The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet [Hardcover]

Alicia Silverstone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009

In The Kind Diet, actress, activist, and committed conservationist Alicia Silverstone shares the insights that encouraged her to swear off meat and dairy forever, and outlines the spectacular benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin, off-the-chart energy, and smooth digestion. She explains how meat, fish, milk, and cheese—the very foods we’ve been taught to regard as the cornerstone of good nutrition—are actually the culprits behind escalating rates of disease and the cause of dire, potentially permanent damage to our ecology.

Yet going meat- and dairy-free doesn’t mean suffering deprivation; to the contrary, The Kind Diet introduces irresistibly delicious food that satisfies on every level—it even includes amazing desserts to keep the most stubborn sweet tooth happy. Alicia also addresses the nutritional concerns faced by many who are new to a plant-based diet, and shows how to cover every nutritional base, from protein to calcium and beyond.

Alicia knows that changing life-long dietary habits is a process, and that each person progresses at a different pace. For that reason, The Kind Diet encompasses 3 separate levels, from Flirting to Superhero. Flirts learn to dip a toe into the vegan pool, reducing their meat-eating and swapping out a few key foods for plant-based substitutes to see quickly how even small changes can reap big results. Vegans get to experience the life-altering effects of forgoing animal-products entirely, while still enjoying many convenience foods and meat substitutes in addition to the wonderful grains, vegetables and fruits that form the core of that diet. True enlightenment comes with the Superhero program, based on the principles of macrobiotics and built on a foundation of whole grains, vegetables, and other yummy foods that Alicia describes in detail.

Whether your goal is to drop a few pounds, boost your energy and metabolism, or simply save the world, Alicia provides the encouragement, the information, and the tools you need to make the transition to a plant-based diet deliciously empowering.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alicia Silverstone, perhaps best known for her generation-defining turn in Clueless, continues to work steadily in film, television, and theater. A dynamic fixture in the acting, political, and scientific communities, she is a dedicated advocate on behalf of the planet and its animals, and was voted "Sexiest Vegetarian Alive" in 2004. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Christopher, and their four rescued dogs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605296449
• ISBN-13: 978-1605296449
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (375 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Critically acclaimed actress Alicia Silverstone is best known for her roles on stage and screen. Her numerous film credits include "The Crush," "Batman & Robin," "Beauty Shop," Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's "Love's Labour's Lost", and the iconic blockbuster "Clueless, " among others.

In 1997 Silverstone produced and starred in "Excess Baggage," featuring Benicio del Toro and Christopher Walken--making her, then, the youngest producer of all time.

Silverstone's stage work includes performances in "The Graduate" (on Broadway, alongside Kathleen Turner), the David Mamet-directed production of "Boston Marriage" (Los Angeles), Mamet's "Speed the Plow," and most recently, Donald Margulies's "Time Stands Still" (directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan).

Among her television portrayals are leading roles in three of Aerosmith's best known videos (including "Cryin'" which was voted Best Video of All Time by MTV), a Golden-Globe nominated performance in the NBC series "Miss Match," and an Emmy-nominated performance in the hit animated children's show "Braceface," for which Silverstone provided the voice of the main character and served as executive producer. The series earned a Genesis Award, an Environmental Media Award, and a Prism Award nomination.

Silverstone has long been a vocal advocate for environmental causes and was recently awarded a "Heart of Green" award by the Hearst corporation, which recognized her pioneering work in helping "green go mainstream." Silverstone is continually asked to offer environmentally friendly fashion, dining, entertaining, and lifestyle tips to leading media outlets.

Her New York Times bestselling first book, The Kind Diet: How to Feel Great, Lose Weight, and Save the Planet, was published by Rodale in October 2009 and features recipes and advice which speak to the fact that, what's good for the planet is also good for the body.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

409 of 424 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Kindest Thing You Can Do, November 20, 2009

By 

T. Szefler (Blaine, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (Hardcover)

I got interested in reading The Kind Diet soon after reading the book written by Jonathan Safran Foer titled "Eating Animals". Foer really made me think and I decided to research the idea o vegan living. In the chapter about "Nasty Foods" Alicia Siverstone's observations about meat industry were in line with those of Mr. Foer. And she does a good job of backing her statements with well-conducted studies from reputable sources.

According to Alicia, in addition to meat, Nasty Foods include also dairy, refined sugar, and processed foods. These are the foods that we have to avoid in our daily diet. However, she realizes that it is very hard, if not impossible, for most people to just drop their normal nutritional habits and go totally vegan from one day to another. Therefore she suggests three levels of changing into Living in the Kind Life - from Flirting, via Going Vegan, to Becoming a Superhero.

Alicia insists that by eliminate harmful foods like meat, dairy, refined sugar and processed products, and enjoying an endless variety of deeply nourishing grains, vegetables and other delectable whole foods, you will live in agreement with nature and get rid of obesity problem that plagues the modern societies. By changing your eating habits and becoming vegan you will say good-bye to dieting once for all. And that's while enjoying "irresistibly sweet treats, you can eat every single day, forever."

I recently verified Alicia's statement on my recent trip to Central Europe. I discovered a restaurant chain called "Green Wave" that was serving plant foods only. Throughout the whole week I was consuming a variety of delicious meals not even once missing my traditional North American Big Burger.

By the end of the book Alicia provided some good (and some not so good) recipes of vegan meals. I suggest trying most of them to decide which ones suit you best. Keep in mind that you need to eat what's indigenous to the area to avoid stressing your body. This isn't a totally novel idea. The author of a great health/longevity book titled "Live 150 Years - Your Body Maintenance Handbook" is also a great proponent of living in agreement with nature and eating indigenous foods. If you check this book out, make sure to also read the chapters about obesity causes, and proper food combination.

TO SUMMARIZE: Plant-based diet is just about the greenest thing you can do. It requires less fuel, water, and other precious resources. It can also be the secret to your health, slim physique and radiant beauty. Enjoy the ride.

220 of 234 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but the recipes need a lot of help, January 16, 2010

By 

J. Maselli "VeganMama" (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading The Kind Diet. It was an easy read. I enjoyed the author's descriptions of the vegan diet, the process by which one becomes vegan, and the various meal plans depending on which stage you're in. I've been Vegan for 3 months now so it was a great Christmas gift for me. Since buying the book I've tried numerous recipes and unfortunately most of them have disappointed me. The Daikon Rounds were ridiculously sweet, and the water measurement was way off. The Radicchio pizza was extremely bitter. Instead, it needed a little radicchio and a lot of something else. The porridge recipe, again the ratio of water to rice is way off. After cooking it exactly as directed there was still a lot of water left in the pot. I did however lower the ratio and the dish came out nicely. I've found most of the recipes have extreme flavors- very very sweet, very sour, or very bitter. It's been harsh on the palate. There are some winners though. My kids like the Crocodile Crunch and the Mochi Waffles. The cheesecake tasted like a lump of soy. I'm wondering if the author tasted all of these recipes before she decided to put them in her book. They all looked delicious. Very disappointing. I've made other recipes from Veganomicon and The Conscious Cook and so far I've loved every one of them.

229 of 246 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner!, October 13, 2009

By 

Eco-Friendly Feng Shui Designer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (Hardcover)

The title: The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet, by Alicia Silverstone, says it all. The plant-based diet, according to Silverstone (and a few doctors quoted) will improve your health, help prevent disease, improve the environment and help you lose weight.

The book begins with Silverstone's personal story. It includes her early attempts at not eating meat, and an unhealthy period when she ate only raw foods.

Then the book discusses the "nasty foods"--meat, dairy, white sugar and processed foods. We learn the many reasons these foods are unhealthy, bad for the planet and bad for animal's welfare.

Next, we learn what the "kind foos" are--notably, whole grains, new proteins, veggies and healthy desserts.

There is a chapter on nutritional FAQ's.

Silverstone gets we are not all ready for a vegan diet, especially if we are used to a diet heavy in meats, dairy and processed foods. So, she presents three levels: flirting, vegan and superhero.

In flirting, she makes recommendations like: go to a vegetarian restaurant and order a dish, buy some vegan products from her "Transitional food chart", and simply recommends we start adding vegan meals into our diets.

In vegan, she presents a plan on how to build a meal and a vegan meal plan.

Finally, the superhero level is loosely based on the macrobiotic diet (minus fish,) and features fresh, local and seasonal fare.

Silverstone adds helpful tips, like chew your food really well, what to do about detoxing and cravings and more.

There is a chapter on tips when away from home.

Lifestyle tips is a very short chapter, mentioning things like the importance of reusing and buying secondhand. I would recommend HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET to learn how to make your entire home green and beautiful for optimal health and it also describes how to eat healthy with recipes and cooking/shopping tips.

The book concludes with fantastic looking recipes (I'm a pretty good cook, I can always tell.) They recipes are divided into vegan and superhero.

Even if you are not committed to a full time vegan diet, I highly recommend this book--just start with the flirting and see where it takes you. If you do get into the vegan lifestyle, know that there are lots of good cookbooks out there to help.