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
