From a former vegan of 5 years...
929667
This is an amazing book. I read it back in 1997 after I attended a lecture by the author. Although I was vegan for 5 years and vegetarian for 2 years before that, I switched immediately to this diet. And that's the surprising part because I was so against meat eating on both a social basis as well as a health basis. You would never catch me reading anything by an author who recommended any other type of diet because I was so certain of my beliefs.

So there I am walking by a seminar room in a shopping center back in 1997, and notice a sign describing a talk by Aajonus. For a laugh, since it sounded so absurd, I decided to pop in and listen for a few minutes. For the next hour, he described what he had been through in terms of his health challenges and what he did to overcome them. I walked out of there a different person and have stayed on the diet for over 11 years since that day.

When I really think about it, this philosophy really is an extension of being a vegan/vegetarian. Vegans know that animal products are bad for the body, but the distinction here is that cooked meat, pasteurized milk/cheese/butter/cream and cooked eggs are what is bad for you. In their raw form they are extremely healthful, and I have had nothing but major improvement in my health eating this way. In fact, at 43 years old I look forward to each year passing because I feel better in every way due to the healing power inherent in food when it is not altered or processed in any way.

It's also not as if you don't consume vegetables and fruit.  The difference is that vegetables are juiced, since the nutrients they contain are mostly unabsorbed as they pass through the digestive tract if they are eaten in whole form.  Fruit is eaten whole, albeit in a limited quantity.

Another side benefit of eating this way is the amount of time and energy you save.  No preparation, no cooking, cleaning of pots and pans, no gas or electric use.  All this may sound austere, but the incredible taste of homemade milkshakes and smoothies with raw ingredients has to be experienced to be believed!

This book is a good introduction to a different way of thinking about food, nutrition and health, but it is more for those who like getting their information in a novel format.  For a more left-brain, straightforward approach, his other book "The Recipe for Living Without Disease" is probably a better way to go.
2248737
The Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Brocolli Forest (Katzen's other 70s cookbook) were the two main publications I learned to cook with around the time I graduated from college.  At that time (ten years ago), I thought most of the recipes in these books were tasty, easy to make, and healthy.  I stopped using the book for about five years and recently returned to it this year.  Although I still like the preparatory quickness and tastiness of the recipes in Moosewood, there are some things that bother me about this book too.  First, I was a bit surprised by how much dairy Katzen uses in many of these recipes.  This is something I did not notice before.  And this "dairy heaviness" is even more surprising since Katzen makes a note at the beginning of the New Edition that she has reduced proportions of much of the dairy products.  Second, there is also an annoying school-marmish characteristic to some of Katzen's notes that I never noticed when I used it ten years ago.  It's like I can I feel Katzen's "Betty Crocker-ness" coming through when I read her notes and recipes. ("It's OK to use non-fat instead of low-fat cottage cheese with this recipe."  Gee, thanks, Molly.)  Bottom line:  This might be a good cookbook for people just starting to become vegetarians or for beginning cooks, but I wouldn't say it's too great for those more hardcore in their vegetarian cooking skills, beliefs, and practices.  And I wouldn't think this would be a good book for anyone who was a vegan.
3773239
I love this book! It has been such a life saver for me as a former cheese lover turned vegan. The cheese, butter and creams are the recipes I use the most.
3135230
Wife of mine (husband's review below):
Prior to being introduced to this book I was interested in switching to a vegan lifestyle but was concerned about how this decision would impact the rest of my family(of 6). This book has been the perfect tool to create a successful full-family transition to vegan living. The FAQ section resolved many of my questions and concerns. The meals themselves are easy to put together and have been a hit with even the pickiest eater of the bunch. In fact, this same picky eater, who prior to Winner, Winner Vegan Dinner was a veggie-hater, now requests vegan dinners over all else! As a family, we have found dozens of new family favorites from this book. If you are interested in finding new, easy-to-make, family-friendly vegan meals purchase this book; you won't be disappointed!

Husband's review:
I love pictures. I thought I would get pictures. I love to see how the food will &or should turn out. However, there aren't any. At first, that annoyed me. I wanted images. So I didn't use the cool book. However, my wife did. Not just once, but about eight times, if not more. The food was amazing. It tasted great. I have a few facorites, but the start right now is the vegan style sloppy joes. They were insane. You will not miss the old ones. They are texturally perfect. Taste, meticulously mesmerizing. Get the book. You will not be disappointed.
1662588
I love this book.  I've only been vegan for 3 years but it helped me to find my sanity and go from being an angry vegan to a more compassionate vegan.  The book helped me to understand how and why we are so stuck on our ways of eating animals and their byproducts despite the reality that it is so destructive to our planet, health and the innocent animals who are the biggest victims of all.
4749580
I was a skeptic when I was dragged to the couch to watch this video.  I gave up eating meat after watching the video.
Yes, it is a one sided argument, but a strong and convincing one. I have not been able to go completely vegan yet but working towards that goal.
3365705
My daily diet and food purchase decisions have changed for the better and I owe some of that to Vani.  It's amazing what foods you really don't miss , and scary to think how long I had been eating them.  I feel much better, have lost a good 18 lbs. and fitting in my old clothes!  Why wouldn't anybody want to take the time to understand how important it is to eat safe chemical free foods?
461693
Not vegan but wanted to cut back on meat - a save the planet kind of thing. I have made 6-8 recipes and they have all been great. Save a lamb and try the schwarmas. We could eat them every day they're so good!
315315
I have been transitioning from vegetarian to vegan recently, my husband and daughter have not. However, I purchased and began making food from the Oh She Glows cookbook, and dare say that I have watched them enjoying the food as much as I have. Everything that I have made has been amazing, seriously. Luckily, I have a large spice collection and can understand that this may be burdensome for others without an affinity for collecting such things. However, most of the vegetables are items that I have just sitting around my kitchen that I generally buy on a weekly basis. There are no foods that are unheard of to me which I also found very refreshing.
2951477
I have recently purchased "Vegan for Life" in the Kindle version.  There were so many things I loved about this product, I was unable to put it down.  I found it well-written, interesting and informative.  I thought I knew a lot about nutrition, but I was able to add to my knowledge with regards to the recommended daily allowances of specific vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats and the best vegan sources for them to achieve optimal vegan health.  I updated outdated nutritional information such as we no longer we need to food-combine in the one meal anymore to ensure we get the necessary amino acids our bodies need to make complete proteins as some amino acids can be stored by our bodies.  I also enjoyed the ease and availability of the dietary guidelines (which also included the all-important calcium intake guidelines), the meal plans and the recipes.
3720263
After a lifetime of various dieting strategies I decided to concentrate on the food I was eating, rather than the calories underlying it. I found this book, which I use both on my Kindle reader and in its hardcopy form. It would have driven me nuts to have had to adjust to a fulltime vegan diet, but with this one I know that I can satisfy my carnivore's hunger after 6:00 pm, if I need to. More than one month into it and I'm feeling good--better than I have in years.

One trick: During the vegan part of the day, explore vegetables for their own uniqueness and not for their possible use in an imitation animal food product--i.e. stop lusting after tofu hotdogs and get into squash. For me, leaving the Old World of animal products and sailing to the New one in the vegetable king- (or queen-)dom is a satisfying and even heroic adventure.
640429
This book deserves more than five stars! I have not felt this inspired, energized, and excited in such a long time.  As a Vegan I have been considering incorporating Raw food into my diet to improve my health for awhile now.  After reading Kristen's amazing blog and website ([...]) I stumbled upon this book. Thank goodness!!

Kristen does a wonderful job of educating us on how to incorporate Raw food easily into our everyday life.  She has an incredible way of making it seem fun that I started incorporating raw into my life right away.  This book is so inspiring and full of energy.  I could not put the book down!  The book is so easy to follow and is very organized.  She includes brilliant tips for every situation you can imagine. (even traveling! Did you know you could have organic produce and organic vegan meals shipped to your home? Well, you can! She is loaded with awesome information)

Since reading this I got myself a juicer and it arrived in the mail today! I pulled out a recipe from her other book "Easy Raw Vegan Smoothies, Juices, Elixirs & Drinks" and I could not believe how delicious it was- even my grandmother was raving about it.  It is called Sweet Tart Juice... so delicious!  The most wonderful thing about her book (if I have to choose just one thing) is that she includes a 14 Day simple meal plan to help you get started.  She also explains the different kitchen equipment that she uses to make life easier, but she mentions that you do not need all the fancy stuff to eat raw!

Overall, I guarantee that when you read this book you will feel like Kristen is a new friend cheering you on! I recommend you to buy this book- for your health and happiness! :-)
2152958
I have been a vegetarian for a year and a half. This book has inspired me to go vegan. I realize now that even though I'm not eating meat, I'm still putting the things that I'm trying to avoid into my body by eating animal products. I didn't realize that factory farming was so horrible...

Also, what negative attitude? They're just being straight forward. I think that this book is definitely aimed at a younger generation, because I'm in my mid-20s and this sounded like my friends and I do when we're talking together.
1308578
Though I personally didn't plan on going on a vegan diet, my friends are all mainly vegan and I thought I would prepared a good meal for them. This book was actually very helpful as I was expecting recipes (which are within the book) but also received a good foundation on the ideals and mindset behind being vegan. The book is a quick and efficient read and well worth the price.
2665969
You know, to be honest I don't always read the author's notes at the beginning of a book. For some reason I started reading the beginning of this cookbook and felt like I totally understood where Liana Werner-Gray was coming from. Sadly, here in America we actually grow up learning how NOT to eat. For most families anyway. Mine was no different. I am not overweight but I've struggled with my fitness and feeling good since I was in my teens. Of course then I could eat anything I wanted, but as I get older I'm learning that definitely does not hold true anymore. The fact that Liana is able to tell her story straight and explain where she came from really set the stage for changing and hopefully NOT going where she has been. Seriously, that's scary!

I'm also very intrigued by the vegan lifestyle, although I live so far away from it. What I enjoyed is that she not only has vegan recipes but meat recipes as well! For people like me who are interested but maybe cannot go all the way to living the vegan lifestyle everyday, these recipes really were great. She also goes into exactly why organic and foods straight from the earth are really the healthiest for us. What I really liked was her tip at the beginning:

  Eat raw with every cooked meal.

To me this seems like a very alluring, and easy to do, idea. Salad or raw herbs with soup were two of her recommendations but if you think about it, this can probably be done SO easily!

Although she does have a "do not" eat these are things we've pretty much all heard of before. And she makes it even easier by suggesting other foods to replace those foods she's taken out. Like instead of sugar add fruit to a smoothie, or honey. She has a juicing section that is also very intriguing. I have yet to get into the juicing idea but these recipes actually sound really good and easy. Even my husband would try the apple, cucumber, ginger juice! And that is saying something since he prefers his fruit in beer or pies! This chapter just made me want to go out and get a juicer. Easy and kind of fun! Especially if you have children!

Now, with all this talk of vegan and juicing you may be thinking this is not the book for you, well then you must read the chapter on main dishes with meat which has beef stir fry, lamb, and hamburgers! Anyone can get into the kitchen and make these. They all seem accessible and easy to do. The hamburgers have a lot of spices and if that's not enough, there are also chicken nuggets so even the kids will like these recipes.

I found this really healthy but also really compelling. We all want to eat better but it seems that we let time and life get in the way. There are recipes in here that will not sacrifice your time for great, healthy food.

What I loved most is that she understands that people like to eat dessert and she also planned for that and even adds in desserts you could eat daily! YUMM!!

In short: Want to live a healthier life but still enjoy the way your food tastes? This is the book for you!

Received from publisher for an honest review.
2747745
If you are a vegan or vegetarian you need to read this book! it was written in the 70's... I got mine used that the Bohdi Tree used bookstore in Los Angeles... this book covers vegetarian ideas, poems, religions and societies ranging from prehistoric times to the 20th century. If you think animal rights, veganism and vegetarianism are new ideas you will be pleasantly surprised that people of the past already came to the same conclusions you did. They saw the unnecessary violence and pain, they connected humans to non-human animals, they were concerned about health, as well as nature and the environment.... no matter what period in history, there were people who saw outside "the matrix" of animal exploitation.
Furthermore this book is A FUN read. She's has an awesome conversational style. i had trouble putting it down as page after page reading about cool people who saw it my way throughout history. This book is not given enough credit and I really hope it goes back into print!!! the movement needs this book!
3658946
After reading Becoming Raw, I felt that my diet was sub-par, to say the least. I had started a raw diet several months previous to reading Becoming Raw, following the advice of several "experts," much of which turned out to be dangerous to my health. I decided a completely raw diet was not healthful for me, and returned to veganism with cooked foods and ordered this book for guidance because I so trusted the authors.

Becoming Vegan is the most thorough (and easy-to-read) book on veganism that I have found, and has a ton of research for further study. The authors are both registered dieticians and completely honest about the often-missed and neglected areas of veganism. They offer easy and doable suggestions on correcting imbalances in the diet.

After taking the information in this edition to heart and putting it into practice, my follow-up lab tests have confirmed that many of the imbalances and problems I had previously, before reading Becoming Raw and Becoming Vegan, have been corrected. Those that have not been corrected completely are showing improvement with time. I highly recommend Becoming Vegan, for anyone considering or already following a vegan lifestyle.

(As a side note, Cooking Vegan - the "companion" to this book - is often mentioned in Becoming Vegan. The recipes are very simple and I could see how it may help a person unfamiliar with veganism to more easily adapt; I would not recommend for long-time vegans, though.)