Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet Paperback – April 10, 2000

I just read 2 excellent reviews of this book by Melanie and Peter Roosen, so I will not repeat points reflected in their summaries, but rather share with you my personal experiences & changes after reading 2 books by these authors: "Becoming Vegetarian" & "Becoming Vegan".

Two years ago I realized that I should not, directly or indirectly, support jobs and industries that cause animals to suffer. At that time I was not aware that there actually are very strong health benefits from following a vegetarian/vegan diet.

Luckily for me I ordered "Becoming Vegetarian" as soon as I resolved to become a vegetarian and read it in full in the next few weeks, changing my diet according to my new understanding of what the body actually needs and what are the best veg sources of all required nutrients.

The 2 most inspiring discoveries for me on this journey from a meat eater to (ultimately) vegan were:

1) I feel myself [not much, but definitely] better: lighter, joints are better "oiled", skin & nails look silkier too (and I was actually feeling very good & was in a good shape before becoming vegetarian);
2) I discovered that taste (the likes and dislikes in food) can actually be adjusted, trained! (Later I discovered that this is applicable to all other likes and dislikes as well).

Never before did I eat tofu, nor did I like soymilk; I did not eat a lot of lentils before I read this book, nor did I eat any other legumes, seeds or nuts in any noticeable amounts.

But after reading about the health benefits of vegetarian & vegan food and also resolving to stop eating animal products for ethical reasons, my taste(s) started to change! Very gradually, but very steadily I was becoming indifferent to steaks, fish dishes when I saw them in front of me, eggs etc. I also started liking what I came to know was good for me: legumes, tofu, flaxseed oil in the mango shake with soymilk (!), and now I actually like the taste of soymilk in cappuccino more than I liked the taste of cow milk there (this did not happen the first time I tried cappuccino with soy milk though)!

From "Day 1" I also resolved not to let aversion for meat & meat eaters to be cultivated & settled in my mind, so that I do not become offensive to people who continue eating meat - this I knew would prevent me from promoting veganism effectively, and may also unnecessarily distance me from good people.

I started by becoming vegetarian and not eating eggs, and then, a year later, after more research about the treatment of cows in the farms, when I realized that meat is usually a by-product of the milk industry and by not eating meat I will not help cows in any meaningful way, I decided to stop consuming milk products as well.

I want to conclude with one point, which I personally feel very strongly: if you, like myself, live a life of abundance, being able to afford almost any food of the world that you like, it is a moral sin to stay ignorant (as I was) about what food your body really needs & to stay indifferent to the effects your food choices make on Life: animals, environment & your own body alike. And all this because of some ungrounded fear of becoming physically weaker, or of becoming less socially acceptable, or because of certain likes and dislikes in food, which many of us treat as if they really were our own.

The "Becoming Vegan" will give you a lot of inspiration & practical guidelines on how to become either vegan with maximum benefits for your health. If you want to know more, the same authors have a very good book called "Becoming Vegetarian" (there's a lot of extra info for vegans too, please do not treat it as simply a "lighter" version!), and I also recommend "The China Study" by prof. Campbell.

Eat well, love & care after all God's creatures & I wish you a very interesting & happy journey!

Too much info. It's not a quick start guide for becoming a vegan. It is very scientific. Every nutrient and what vegetable or fruit the nutrient can be found in, and what its benefits are, is described in depth. All the information you need to become vegan from childhood through old age, for athletes and non athletes, is there in the book, but you have to take notes and piece it together yourself. Everything is covered, but it's laid out in a convoluted way, so it's not a step-by-step guide. Soy, which we now know is frought with health risks of its own (unless it is fermented) and its health benefits as known when the book was written, is touted throughout. I will use this more as a reference book, keeping in mind it is from 1999.. I've also read not great things about another book, the for dummies book, which prompted me to buy this one instead, so I see there will be a lot of challenges as I transition to a plant based diet.

If you want to know the back story of Vegan Nutrition and what it takes to have the nutrients you need for health while you follow a vegan menu plan, this is the book for you. Hands down: this is THE book I've found most helpful in figuring out what I need to eat in order to balance my intake for optimal health. Fats -- DHA, EPA, Omega-6/Omega-3 ratios; Protein -- RDA and how to get it from grains, beans, veggies, etc.; Carbs -- 55% of calorie intake or MORE -- and why that isn't fluffing you up with fat. I discovered what supplements I might need, including what to look for, along with how to organize my daily intake to cover all the health bases appropriately.

After deciding to move to a vegan lifestyle, I purchased more than 15 books and perused hundreds of articles about vegan nutrition/menu planning/cookbooks: I can't recommend this book more highly. While the articles are information-dense and may take several readings to fully integrate the facts provided, the book is completely within the grasp of the consumer who has a mature reading level (i.e., not necessarily college-level bio-chem major level, but can apply critical thinking skills!).

This book is helpful also for those who may not want to "go" vegan/vegetarian, but who may like to know what it takes to eat well even as an omnivore: the information concerning fats, proteins, and carbohydrates will help you understand better ways to looks at these macro-nutrients.

A MUST HAVE in the library of anyone who is serious about having optimal nutrition!

I really love this book! It is like a textbook for Vegan 101! I didn't rate it 5 stars simply because, like i said...it's very textbook. The information is there but it's a little tough to read unless you're wide awake and willing. The book gives great details about what and why we need certain foods/nutrients/minerals/vitamins and how to get them through a vegan lifestyle. If you want the knowledge about the nutrition of becoming a vegan then this book is for you! It also doesn't get into detail about "how disgusting" eating meat products are and the inhumane animal treatment associated with carnivores of today's society. That was very refreshing. Chances are, if you're reading a vegan book, you already have made your mind up about why you don't want to eat meat.....we don't need reassurance. I would recommend this book to new and old vegan/vegetarians alike!