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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2014
I am a huge fan of Brendan Brazier and I loved his Thrive Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, but I have to say I am quite disappointed in the Thrive Energy Cookbook. The description on the back of the book states "Recipes are all allergen-free (or with gluten-free options) to eliminate wheat, yeast, gluten, soy, refined sugar, and dairy from your diet." Many of the recipes say "gluten-free option", but then never state what that option would be. One can assume to replace sprouted bread with gluten-free bread, but it probably should state that. Now what about the claim to eliminate yeast? I'm pretty sure all of Silver Hills gluten-free bread, which is the frequently recommended substitute, has yeast in it. Or then there are the recipes which use miso or tempeh, which is made from soybeans! I was also sad to see Wildwood Zesty garlic Aioli included in several of the recipes. The first ingredient is canola oil and it contains soy protein. Do we really consider these plant-based, whole food ingredients? How about creating a cashew garlic aioli from scratch instead or using a homemade hummus? I do appreciate that he labels a lot of these recipes as "transition", which is helpful if you are new to clean eating.
I think the description that "recipes are ALL allergen-free" is a false claim, especially when it states specific allergens. If you are looking for an allergy friendly cookbook, this is not the one. If you're looking for some new plant-based recipes, there are some good ones in there and the pictures are great, but I think the original Thrive book had many more truly plant-based, whole food recipes. I was very disappointed in this one.
I think the description that "recipes are ALL allergen-free" is a false claim, especially when it states specific allergens. If you are looking for an allergy friendly cookbook, this is not the one. If you're looking for some new plant-based recipes, there are some good ones in there and the pictures are great, but I think the original Thrive book had many more truly plant-based, whole food recipes. I was very disappointed in this one.
