The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! I know it's still February, but we're going to pretend it's March and begin our discussion of Kathy Freston's new book, Veganist. Before we start, I just want to let you know that we still have signed copies of the book for sale at the VN Store, so get yours today so you can join in on the conversation. Also, I will be making an announcement in the near future regarding a special post with Kathy Freston, in which you can participate, so be sure to check in regularly!I asked you to read the introduction, as well as the first two chapters—or "Promises"—of the book. In the introduction, Freston mainly talks about the vegan diet, and how the book will outline the advantages of adopting a vegan lifestyle, or by being a veganist, if you will. She also mentions that it is very important to lean into this type of change. Not everyone can do it overnight, and that's not what is important. Making the change to a plant-based diet, no matter how gradual, is what's important.
In the first "Promise," Freston talks about how adopting a vegan diet will lead to weight loss. Obviously, the diet can't be filled with processed food, which is easy to do on a vegan diet, but with whole foods, such as vegetables, fruit, beans, and grains. She outlines the research done by Dr. Neal Barnard, and even has a question and answer with Dr. Dean Ornish—both doctors promote a plant-based diet. She finishes up the chapter with Ben Goldsmith's story about how he lost a great deal of weight after becoming a veganist, even though it wasn't the primary reason he adopted the lifestyle.
In the second chapter, or Promise 2, Freston talks about how a vegan lifestyle can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Like the first chapter, she outlines the research of plant-based doctors and nutritionists, specifically Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Dr. Barnard in this chapter. She also shares three more success stories: one from Meg Wolff, who beat breast cancer; one from Robert Dew, who overcame heart disease, along with his wife and father; one from Natala Constantine, who cured her diabetes after going vegan.
The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. Did you go vegan/vegetarian overnight, or did you take a more gradual process? Did you find making the change hard or easy?
2. The success stories of Meg Wolff, Robert Dew, and Natala Constantine are pretty incredible. Do you have a success story of your own?
The Assignment: Please read Promise 3 to Promise 5 of Veganist for our discussion on Monday, March 7.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
