BOOKS: Exploring plant-based cuisine

PR for People® Reviews:

Exploring plant-based cuisine

A Plant–Based Life – Micaela Cook Karlsen

AMACOM – 352 pp - $16.95

Eaternity – Jason Wrobel

Hay House – 384 pp - $24.99

   This month, a subject near and dear to many of us: food! Assuming you’re already aware of the links between the standard American diet and many of the leading health problems in our country today, let’s take a look at a couple of new books that advocate for plant-based diets as the key to living long, healthy, and high-energy lives.

   Although Micaela Cook Karlsen makes the case for switching to a vegan diet in “A Plant-Based Life,” she also wisely anticipates that you’re likely to encounter significant resistance from your own habits and tastebuds. After all, research shows that our cravings for high-sodium, high-sugar, high-fat, highly processed, animal-based foods may have not only psychological but biological components.

   Karlsen offers a range of strategies to help folks wean themselves off of junk food and retrain their palates for a less adulterated and more nutritious diet.

   Then it’s on to the recipes, gathered from many of her colleagues in the fields of holistic health and nutrition. A word of caution: while you may love the name of the “Morning Glorious” breakfast beverage and be jazzed about the healthful ingredients (cucumber! kale! etcetera!), the result is an uncompromisingly green and somewhat crunchy beverage. If you’re new to health foods, you might want to start with something a little less assertive.

   I’d also like to give a shout-out to Jason Wrobel’s super-charged “Eaternity,” a manual for healthy living and vegan eating. This book’s recipes are grouped according to the specific health benefits you seek – “Eat for Better Sex,” “Eat for Good Sleep,” and so on. The writing is spirited and fun, with helpful tips and recipes that are coded for gluten-free, nut-free, and even “transitional” – that’s for folks who are new to a vegan diet and want to ease in via familiar meals. Bless you, Jason, and bon appétit, everyone!