Kathy Freston, author of Veganist (a New York Times best-seller), The Lean, and other books, gave a nice plug for nuts the other day in her e-newsletter, “The Daily Lean”:
“Yes, nuts are packed with calories, but they are also packed with nutrition. And they fill you up, thereby ‘crowding out’ room in your belly for high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods. A body of research shows that eating nuts in moderation actually helps you lose weight…They also appear to boost our metabolism, meaning when we eat nuts we burn more of our own fat to compensate.”
Though technically a legume rather than a nut, from a dietary standpoint peanuts fall into this same group: they’re nutrient-dense and filling.
Although it’s possible to have too much of a good thing (and really, any healthy food eventually has upper limits), a PB&J sandwich, almonds with your green beans, or walnuts in your salad each each day is not only eco-friendly but waistline-friendly.
Some more ideas for vegan cookbooks that focus on whole foods:
“Appetite for Reduction” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz – 125 recipes from the vegan cookbook master, with an emphasis on nutrition
“Alternative Vegan” by Dino Sarma – delicious multicultural creations using veggies, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, spices
“Wild About Greens” by Nava Atlas – Increase your intake and enjoyment of kale, collards, bok choy, mustard greens, etc. with this excellent cookbook
Dr. Neal Barnard, President of PCRM (The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) has authored many books on creating health through proper nutrition. And all his books include low fat, whole-foods based, vegan recipes in the back! He even has a cookbook: “Get Healthy, Go Vegan!” I’ve been very impressed by the work and transparency of Dr. Barnard. Perhaps you will be too?!
I love all the info that you’re posting laetly! I’ve been trying to incorporate more whole foods into my diet laetly, so it’s perfect timing and great motivation. Do you happen to know of any whole foods vegan cookbooks? I’m having a hard time finding any, aside from raw foods cookbooks, which are great, but not exactly what I’m looking for right now. If you have any suggestions let me know. Thanks!
She also includes heatlh food stores. A very good list for anyone not familiar with vegan diets and where to buy ingredients. For those of you familiar with her other books, Freston does not lecture, but kindly encourages the vegan lifestyle she talks about leaning into it in other words, slowly work towards becoming a vegan. That even a few meals a week is a good start. (The leaning into thing started to get on my nerves, but whatever.) If you need proof that a vegan diet is a great choice to make or just adding more plant-based foods into your diet this is the book for you. If you want recipes, you will need to look elsewhere, however. One book I like is called 1000 VEGAN RECIPES. Check out Freston’s other books like Quantum Wellness out. Finally, if you are looking to get rid of all the toxins in your life not just your diet (and make your home a beautiful sanctuary) read: HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET. Highly recommend.