Vegan Living

A book by Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano called The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living is a great reference. It contains all of the information I've learned over the years since I became a vegan. I purchased the book to have as a quick reference guide for when I get inundated with questions about my diet choice.

The format makes it really easy to read. It's not longwinded. The book is set up in the typical Idiot's Guide format.

The book is set up in 7 parts. Each part contains chapters. Here are the part titles:

1 - Compassion for All

2 - Clearing Up the Misconceptions

3 - A Vegan Survival Guide

4 - Veggin' It: Tips for Maintaining a Vegan Lifestyle

5 - Substitution Is the Mother of Invention

6 - Vegan Food for the Soul

7 - Vegan Lifestyle Choices

This book contains recipes. Nutrition info. Animal info.

From the book:

Is Vegan Living for You?

If you're wondering if living a vegan lifestyle might be for you, ask yourself the following questions:

- do you love animals?

- do you oppose the use of animals in entertainment?

- do you feel sad seeing animals in pet store windows?

- do you sometimes find eating meat or dairy unappetizing?

- do you find yourself gravitating toward the veggie side dishes on your place first?

- does your leather coat ever suddenly seem unappealing?

- do you have any health concerns that may be diet-related?

- do you suffer from any food allergies or sensitivites?

- does the knowledge that your lotion or mascara was tested on an animal make you think twice about using it?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be a potential vegan in the making, and this book is certainly for you.

One of the questions that I get asked all the time is "Where do you get your protein?" In general, North Americans eat far too much protein. Diets high in protein affect calcium absorption which can lead to osteoporosis.

The thing is...even if you aren't vegan 24/7 you can make a difference. Try being vegetarian for a day. Then a couple of days...then maybe try vegan. The lives you can save by being vegan for one day a week is incredible. Imagine what you can do for the animals and the earth if you really put your mind to it!

Check this book out. I first read it by borrowing it from the Brantford Public Library. It was such a good reference that I bought it on-line.