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Recommended Reading

I think that there are two reasons why we all should read some books devoted to the "whole-food plant-based" diet, especially when we first embark on this new lifestyle.

The first reason is for motivation. Reading books that explain the health benefits of the WFPB diet are very motivating and help fire us up and keep us on the "straight and narrow". Included in the health benefits of the WFPB diet are: weight loss; healthy weight maintenance; prevention of type 2 diabetes; prevention of heart and cardiovascular disease; reversal of type 2 diabetes; reversal of heart and cardiovascular disease; prevention of stroke; lower risk of cancer; lower risk of dementia; longer healthier lives. Reading about the studies that demonstrate these outcomes, and reading about the success stories of others who have adopted the WFPB lifestyle just gets us going and keeps us going. The first book I read about the WFPB diet was Dr. Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live", and I have to say I could not get to the end of the book fast enough just so I could get going with it. I was just so excited.

Secondly, there is a lot of learning to do to make sure that we are eating nutritious food, and in the right quantities to keep us "plant strong". Also, we need to build a resource of recipes, and many of these books contain delicious recipes at the end. Our culture and our moms taught us to cook with animal protein and fat at the center of every meal. The same goes for our governments: they misleadingly tell us we need to eat animal protein and fat to stay healthy. So we have to unlearn, and relearn. We have all become students again, and books are the way to educate ourselves. Get reading!


How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease" Michael Greger M.D.

"Eat to Live" Dr. Joel Fuhram

"The End of Diabetes" Dr. Joel Fuhrman

"The China Study" Dr T. Colin Campbell

"Whole" Dr. T. Colin Campbell

"Power Foods for the Brain" Dr. Neal Barnard

"The Starch Solution" Dr. John McDougall

"My Beef with Meat" Rip Esselstyn

If you wish to motivate yourself in a plant-based diet because of reasons of animal welfare, I recommend Joel Safran Foer's book "Eating Animals".

Other books with the theme of shifting our thinking about our relationship to animals and the planet are two books by Danilel Quinn: "Ishmael - An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit" and "The Story of B"


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