VeganMoFo: "N" is for Nutrition - Book Review of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition"

The "V" Word continues its celebration of VeganMoFo, the month of Vegan food, with the other 25 letters of the alphabet. "N" is for Nutrition and my book review of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition by registered dietician and certified personal trainer Julieanna Hever.

If you are Vegan, you probably get bombarded with questions about nutrition. Where do you get your calcium and Vitamin D from if you don’t drink milk? Don’t you need to eat meat to get Vitamin B12 and iron? Doesn’t a plant-based diet mean all carbs all the time? And let’s not forget the infamous question: where do you get your protein?

Hopefully, when you are asked these questions and the many more that come up, you are able to answer confidently and knowledgeably. But what if you’re not too sure yourself? Then you should run to your bookstore (or your computer or iPad or Kindle or Nook, whatever) and get yourself a copy of a wonderful new book about Vegan nutrition.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition, written by Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T., is an easy to read, information-packed book. Hever focuses on the value of "whole, plant-based foods, with little or no added fat, salt or sugar."

Organized into four parts, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition covers every topic you could possibly think of. Part 1 explains the fundamentals of nutrition. What’s in your food anyway? What exactly does a body need to function at its optimal level? And what is this new Food Pyramid and Plate all about? Learn about fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber and what foods and additives to avoid.

Part 2 takes on all the myths and misconceptions about food, health and weight loss. Read why calorie counting is not always necessary, why exercise is key and how to know which supplements, if any, you need to take. Is dairy really as healthy as the ads make it out to be (the short answer is NO) and what’s the deal with soy? Is it safe or not? Are raw diets really healthier? Learn how to read nutrition labels, master the supermarket aisles and when it’s best to buy organic.

Part 3 is dedicated to special topics such as pregnancy, children, senior citizens and athletes. It also covers how to use diet and nutrition to lose weight healthfully and prevent or help with the many diseases common in Americans today.

Once you are thoroughly schooled in plant-based nutrition, it’s time to put all that knowledge to work. Part 4 is going to help you apply your new smarts with tips on how to dine out, entertain and deal with holidays and special occasions (just in time for Thanksgiving, right?).

The Original Cover

There are chapters that will teach you how to stock up your kitchen with food and appliances, how to substitute common ingredients with plant-based alternatives and how to make any recipe healthy and nutritious. Plus, you get nutrition charts, resources and over 45 recipes and sample menus to help get you started and discover how delicious plant-based eating can be!

When scientific research is presented in a friendly, approachable voice, a complex topic becomes easy to understand. The next time someone asks where you get your protein from, your confident, power-packed answer will have their amino acids spinning. Julieanna Hever’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition is a must-have for veteran vegans, new vegans and those just thinking about adopting a healthier way of eating.

Visit Julieanna's blog, The Plant-Based Dietician, and subscribe to her Plant-Based Dietician's Channel on YouTube.

I am looking forward to Julieanna's new book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking, which will be released on December 6, 2011.

"N" is for Nutrition. For another "N" word, check out my Noodle-Free Vegetable Lasagna.

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.