The Summary: Happy Friday everyone! We have now reached the end of our reading and discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston, and thanks to Crystal and lulu for participating this week. We will be taking a break next week from the Book Club, which will give you time to get started on our April read, Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. We have signed copies on the VN Store, so be sure to get your copy before the discussion begins!

Now to the Q+A with Kathy Freston! Kathy generously lent her time to answer six of the top questions I received from our readers. Here are the questions with Kathy's responses. A big thanks to Kathy for sharing her thoughts with us here. Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Catherine: I am "leaning" into veganism as you suggest. Over the last four weeks since I've read your book, I would say that I am leaning pretty hard! My challenge is my 16-year-old son. He truly believes that eating meat makes him a man. In fact, he thinks the more meat he can eat, the more manly he is. I've thrown out some of the horrors of the factory farms and slaughterhouses, but he tunes it out. I'm looking for any suggestions to try to reach my son and help him to understand the consequences to his own health, the animals he is eating, the planet, the people that have to work in the environment that produces the meat, etc. Do you have any suggestions?

Kathy: Bravo you for leaning in! Well, you have a two-fold issue with your son. One is that he's a teenager, and it's his job right now to rail against his parents and go his own way (I say that only half jokingly). The second is that pushing someone to see things the way we see them never works, it only pushes them away. How would you feel if someone were trying to impress their views on you; wouldn't you just get annoyed and resist even more? I would let the ethical side of the conversation just rest for a while. Your son might be interested in seeing how really fierce athletes like Mac Danzig (UFC), John Salley, Tony Gonzalez, or even Mike Tyson eat in order to be fast on their feet and recover quickly. They all attribute their strength and success in sports to being vegan (or veganish). This way, you've caught his interest, and he might be more willing to give meat a rest here and there. You can also win him over with hearty meals, like tacos with Gardein beefless tips; black bean burritos with guacamole, vegan sour cream, and Daiya cheese; or quinoa pasta with meatless meatballs and tomato sauce. In time, the ethical awareness will come (for many guys, it's a girlfriend that turns that light on), but for now just feed him well!

Jennifer: The personal stories in each Promise section are great. How did you find these particular people?

Kathy: The personal stories just streamed in—it's as if the book just wanted to be written! Some came from the doctors and nutritional scientists that I spoke with—those guys have changed so many patients' lives, so it was a matter of finding the people who wrote their stories well. And the undercover investigators and rescuers came to me through the different organizations like the Humane Society of the US, PETA, Farm Sanctuary, and Mercy for Animals. One of the leads actually came from someone at VegNews! It's a tight community, those who give their lives to animal advocacy, and everyone in it is so willing to help wherever they can.

Michael P: Which part of the book was your favorite to write and why? Which was most difficult and why?

Kathy: Hey Michael! I loved writing the afterward, actually, because that is all about how to make the shift. I love helping people find their way as they lean in to being vegan or veganish. I know what their questions and concerns will be because I felt it all myself when I began my journey into conscious eating. It can be overwhelming when you are new to the idea, so I love making it easy and practical. The hardest part was pulling together Promise 8, about reducing animal suffering. It kills me every time I read an account of what happens behind closed doors to animals destined to be our food. It slays me. But I figure that if the animals are going through it, the very least I can do is bear witness to it. And talk about it.

Karin: Who is the person who has surprised you most by leaning in to a vegan diet?

Kathy: I was really surprised to see President Bill Clinton go vegan! I mean, this is a southern man who clearly savored burgers and steaks every chance he could get his hands on one. And he's in those circles where it's not so easy to get vegan food (he's traveling and at conferences, working with diplomats, etc.). But he's a great icon to look to, because if he can change, anyone can!

Robyn: What's your all-time favorite meal?

Kathy: I love almost any kind of pasta. A big bowl of it, with a glass of red wine. Sheer heaven!

Anonymous: What are your plans post-Veganist?

Kathy: I have so many plans, but you never know what will work out! I'd love to do a TV show—make vegan fun and interesting and easy. And I always say I'm never going to write another book (because it's exhausting), but then I hear the little voice in my head spewing ideas and thoughts, and I know I have to abide! Anything that makes veganism more popular and accessible, I'm game.

Thanks again Kathy!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! It's hard to imagine, but we are now in our final week of discussing Veganist by Kathy Freston. I received some great questions for our Q+A with Kathy, and her answers will be posted with the wrap up on Friday. We will then have a week off from the book club, and will begin to discuss Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau on Monday, April 4. Speaking of which, we have signed copies of the book in the VN Store, so be sure to get your copy before the discussion begins!

The rest of Veganist consisted of the final "Promise," and the afterwards, which details helpful tips in making the switch to veganism. The 10th promise says that a vegan diet will help you to evolve along with the rest of the world. By adopting a vegan diet, you are saying no to the terrible conditions of animal agriculture, and helping to create a more peaceful world. Freston mentions that our food choices are one of the best ways to express your worldly views, and that more people are becoming aware of this fact. All in all, veganism is catching on, and it's up to us to keep it going!

As mentioned above, the "Afterwards" includes tips from Freston regarding making the switch, like removing one animal from your diet at a time and how to eat vegan while traveling. There is also a frequently asked questions section, in which she has Dr. Neal Barnard contribute answers. Finally, she includes menus for a total of three weeks, a vegan shopping list, as well as a list of cookbooks and helpful websites.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What's your favorite vegan-related website—blog, or other—and why?

2. What did you think of Kathy Freston's new book? Do you think it will help spread the vegan message to more people?

The Assignment: Please read the introduction to Day 115 of Vegan's Daily Companion for our discussion on Monday, April 4.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday VegNews Book Clubbers! It was quite a busy week (at least for me) and discussion was a little bit lighter, so thanks to Crystal for keeping the discussion alive! Also, I want to thank those who submitted questions for Kathy Freston—her answers to those questions will be posted next Friday.

For this week's discussion, I asked how you reduce your carbon footprint other than being vegan, and what is the hardest thing you've done for a cause. As mentioned, Crystal gave some great tips on being more environmentally friendly, such as using reusable bottles and letting laundry air-dry when possible. No matter how conscious we are of the environment and the problems it faces, I think it's always important to be reminded of useful tips on how to do better. For the second question, Crystal mentioned that the hardest thing when supporting a cause is to stand up for it even when faced with discouragement from others. This is definitely important because it's inevitable that we will come across differing opinions when it comes to social-rights movements and other causes.

Please finish Veganist for next week's discussion. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good morning VegNews Book Clubbers! We are in the third week of our discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston, which I hope you guys are enjoying. Just a reminder, you have until this Wednesday to submit your questions for Kathy, which she will be answering at the end of next week. Looking forward to it!

We read three more "Promises" for our discussion today. First, "Promise" six states that by adopting a vegan diet, you are helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. We all know how completely wasteful factory farming is, and Freston reiterates that fact in this chapter.

Freston continues about the wastefulness of factory farming, which leads into the seventh "Promise." In this section she states that you will be helping to feed the global poor by adopting a plant-based diet. The amount of grain fed to animals to be slaughtered is incredible, and could be used to feed so many starving people. It's really hard to fathom.

Finally, the eighth "Promise" talks about the suffering of animals, and how by being a veganist, you can reduce that suffering. I don't want to go into all of the terrible details, because the plight of animals in factory farms is so dire, and it is a very sad subject to think about. I think it's important for people to read and learn about though, in order to get the message across. Freston features several personal and investigative stories, from such people as Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary, Josh Balk of the Humane Society of the United States, and Nathan Runkle of Mercy for Animals.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Being a vegan drastically reduces your carbon footprint. What other things do you do to reduce your footprint?

2. The stories mentioned in "Promise" nine are of some very courageous people, who put their comfort aside to help animals. What is the hardest thing you've ever done for a cause, be it for animal rights or another cause?

The Assignment: Please read the rest of Veganist for our discussion on Monday, March 21. And send in those questions!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday VegNews Book Clubbers! I am reporting from Anaheim, Calif. where the VN staff is attending the Natural Products Expo West. We are really busy scouting all of the awesome, new, vegan products, but there's still enough time to wrap up our discussion of Veganist this week. Just a quick reminder, don't forget to email your questions for Kathy, which are due Wednesday, March 16. Don't miss out on getting your questions answered!

Thanks for the comments this week! We talked about what your favorite promise is in the book, and what you do to save money. It seems like Promise 3 is the most popular, which says that a vegan diet will help you to live a longer, and healthier, life. This is definitely important, due to the preciousness of life. We all want to be in this world as long as we can, and staying healthy on a vegan diet will help us do that.

Who doesn't want to save money? We've all heard that a vegan diet costs a ton of money, which is totally not true. However, it is easy to waste a lot of money on any diet if you're not careful. This is an important issue in my life, especially right now, being a young woman just a few years out of college, and in a large amount of debt. I used to throw away money, but now I'm much more conscious of it, which is why I asked you to comment on your number one saving tip. Avoiding spending money on processed, vegan food and cooking from scratch seems to be it, which I've been doing myself. Not only has it saved me money, but making meals from whole foods just tastes better!

We will be discussing the next four Promises this Monday, March 14. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

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 Summary: Happy Friday VegNews Book Clubbers! Yesterday, I posted the three new books we will be reading for the next three months, and I hope you guys are just as excited as me to read them. But we have just began the month of March, so let's get back to our discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston. We read the introduction to the second chapter, or "Promise." Thanks to all those who commented!

As usual, I asked you two questions in order to get the conversation moving. First, I asked about how you went vegan—gradually or overnight. All who commented took it gradually, which is what Freston suggests to do. A vegan diet is quite simple, but the transition from a Standard American Diet can be pretty hard—at least in my experience. I think that Freston's approach to leaning into the lifestyle is realistic, and important to help more people want to adopt a plant-based diet.

Second, I asked if any of you had success stories, like those told within the chapters. Crystal definitely sounds like she truly benefited from the vegan diet, and I myself have benefited by not getting as sick as I used to as a child. I know some of the stories were really incredible, which is why they were featured. They are inspiring to read, and they are my favorite part of the book. Do you guys have a favorite part? Feel free to share this weekend!

We will be discussing the next three "Promises" of the book this Monday, March 7. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

Reading List

Happy Thursday VegNews Book Clubbers, and I hope you're enjoying Veganist by Kathy Freston. This is a special post to bring you some very exciting news: the next three books that we will be reading! Without further ado, here is our lineup for the next three months:

April: Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
May: The Bond by Wayne Pacelle
June: Fear of an Animal Planet by Jason Hribal

Fear of an Animal Planet will step away from the vegan diet realm, and into the subject of animals in captivity, which I think is another important issue to discuss in regards to animal rights. I am very excited about all three of these reads, and I look forward to discussing them with you!

~VegNews Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

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

The Summary: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers, and happy Friday! We are now finished with our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and we will begin our discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston next week. Be sure to pick up a signed copy of the book on the VN Store.

I asked two questions this week—one about your thoughts on Farm Forward and other humane meat movements, and if you think the vegan movement is moving at the right pace. It seems like you guys obviously support the humane movement, even though we would love to see everyone to become vegan tomorrow. The second question received a couple different answers. Some of you think it's definitely moving at a good pace, but Sock also brought up the fact about the cycles of movements, in which they can move forward for a while, but then take a big step backward. It will be interesting to see what happens, and hopefully this positive trend will keep moving forward.

I look forward to our first discussion of Veganist next week. Happy weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good morning, and Happy Presidents' Day! I am actually reporting from home today, due to the holiday. I hope you guys are enjoying a long weekend as well. It is the last week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I look forward to talking to you about the rest of the book. We will be reading and discussing Veganist by Kathy Freston next week. If you don't have it yet, you can purchase a signed copy on the VN Store.

We read the last two sections of the book for our discussion this week. In "I do," Foer tackles the cattle industry, as well as the two competing terms in the animal rights movement today—Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare. He starts the section by introducing Bill and Nicolette of Niman Ranch, which was mentioned earlier in the book. Niman Ranch is known for its "humane" meat, and Foer visited the ranch while researching the book. The section goes on to tell three different views of the meat industry: one from Nicolette, the "Vegetarian Rancher;" one from Bruce Friedrich, the PETA activist; and one from Bill Niman, the humane rancher. After these points of views are shared, Foer goes on to talk about the cattle industry as a whole, and points out the fact that humane ranches, like Niman's, are fine, but won't make much of a difference as long as cheap, factory-farmed meat is available to the masses. Foer does say that if all meat was raised like Niman's or Frank Reese's turkeys, he would probably eat meat, but at this time, there is no way that you can eat humane meat 100 percent of the time. He explains that this is why he has chosen a vegetarian diet.

The final section is entitled "Storytelling" once again, like the first section, and Foer goes back to talking about family and traditions, specifically Thanksgiving. Americans have made Thanksgiving about the turkey, even though it's quite possible that there wasn't even a turkey served at the first Thanksgiving. He questions this tradition, as well as the treatment of the factory-farmed turkey. He once again mentions the fact about people "forgetting" when it comes to their food, and he really starts to delve into the importance of what we put on our plate. He understands that it is our food that gives us a "sense of self," but also mentions that due to the unfathomable abuses that are now taking place on factory farms, it is time to leave our comfort zone, and actively choose what we eat. He relates it to when his Grandmother said that she would not eat pork even though she was starving while on the run during WWII, and how she said, "If nothing matters, there's nothing to save."

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What are your thoughts on "I am a vegan who builds slaughterhouses," in which the man in charge of Farm Forward talks about helping Frank Reese build his own humane slaughterhouse. Would you still label him as a vegan? Do you think Farm Forward is a good program, or is there a better realistic solution?

2. It is obvious that the vegan movement is catching on—right now there are two bestselling books that deal with veganism, and people in the mainstream like Foer are bringing these issues to more people. Do you think that the movement is moving at the right pace, or does something bigger have to happen?

The Assignment: Please read the Introduction and the first two chapters of Veganist for our discussion on February 28.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

Reading List

Happy Wednesday VegNews Book Clubbers, and I hope you're enjoying Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. This is a special post to bring you some very exciting news: the next three books that we will be reading! Without further ado, here are our first three titles for 2011:

January: The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott
February: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer
March: Veganist by Kathy Freston

Veganist is not yet out, but it will be hitting bookshelves early February, so just hold tight! I look forward to discussing these titles with you!

~VegNews Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig