Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Right On
928665
This book is very inspirational.  It makes the reader aware of the local food movement, and helps one rethink food choices.  This book teaches that any little bit you do, whether raising herbs in a windowsill, having a full on vegetable and fruit garden, or just supplementing your groceries with purchases at a local Farmer's Market, helps contribute to a more healthy  food attitude for your family.

This book is THE perfect gift for any foodie or gardener you may need to buy for.
3342533
This easy-to-digest and hard-to-put-down book is eye-opening whether you are a contented omnivore or a friendly vegan. I've always been fascinated by how we human animals rationalize the things we do, as it helps explain some of my own learned behaviors and the behaviors of those around me. Melanie Joy manages to explain the disconnect we have to many non-human animals in a smart yet very enjoyable read. I found it enlightening (sorry for the new-agey term) and read the thing cover to cover in two ravenous sittings.

I gave up animal products about six months ago and have read a lot on these issues. Some books that delve into how we treat animals are challenging to get through -- though very important to read, I believe --  but this one is quite different. There is one chapter that talks about the specific abuses that animals suffer at our hands, but if that is too intense for you at the moment, I encourage you to skip that short chapter and then come back to it when and if you feel able. I say that not to diss the author or the issues (I believe that as hard as it is to hear, we should all be aware of the truth.) Rather, it would be a shame to let one's temporary squeamishness get in the way of hearing this take on why indeed we love dogs, eat pigs, and wear cows. If you are an omnivore, you will still enjoy this book and not feel lectured at. It's just spellbinding writing/analyzing by an author who respects all of her readers, wherever their taste buds might lead them.

One of my favorite aspects was the allusion to the movie The Matrix. I've written more about his on my blog post: [...](If this link doesn't post, go to suburban snow white dot blogspot dot com and then find the post entitled Dogs, Pigs, Cows, and the Matrix.

I cannot rate this book highly enough. Melanie Joy has hit the nail on the head. I plan to reread it shortly.

Enjoy! (And pass it on!)
1680297
I grew up on a farm and saw animal births: kittens, calves, piglets. Typically the mother animal had her baby, got up, and resumed daily life with her baby. This documentary brings back the "art of birthing", going back to the way nature intended . . . beautiful and inspiring.
1566621
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Animals can have such a profound impact on humans.  Thanks to all who helped make this possible!
4708323
Six years ago I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease (an inflammatory bowel disease).  I've always been a healthy eater and believe in natural healing whenever possible, especially through diet and (sigh!) stress reduction.  After my diagnosis, I cut out all sugar, wheat and ate even more vegetables and grains.  Although I hadn't consumed red meat in 20 years, I did still consume other animal protein.  While I was able to successfully control my crohn's disease this way, it was not until reading The China Study that I completely eliminated chicken, turkey, eggs, and cow's dairy.  I still eat a small amount of goat yogurt and goat cheese and some fish, and I've never felt better!

It was not The China Study alone that influenced my decision to drastically reduce my animal protein consumption.  While Dr. Campbell's results are compelling, worrying about contracting some disease in the future is not always enough to persuade most of us to stop eating hamburgers, chicken, eggs or ice cream.  The American diet revolves around these foods and it takes a concerted effort to find satisfying alternatives.

What cinched my decision to further reduce my animal protein consumption was the information I read in other books about the effect of factory farming on our health, environment, and our collective sense of humanity.

Together with The China Study, these books make for impressive reading:

* Animal Liberation by Peter Singer

* The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and the World by John Robbins

* Plant Roots: Reasons Why the Human Diet is Rooted Exclusively in Plants by Rex Bowlby

When you consider that it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef vs. approximately 24 gallons to produce one pound of wheat, something's wrong.  In addition, my consciousness was raised when I realized how animals in factory farms (where most animals we eat are raised) are treated and killed.  I was beyond horrified.  All I know is that once my awareness was raised there was no going back.

Whether you choose to cut out animal protein completely or simply be more conscious in your decisions about what and when you eat it, The China Study along with these other books all give you food for thought.  I can't encourage people enough to read them and come to your own conclusions.
280184
Plant-powered men come from all walks of life. In sharing their perspectives, there is an opportunity to learn and enrich our lives and perhaps alter our diet to increase consumption of plants in our diet. This is a win-win for those who wish to improve their health or are concerned with the cruelty in the meat-processing industry. Every step counts and this book is a step in the right direction. A must-read.
2666109
I found ,this Vegetable Soup chock full of vegetables and a generous serving for two people.  It is tasty.  I added a few pieces of cooked chicken to it, and I am sure you could use beef if so desired.
515089
first became aware of Moon juice though a blog I follow and though I am not luck enough to be close enough to the store to shop in person; have slowly but surely been trying out some of their various different potions such as beauty, brain and dream dust, made of adaptogenic herbs. So when I saw the book, I knew I had to have it. If nothing else for the fact that as the Amazon sneak peak reveals, it is loaded with simply breathtaking photography!

Hopefully when you purchase this cookbook, you will be familiar with the Moon Juice brand and not be surprised by the recipes and the ingredients they feature. This is not a cookbook with which one can shop in a local grocery store, heck even Whole Foods would be a long shot for some items  -though to be fair there are plenty of others that use easily sourced ingredients such as chia seeds, nuts, milks, coconut. But there are also recipes that call for Kombu strips, lucuma powder, mesquite powder and colloidal silver.  I write this not to discourage potential buyers, but just so they are aware what they are getting into before a purchase.  There are also more than 75 recipes so you can be sure to find things that appeal to your tastes, pantry or cooking ability.

The premise of the book is food as medicine which is something I have always strongly believed in. It is plant based and begins with a story of the author, plagued by sickness as a child, given medicine as a remedy, with still no resolution. Years later, though experimenting with food and herbs learned that these can be just as much, if not more of a remedy in helping us look and feel our best. The book also, importantly, takes us away from healthy being a quick fix to more of a lifelong journey.

With that we being with the 10 pillars of the moon kitchen, which include consuming good fats, enjoying cultured and fermented foods, and eating organic. There is an incredible guide to High functioning foods - foods that can detoxify, provide immunity, boost metabolism, brain food, Inflammation tamer  I found this fascinating and different from traditional guides. There is a kitchen guide -equipment to have, pantry staples (note, as expected a juicer and dehydrator are both suggested pieces to own).

Then we go to the recipes: Juices (cucumber pineapple jalapeno was amazing, with a kick that reminded me of my favorite cocktail only far healthier); milks,  Moon milks, shakes and lattes,  and I really liked the simplified recipe for Golden milk which is something I currently drink nightly, albeit with a store bought powder, so this is easy and cheaper. Then broth bowls, yoghurt, cheese and Kefir; Fermented vegetables, cosmic provisions (think snacks and basics.

We finish on a sweet note with the bakery section, raw of course and raw chocolate which beings with cacao paste and butter but serves as a base for so many fun recipes.

As this book states, it is not an ordinary cookbook,  its an alchemist cookbook,  think of combining  lots of sometimes unusual but high functioning foods to deliver tasty outcomes that heal. It is for the adventurous cook, someone looking beyond the basic raw cookbook and someone that want to experiment making potions that sooth, heal and target specific health functions. Its a bit like a mad chemistry book in parts but I love the originality, the story and the stunning pictures. One for the coffee table or the kitchen!
464479
Thank God for this book. It seems we see more and more bad news about the pet food recall on television every day. Maybe it's time we all started preparing the food for our pets at home. At least that way we know our beloved pets will be safe.

By Teri Wilson, Author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/All-Creatures-Of-Our-God-And-King/dp/0974627755/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">All Creatures Of Our God And King</a>
4774570
As a person helping out a loved one with cancer, I read this and applied the ketogenic diet principles.  My family member's prognosis went much better than expected.  Even the oncologist, a very traditional one, declared the results" "astounding."
1630232
Wow, this plant has so many wonderful powers, and is an real alternative to so many medications, and other foods. great stuff !
1852990
In a refreshing twist on health and food books, Robinson advocates the eating of fruits and vegetables that are as close to their evolutionary originals as possible. This is no faddish "paleo" diet but a sensible, biologically based argument that the heirloom or original varieties of common fruits and vegetables are much richer in active compounds that improve health and fight disease. I may not be eating a purple carrot soon, but I will try to shop more at farmers markets and be aware of what I eat. Excellent recipes as well.
4281623
I chose this rating because of the way I viewed how ordinary vegetables, in the past, were secondary to whatever meat, poultry or fish selections were going to be highlighted as the main event in a receipe. Laura does an excellent job both between the pages of her book and her PBS program. Not really being a vegetarian, I was introduced to her style of simplicity in preparing and serving vegetables as either a main course or much improved side dish(es) for the chosen entree' being prepared. Both family and friends have now enjoyed and see vegetables in a whole new light. Don't just take my word for it, try before you buy, visit her show and sample a receipe or two, and I think you will be sold as I was on adding her book to your kitchen collection
926857
Low budget but high value. A lot of science based evidence for ditching the meat and dairy and cutting over to plant based, whole foods.

Heart disease, Cancer, Type II Diabetes, Alzheimer's, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Asthma, Erectile dysfunction, on and on,  The list of prolific killers and cripplers of Americans does nothing more than grow. We have the answer to prevent, halt and regress all these diseases and it isn't pills or expensive, life threatening surgery. It's literally right in our back yards, plants. No one will tell us and it's fairly obvious why. In a for-profit health care system such as ours, there's NO money in healthy people. We have GOT to advocate for ourselves and take personal responsibility for our own and our family's healthcare. The only way we'll beat the current, financially motivated and Government backed, system that is making us all sick is to stay out of that system. We have the power.

The documentary also goes on to talk about the environmental cost in raising and maintaining livestock for food. It's eye opening. So much energy is consumed feeding and raising these animals that ultimately will be eaten. A massive amount of the earth's surface is purely there to support the livestock industry. It's mind boggling. It's unsustainable and we need to get the word out.

From a personal standpoint, I went vegan some 8-9 months ago shortly after a Coronary Heart Disease diagnosis. I've lost weight, lowered my BP drastically, brought down my cholesterol and reversed my Coronary Heart Disease. I'm living proof this stuff works. It's down to YOU to take control of your life.

Further reading which may be of interest:

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/How-Not-to-Die-Discover-the-Foods-Scientifically-Proven-to-Prevent-and-Reverse-Disease/dp/1250066115/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-China-Study-The-Most-Comprehensive-Study-of-Nutrition-Ever-Conducted-and-the-Startling-Implications-for-Diet-Weight-Loss-and-Long-term-Health/dp/1932100385/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-End-of-Heart-Disease-The-Eat-to-Live-Plan-to-Prevent-and-Reverse-Heart-Disease/dp/0062249355/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The End of Heart Disease: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease</a>
84479
This diet has revolutionised my health.  In these days of a new weight loss miracle pill or diet, touted in the media every we, we lose sight of the fact that one's diet is supposed to refer to the foods one regularly eats.  And The Virgin Diet is just that - a guide to correcting many harmful and overlooked wrongs while nudging one's body towards a healthy state of wellbeing.  Personally, I find it easy to focus on what I can eat and enjoy, rather than what I cannot have.  The 21 day elimination routine may not be for everyone, but it is easier when one keeps in mind that this is a healing process.

At the end, I was rewarded with deeper sleep, more focus and energy, the disappearance of arthritis pain throughout my body, and, yes; the loss of 10 stubborn pounds.  Three months down the road, I am 35 pounds lighter than when I began, and many health issues have been corrected.  I'm 55 years old and for the first time in decades, I am at my target optimum weight, and I feel terrific!
2859819
I'm starting to believe that this is a gardening miracle! I used it in a bed of cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli and I've never had plants grow so vigorously. Last year a bed of the same plants was a complete failure. I wasn't sure if it was the neem seed meal making the difference being that I had done a couple of things different. But I'm now amazed how well my tomatoes are growing and the neem meal was the only thing I've changed from the past. Last year my tomato crop failed I believe because of parasitic nematodes. I ordered beneficial nematodes that should solve that problem and I haven't used them yet but the tomatoes, even in the area where the nematodes were lurking last year, are looking great. I don't know but maybe this kills the bad nematodes. I just ordered my third box.
As for the smell- I think it smells delicious and eatable! I just want to grab a spoon and start eating!
3080282
I read this book in two days, it was my grandmothers who has been in Heaven for 8 years.  She was the only child of an only child who bore 6 children.  I am the third generation of the "seed faith" she planted.  She was single, poor and with no apparent hope. But she had so much faith. I am successful, have a wonderful family and because of her selfless act to start a family coming from just herself (and Jesus) we now have over 45 members of our family all stemming from the 6 seeds she planted!! A true miracle.  I found this book in some of her old things my mother has, and it did not surprise me at all. My grandma. I am pioneering a mission from God to help people achieve financial independence through faith. The principals I have learned in this book that has crossed my path by no coincidence, and is no doubt a harvest of much cultivated soil a long time coming.  Thank You Jesus!!!