do the trick.
How Not To Die
The title of this book gets your attention right away. I find this book extremely interesting and helpful. In the book, Dr. Michael Greger discusses exactly what you should do to prevent or reverse the 15 top causes of death in America. He includes information on: diseases of the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver, cancers, diabetes, and even depression. Dr. Greger devotes a chapter to each, spelling out the things you can do to help eliminate those things from your life. There are things as simple as eating four Brazil nuts per month to lower your bad cholesterol.
Part 2 of the book, “Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen” tells you what to eat each day to add years to your life. You can also download his app (there’s an app for everything now, it seems) where you can click-off the daily dozen keeping track of your diet each day. It’s actually quite handy and includes a place to check-off your water consumption, and exercise too.
The Pleasure Trap
Another book with an interesting title, this book delves into the reason why it is so difficult to adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle. It isn’t just will-power either! By now, we are all learning that by adopting a plant-based lifestyle, one can avoid chronic diseases, cancers, heart problems, and strokes. So why then, doesn’t everyone just simply switch to this way of eating? Part of the reason is because of your brain is giving you pleasure signals when you eat things like cheese, salt, fat, and sugar.
This book discusses the psychological and physiological reasons why you crave certain unhealthy foods. And the reasons behind why processed junk foods, meat, and dairy can be so addictive. It also goes into other lifestyle excesses such as caffeine, drugs (cocaine & nicotine), and alcohol and how they artificially stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain. You can even take the Pleasure Trap Test to help determine your personal relationship to diet and lifestyle pleasure traps.
It is fascinating and eye-opening and something I really recommend you read and take to heart.
The Starch Solution
Written by Dr. John McDougall, The Starch Solution is one of my favorites and one I refer back to all the time. Dr. McDougall is extremely knowledgeable and very passionate about eating starches. The media and diet industry have been telling us for while now that starches and carbs are bad (carb phobia) and will make you fat. Actually, the opposite is true – carbs are good for you! He talks about how various cultures around the world eat diets based on starches (potatoes, grains, corn) and how their people are a lot healthier than those who eat the standard American diet (SAD). He has been treating his patients with a starch-based diet for over 50 years.
The chapter, “The Fat Vegan”, discusses how replacing real food with fake vegan food substitutes is not a good idea. Things like fake cheeses and meats are so full of fat. When you eat them, they cause you to gain weight instead of keeping it off. That really resonated with me because I tried a lot of those things when I first went ‘vegan’ and I did start to gain weight.
If you’re considering a plant-based lifestyle, I recommend buying The Starch Solution as one of the first books you read. It’s easy to read and understand. You will also find a ton of references and some tasty recipes.
These books were and continue to be a valuable part of my library. In 2011, when I made the switch to a plant-based lifestyle, there were not very many websites about this subject. Thankfully, 8 years later there is a whole lot more information available online. But, you can’t beat books! I don’t follow one idea or plan 100%, rather I have adopted ideas from each of these books in my plant-based life.
You can find these and many more in bookstores, libraries, and online. I still refer to information in these books often. They are great references for all things plant-based. I hope you will find some of them helpful too! Now go forth and read!
