The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope you guys are enjoying our discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston so far, and I look forward to having more discussion about this informative read. Before I begin the summary and discussion, I want to make a special announcement—a reader Q+A with Kathy Freston! The wonderful author of Veganist, and our previous read, Quantum Wellness, has agreed to answer some questions from our readers at the end of the month. Please email me your questions for Kathy by Wednesday, March 16, and her answers will be posted along with the wrap up on Friday, March 25. I look forward to receiving them!I asked you to read the next three "Promises" of Veganist for this week's discussion. The third "Promise," is that a vegan diet will provide you with a longer life, as long as you eat a balanced diet. As we all know, it is very easy to eat an unhealthy, junk-food-laden, vegan diet. A longer life is promised because a plant-based diet helps to prevent heart disease and Alzheimer's, and boosts overall quality of life. She also mentions other things you can do to help to prolong your life, such as regular physical activity, decreased alcohol consumption, and stress management. She concludes the chapter with Ruth Heidrich's story, who is a 75-year-old athlete who thrives on a vegan diet.
In the fourth "Promise," Freston says that adopting a vegan diet will help keep you out of harm's way, specifically from foodborne illnesses, such as E. coli, swine flu, and other viruses. I think this is especially important now, because of the rise of these illnesses, and the threat of a possible pandemic. Freston interviews Dr. Michael Greger on this subject, specifically about how factory farming has given rise to the threat of these foodborne illnesses.
Finally, the fifth "Promise," states that you will save money on a vegan diet. Specifically, being vegan protects your health, so you won't pay as much for health care. Also, you'll decrease your "environmental debt," because the resources that go into the meat industry are much more than expected. Of course, if you rely on a vegan diet that only consists of frozen processed meals, and other prepared foods, you will not save too much money, which Freston points out. So she concludes the chapter with some money-saving tips, such as buying in bulk, buying in season, and cooking for yourself with whole ingredients rather than processed.
The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. What "Promise" has been most important to you so far, and why?
2. What's your number one money-saving tip as a vegan?
The Assignment: Please read Promise 6 to Promise 9 of Veganist for our discussion on Monday, March 14.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
The most important promise for me has been "Promise 3" that you will live longer and better. It's so true that once you eat a balanced plant diet you change for the better. Eating a plant based vegan diet has given me more energy, weight loss, and I'm not tired all the time anymore. Almost everday I jog two miles which is something I picked up after becoming a vegan. Jogging along with my plant based diet makes me feel energized. Daily meditation is a way I manage stress.
ReplyDeleteThe number one money saving tip is limit processed vegan foods and make everthing from scratch that you can. In our home I just about make everything from scratch. It really saves us alot of money. Plus food made at home taste so much better anyway. (I make a vegan ice cream made from macadamia nuts and four other ingredients that is just amazing!) Whole ingredients are better for you anyway.
The third promise definitely resonates with me the most. My family history includes an uncle who died from a fatal massive myocardial infarction, a grandmother who died from strokes, my other grandmother who is a very non-compliant diabetic, and my father who has hypertension. I have been a vegetarian for almost 10 years, but have struggled with sweets including ice cream and cake, and not always eating a balanced diet.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading several books recently on eating a plant-based diet. It's only been the last six months that I really started seriously considering it, and I have been eating a plant-based diet for the last two months. I have felt so much better. I never considered myself "un" healthy, but realized there were things I could do better. I do not regret finally making the decision to do so, not only for the "here and now", but for the future. I want to change my medical history family tree.
My number one money-saving tip is similar to the one mentioned above: buy as many foods "as is" and unprocessed. I have friends who are amazed that my husband and I only budget $100 a week, and most of the time do not even spend that amount because we buy only some processed food, and much more fruits, veggies, and grains. I also try to buy local fruit as it tends to be cheaper when in season.
Thanks for your comments Crystal and MizArena! I appreciate your sharing. I am actually heading out of town tomorrow with the rest of the VN Staff to go to the Natural Products Expo West. However, I'll still be in touch with you guys, and will still be wrapping up our discussion this Friday. I look forward to reading more comments!
ReplyDelete~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
I would say that the first promise is crucial for me too. I can remember as a 12 year old, seeing the fear in my 45-year-old aunt when she got diagnosed with diabeties. Then I heard that 5 of my other relatives had it. I remember thinking, "There's nothing I can do, this must be something that's just in my family!". That is so not true.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest money saver is bulk. Wherever I live I try to find a local store that sells bulk grains and spices. I can get a full ziplock of tumeric or curry for under $2 and all of the quinoa I'll need for a month for less than $5!
I agree that living longer/healthier life is biggest benefit. I am still new to plant based living but my cholesterol is down and joint pain is better.
ReplyDeleteMy money saving tip is utilizing frozen fruits and vegetables. I hope I don't get criticized for that but there's no waste.
I think the most important promise to me was Promise 5, because I often hear from people that the reason they don't eat a healthier diet is because it costs too much, and I don't always know how to respond to that. The research and ideas in the book have given me knowledge of how to respond and also I can share those ideas with other people to show them how cost effective eating a plant based diet can be. I also learned a lot from promise 4; I feel like I always kind of knew those things, but not the actual statistics. It's so scary that more people are in denial about these things, and even with the evidence, they will not change how they eat.
ReplyDeleteMy money saving tip is to buy from the bulk bins, and prepare as much of your own food as possible. This may seem time consuming at first, but then it becomes a part of your routine. I spend every Sunday preparing my menu for the week, making a shopping list, and preparing the foods that I will need. Feeding my body the best foods possible is very important to me, and the time and money spent doing it is well worth it.