Book Reviews – Vegans.UK

How to Go Vegan – Veganuary – Kate Schuler

January 10, 2018 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

The very title of this book sums up what many people have pondered over the years. Sure, they think, it’d be great to go vegan. I can see the benefits for the planet, the animals and maybe even me, but how on earth do I do it? Sometimes it seems as though there’s some sort of mysterious power that vegans have to be able to do what they do. Other times outsiders assume that vegans simply enjoy living in misery eating lentils out of a clog. Whatever people assume (and I have firsthand evidence of this) they certainly assume that they could never do it.

The book begins by detailing why people might go vegan, starting with the main one – the animals. This section covers the facts about animal farming. Perhaps it’s because I’m a bit of a hardened activist, but I felt the information was delivered in a measured way. They thank the reader at the end as it’s a tough read, but I suppose when you’ve read the animal section in Skinny Bitch, nothing that follows seems like a tough read. Basically it paints the awful reality without totally traumatising the reader.

For someone like me, it’s all about the animals and any other benefits can be seen as a bonus. That is the opinion of abolitionist movements such as Go Vegan World too and I can see how they may get frustrated with Veganuary’s approach. There’s a casual ‘hey, don’t be too hard on yourself’ theme that runs through this book that I know would shock some vegans. For myself though, I see this non-threatening approach as quite useful. Once you have someone taking part, whether it’s for the animals, environment or whatever, they tend to find out that they can survive and thrive without animal products, and as Edgar’s Mission says ‘If we could live happy, healthy lives without harming others, why wouldn’t we?’

After a section about environmental benefits, such as reduced water usage and pollution, it’s on to health. It’s true that, especially in January, people can turn to Veganuary as part of a health kick. This book not only covers personal health, but also global health, mentioning diseases we get from farmed animals and the threat of antibiotic resistance. Then the book suggests doing Veganuary ‘for the adventure.’ I think this will appeal to a very small group of people, but you never know, once they’re onboard they may stick with it for the animals.

So, onto the how: They suggest different approaches, from giving up one animal product at a time, to going all out the first day. They are sensible to suggest easy swaps, such as soy mince for beef, plant milk for cow’s and veggie stock in soup instead of chicken: Basically, things that won’t upset your life too much. They also mention the array of foods people will have in their cupboards that are ‘accidentally vegan.’ Folk are always delighted to find out they can still consume Skittles for example!

There’s useful information on how to read labels and nutrition. It’s not too complicated, so people will be encouraged rather than put off I think. There are tips on how to get around family issues and how to travel with confidence. A list of myths follows, which will be useful for the fledgling vegan who wants to answer the most common questions they’ll be asked. There’s even a small vegan bingo board on one page, which I enjoyed! Meal plans and recipes are in here too, although of course much more can be found on the website.

As I said before, I know many vegans will find this book’s approach far too casual. However, it’s not aimed at them. It’s aimed at people who know in their hearts they should be changing the way they live and for some, this non-threatening approach will work wonders. The pull to be conventional is strong and if participants can allay their own fears by telling themselves ‘It’s just for a month…’ then that may actually help them to keep going. The social justice of veganism creeps up on some and is an overnight realisation for others. I’m somewhere between an abolitionist and a pragmatist. I don’t believe in reductarianism and think that veganism is the moral way to live, but I feel that different people get there in different ways. The softly, softly approach of this book will suit many people. After all, more than 65% of last year’s participants stayed vegan. And with over one hundred and fifty thousand sign-ups this year, far more than ever before, those are some pretty good projected numbers. This book will definitely help veganism into the mainstream, which is in all our interests.

Meat Logic – Why do we eat animals? By Charles Horn

February 6, 2017 by Tofu Temptress 3 Comments

If you are a vegan, I’m sure you’ve had questions from non-vegans about your choices. Some may be borne out of genuine interest or curiosity. Some questions are simply designed to wind you up. Whatever it is, most vegans know that the more you look into animal welfare and rights, the state of the environment and even health trends over the years, it’s impossible to argue against veganism. However, it doesn’t always feel like that when confident omnis are hitting you with what they think are persuasive arguments right and left. It can be easy to get flustered and often you feel under pressure to know everything there is to know about veganism.

Is it moral to cage animals, just because we can?

Well, Meat Logic addresses the questions and assertions you may get from a philosophical point of view. It’s pretty comprehensive and covers everything from the common ‘We’re at the top of the food chain’ to the reasonable ‘People in the industry would lose their jobs’ to the just plain annoying ‘Mmmmm, Bacon’. Even if you feel like you have answers to these points, the chances are there may be some issues in here that you’d not thought of before. This book would certainly be of help to the new vegan and even for a relatively old hand like me, it was helpful. We’re always learning and it’s important to remain open to new information.

The book takes an incredibly logical approach. First, there’s a brief introduction to the relationship between philosophy and animals. This is really useful, as it lays the groundwork for most arguments. It poses many interesting scenarios, such as if beings came to this planet who were smarter than us and had the power to lock us up in sheds, would that give them the right to eat us? Animals are worthy of moral consideration because they think and feel and everything stems from that.

The book then goes point by point through each ‘objection’. It devotes many paragraphs to each one, from the easy to disprove ‘Animals are just things’ to ‘We wouldn’t have evolved big brains if our ancestors hadn’t eaten meat’ which may require a little more thought. Throughout the book the tone is calm, rational and measured. There are notes on each topic at the back of the book, giving more detail and sometimes suggestions for further reading, as well as a bibliography.

This is an extremely useful read if you sometimes find yourself at a loss during discussions. It will give you plenty of facts, but the basic principle that runs throughout the book i.e. that animals matter, should see you right in most situations. Meat Logic to me is pretty simple. Just because we can, doesn’t mean that we should.

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell

February 3, 2017 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

People become vegan for all sorts of reasons, the main three being: for the animals (me); for the environment, and for personal health. This last one is often mocked by the omnis as they see vegetarians, never mind vegans, as being weak and ill. For some reason if a vegan falls ill it’s because of their diet. However if someone who eats seventeen bacon butties a week has a heart condition – that’s genetic.

This book studies the science of nutrition and how it relates to health. It’s not a strictly vegan book in that it does document some experiments that were carried out on mice, but it certainly advocates a plant-based diet. Now, as we know, veganism is about much more than diet. It’s a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, animal products and animal exploitation from our lives. It’s not flippant to say though that diet is central to this lifestyle. And while you can rightly argue that a vegan diet based on whole foods is the healthiest one out there, it can be an uphill battle as mainstream media, the government and the food industry all seem to be doing their best to convince us otherwise.

The China Study is not only the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted (as it says on the cover) but it’s also a look at why the information that’s been discovered isn’t more widely known. The author, T. Colin Campbell, was brought up on a dairy farm and grew up to be one of the most respected medical professionals in the world. I find this important, because all too often we are told by farmers that we simply ‘don’t understand’ farming and are their enemies. And yet here is a farm boy who ate meat, milk and eggs and when he learned of how damaging they can be, changed his diet.

The research that has gone into this book and T. Colin Campbell’s career in general is incredibly extensive. When he found that some of the top killers in the western world (including diabetes, cancer and heart disease/stroke) could not only be prevented and treated but reversed by this diet, he was askance at how governments acted. Sitting on some of the top health panels in the country, he was agressively bullied and stopped from giving out the correct nutrition information. The power that agribusiness and the food industry have over the government is, quite frankly, frightening.

There are so many conflicting messages out there surrounding diet and health that it’s very easy to get confused. In The China Study we are given comprehensive information about the thousands of studies that show a whole foods, plant based diet is by far the best one for optimum health. The China Study itself tracked the diet and health of those living in rural China who consumed mainly vegetables and had very little in the way of meat and processed food. Even allowing for many other mitigating factors including racial difference, exercise levels and environment, they showed little to no signs of the diseases that kill most of us here in the west.

There’s lots of information in this book and it’s a bit of a tome, but I found it absorbing and endlessly interesting. If anyone asks you for scientific evidence that vegan is best, give them this! (A revised and expanded addition is now available.)

Highly Recommended

Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins & Derek Walter with Caprice Crane

January 21, 2017 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

The review on the front of this book, by Ricky Gervais, is fab and just about sums things up. It reads ‘Funny, moving and heartwarming. The greatest love story ever told between two men and their pig.’

A few years ago, Steve Jenkins was offered the chance of rehoming a mini pig. He jumped at the chance – what could be cuter? – but he neglected to inform his partner Derek of his plans. As you can imagine, arriving home to an unexpected pet is always going to have its pitfalls, especially as the couple already had two dogs and two cats in their modest sized house. But who could resist a mini pig in the end? They named the pig Esther and she became part of the family.

The book tells the story in Steve’s voice and documents how the pair went about welcoming a pig into their home. There were many challenges, but these became even more difficult when Esther wouldn’t stop growing. It’s no spoiler to say that Esther was a piglet when adopted and proceeded to grow into a full sized, (six hundred and fifty pound) commercial pig.

The normal fat of a commercial pig — The normal fate of a commercial pig – Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals

Commercial pigs, as the name suggests, are the type of pigs that people normally chop up and make into bacon, ham and pork. Although meat eaters before Esther arrived in their lives, her presence led both men to become vegan. They are now animal advocates and Esther even has her own facebook page and twitter account. You can catch up with her adventures every day on social media. There’s always a cute picture or video and an amusing caption!

This book is a lovely, easy read that will warm your heart and tickle you by turns. The writing is a casual, chatty style that endears you to both Steve and Derek. There’s so much love for animals here that it’s impossible not to like them. I even secretly wished I could have a piggy companion too, but be warned anyone who finishes this book feeling the same – there’s no such thing as a mini pig!!!

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

December 6, 2016 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

To say Skinny Bitch is straight talking might be a bit of an understatement. If you’re offended by bluntness and swearing then this isn’t the book for you. However, it’s all written in a tongue-in-cheek style, so even though it’s very, um, straightforward, there’s a fair dollop of humour in there too.

Green tea is a wonderdrug apparently. I like mine fruity... — Green tea is a wonderdrug apparently. I like mine fruity…

This book is obviously focused on losing weight and behind all the cursing, there’s some pretty solid science to it. One of the first things they tell you is that to ‘get skinny’ you must first get healthy. This of course makes lots of sense, but it’s certainly not what most ‘diet’ books recommend. There’s always some fad aspect to them I find and ‘Skinny Bitch’ says right from the start that it’s a way of life, not a quick fix or temporary change.

Natural sweetness - alternative to refined sugar — Natural sweetness – alternative to refined sugar

The chapters cover various aspects of diet and lifestyle and reveal some very stark truths about the food industry. These authors do not hold back when it comes to exposing not only the abhorrent cruelty of the meat and dairy industries but also the hidden interests of government agencies, agribusiness and big pharma. In a nutshell, there’s no way you can trust the food industry or the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the US) as they all have their own agendas and none of them have our best interests at heart.

I really enjoyed this book and took copious notes. There’s lots of sensible advice, and although I’m not skinny (too much of a cupcake fan for that) it all makes total sense and if you followed their advice to the letter the pounds would drop off. I must admit to skipping a few of the slaughterhouse tales included in the chapter entitled ‘You are what you eat’ as I’ve seen and read enough of these things to be convinced a million times over and don’t need to get even more depressed about the horrors animals go through on a daily basis. Also almost all of the food recommendations in the ‘Let’s Eat’ chapter are American brands, most of which are not available here in the UK. However, the meal plans are full of good ideas and you can make almost everything with UK ingredients and a bit of imagination.

They don't recommend relying heavily on drugs — They don’t recommend relying heavily on drugs

This is not a cookbook though and once you’ve been inspired by the ideas in this book you can go and get one of the growing number of titles out there to help you become a whizz in the kitchen. This book is about the why.

I'm too much of a chocolate lover to be skinny! — I’m too much of a chocolate lover to be skinny!

This title is targeted specifically at women, as you might guess from the title, but don’t worry fellas, there’s a sister book entitled (you guessed it) ‘Skinny Bastard’. Other spin off books exist too, from a guide to pregnancy to tips on cooking and even an exercise DVD, but this is the original and many say the best. If you want solid facts delivered in an entertaining style; a guide to losing weight without losing your mind and an ethical approach to getting healthy, it’s all in here.

Recommended.

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