I’ve been vegan for about 13 years now, and I was vegetarian for 9 years before that. I don’t need vegan starter books, but I still like to flip through them when I see them in bookstores (because I do still go to bookstores) or even occasionally read them if they look really good. As a vegan health and lifestyle coach, I’m constantly on the lookout for resources that will help my clients, especially those struggling with the transition to vegan living.
To those new to vegan living, the conversion can seem like a daunting one. It’s difficult to know what ingredients are and aren’t vegan, how to handle certain social situations, what types of health and beauty care products to buy, and what to cook. Elizabeth Castoria’s new book How To Be Vegan is the perfect book for those in transition. It covers just about everything you need to know about cruelty-free living, including dating, travel, decorating, and of course, eating, and it does so in a humor-filled way, making going vegan seem like a far less complicated process than some might have you think. The book also contains 50 plant-based recipes from cookbook author extraordinaire Robin Robertson, so once the decision to go vegan has been made, planning dinner will be a breeze.
Elizabeth starts the book out with the basics of veganism. The difference between vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians is explained, (so hopefully those still eating fish will now know to stop calling themselves vegetarians!) and the most popular reasons to adopt a plant-based diet are spelled out. There’s even a brief history of veganism and a side-by-side comparison of what a typical vegan diet looked like in 1970 and what it looks like today.
What to eat is next, with a big emphasis on produce. Fruits, veggies, beans and grains are all part of the chapter of course, but ethnic foods and spices are also explored. Vegan living at home follows food, covering clothes, shoes, home décor, body care products, and cleaning products. Travel tips are next, followed by manners. How to Be Vegan ends with Robin’s recipes for easy and delicious plant-based meals, none of which will seem “weird” or foreign to those new to vegan cooking.
How to Be Vegan is peppered with stories of well-known vegans, and it’s full of super cute illustrations, charts and graphs. (My favorite chart is called “Should I Get a Burrito at the Airport.”) Elizabeth has written the book with a friendly voice, in a humor-filled manner, proving that we don’t lose our sense of humor when we give up meat. As the book jacket says, How to Be Vegan “Demystifies, destigmatizes and uncomplicates the vegan lifestyle.” I highly recommend it to those who are thinking of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, new vegans, vegans who may need a reminder of why they went vegan, and those who are just looking for a good book to read. It’s also a good gift to give friends and families of the newly veganized so they understand what exactly it is that their loved one has signed up for.
i’m a vegetarian since 2002, about 12 years. hope to know more about vegan.