The author makes a really good case for a plant based diet from the health ...
357926
I listened to this book as an audio book. The author makes a really good case for a plant based diet from the health benefits to the deplorable way that the animals that we eat are treated. It makes being vegan sound like a good thing to do and makes me want to not eat meats or dairy any more. However, I was sad to hear her list vegan fake food sources at the end of the book like fake cheeses and meats. Over the years I have tried many of these and snuck them into my familys diet as well. Most of them are expensive and many of them taste gross. I agree that the way animals are raised for human consumption is wasteful and horrible. I just have not yet found a vegan diet that is whole foods based and delicious. I also think that it does not need to be all or nothing, and that if we were to eat a small amount of responsibly raised animals and dairy, then it would be better than eating lots of factory farmed meats. I have, once again checked out several vegan cookbooks and have more on hold at the library. I will try again to find vegan meals to incorporate into my and my familys diets. Today, I bought a bunch of vegan fake foods to try out for myself and my family since it has been a few years since we last tried them. Perhaps they got better.
2926822
This is an excellent book. I'm trying a Whole Foods plant based diet and this book is really helping.
3708948
I picked this book up while the Kindle version was on sale for 99 cents.  My dollar was well-spent.  Ms. Deering begins her book by telling her story of how under eating and over exercising, along with partying a little to hardily, damaged her health.  Next she defines good health.  In short, good health is having a high metabolism, which ensures that every process in our bodies is functioning optimally.  Hint:  thyroid function plays a huge role metabolism.  So how do you go about raising your metabolism?  As you might expect, what you eat is important.  The bulk of the book explains which foods to eat for good metabolic health.  There might be some surprises on the recommended and not recommended foods lists, depending on your nutritional education up to this point.  Saturated fat, sugar, including fruit, and protein, especially milk and gelatin (via broth and collagen powder), get a thumbs up.  Polyunsaturated fats, grains, legumes, and nuts get a thumbs down.  Ms. Deering also warns of the dangers of too many leafy greens, especially uncooked, and over-reliance on muscle meats.  Of course there's more to health than food.  The remainder of the book addresses supplements (thankfully real food is recommended over expensive supplements), balancing blood sugar, exercise, sleep, water consumption (you might find more surprises in this section) and happiness.  A nice FAQ section clarifies some points raised in the text, and we get a sample weekly menu plan, recipes, and best foods lists.

Prior to reading this book I was familiar with the concept of better health through a higher metabolism.  I was also aware of the dangers of polyunsaturated fats, the benefits of saturated fats, and the ins and outs of meat, broth, gelatin, milk, grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables, and fruits.  However I hadn't before read a presentation put together as well as this one is.  The material is organized in a such a way that one topic flows nicely to the next.  You're not left wondering what the heck you should eat.  I also had never before considered the suggestions for meal building given in the book.  Being a reader of health books, many of them of the paleo persuasion, I'd picked up the idea that fruit should not be a main carbohydrate source and milk is an inadequate protein source.  I'd also picked up the idea that a meal wasn't complete without a chunk of meat or eggs on my plate and that I should eat as many vegetables as I can choke down, especially leafy greens (I'm not a big vegetable lover).  Happily, after reading Ms. Deering's book, I now have some new ideas for how to build meals that I enjoy and that will be good for me.  I also have some ideas for including "snacks" in my meal plan to keep my book sugar stable.  I rarely take notes when I read a book, but I took notes throughout this one.

Overall, this is an excellent book that I highly recommend everyone read.  There are some mistakes - typos, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes - that a good editor could easily fix.  I'd love to see a second edition with the mistakes corrected - I'd buy a second, paper back copy for myself in a heartbeat.  Despite the errors, I give the book five stars.  I may have only paid 99 cents for this book, but it's well worth the full price.
3309101
I was never a fan of a vegan diet myself. I'll be honest I'm a meat eater at heart but after reading this book I think I'm willing to give a vegan diet a chance. I love how the author gives helpful and specific information and advice on how to slowly transition to a vegan diet. I have learned from this helpful educating and amazing book that a vegan diet doesn't mean you are sentenced to eating only carrots and lettuce for the rest of your days. I have learned the best way to boost the benefits of a vegan diet is to eat a whole based, high carb diet while avoiding refined sugar, excess fat, high amounts of sodium, and processed foods. I have also learned that for faster weight loss, aim to have 70% or more plant based foods in your daily diet. If you are looking to live a happy healthy life then this is the book for you. Last but not least I love how fast this e-book was digitally delivered to my kindle reader library. I was able to read my e-book within seconds of purchase.
2934862
She did a very good job writing this book. 1/3 of about the diet including a quiz on what level of the diet you should follow. 1/3 are recipes you can use, both raw and easier to digest cooked foods. 1/3 are how to live in the real world with this diet.

At first the fact that there was some cooked food and flesh recipes, but then after reading the book saw that she created the book so that people can transition into a more raw diet. I think this makes it easier for people to accept this diet. I was already on the raw path and am a vegetarian for 10 years so i was able to start the diet eating 90% raw.

She also says herself that she isn't 100% raw but more like 95 to 99%. She says that she doesn't like labels and she eats what she wants. I like that and don't feel so pressured to eat 100% raw. And i want o make some baked potato wedges then i can eat them. But she does also mention better cooked choices.

I learned a lot from this book and feel comfortable that anyone can eventually follow at least level 3 (raw till dinner).  She also shares stories from her clients. My favorite is when she told a client that was putting eggs, chicken and cheese on her salad that the definition of a salad is a plate full of vegetables.
549427
Dr. Fuhrman follows in the footsteps of such dietary and healthy life style giants as Drs' Paul Bragg, Bernard Jensen and even Jack La Lanne (now 92!) without mentioning a one. A tireless self promoter his plant based nutrient dense diet is well researched and cited and would do a world of good for most amercians.  However he uses selective citations to almost completely reject the use of animal based proteins and nutrients.  This flies in the face of a great deal of research that shows that the judicial use of organic, free range, grass fed animal proteins and products (especially bone broth) can have significant health benefits.  He also promotes the liberal use of soy products in his recipes while later in the book admonishing the reader not to eat a soy based diet. Contrary to popular opinion individual soy consumption in Asia is low and there is a great deal of research showing the dangers of soy.  Finally he recommends taking a good quality multivitamin and directs people to look at his web site for references.  When you do this you will find his own brand of multivitamins and metagenics nutriceutical products for sale.  As a practitioner in the complimentary and alternative medicine field for 8 years (acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist) it is my opinion that metagenics products have medicore quality controll. I can't attest to Dr. Fuhrman's products since he does not disclose anything about their production.  These criticisms aside, Dr. Fuhrmans book can be extreemly helpful for people just venturing out of the fast food american diet. Just don't stop there, good health and happiness is a lifetime pursuit.
4610105
I have not finished this book yet as I have had it for only a week.  There are some real challenges to the conventional wisdom here, and I applaude Tyndale for offering this volume!  We have learned over the years about the benefits of a plant based diet, but I have not seen a nationally distributed book like this one written by a physician with such impressive credentials, basing health on scripture.  Great book Dr. Marcum!  Thanks!!
4753424
The vegan diet excludes consuming dairy products and beef and only focus on vegetables, whole grain and nuts. This book contain creative plant based vegan recipes provided for the vegan dieters. A plant-based vegan diet can reduce the risk of mortality from the world's chronic illness  such as: Type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular disease, ulcer,  arthritis and many others. This diet book is highly recommendable.
3034934
Fire Your Doctor is an inspiring and empowering read about the value of un- or little processed foods and about the value of micro-nutrients.  It gives perspective as to what's going on in much of mainline medicine where symptoms rather than causes are treated.

'Doctors will get of their pedestals when patients get of their knees' someone once said.  This book should help by triggering interest in and knowledge about one's health.  Saul makes a strong case that multivitamin / mineral supplements are the 'zero calorie essential food group' and where much of disease prevention is cheaply found.  My favorite passage: 'Some day, health care without megavitamin therapy will be seen as we today see childbirth without sanitation or surgery without anesthetic.'

Unlike this review, the writing style is smooth as Saul tells an entertaining story about prevention.

No book is perfect and I tripped over his leaning toward a more vegetarian approach (but no doubt healthy in the context presented), only walnuts are nuts with omega-3 and he misses the main plant-based omega-3 oil that has been shown to reduce heart attacks and save lives, canola [rapeseed] oil that is.

Also, there is not a word about homo-cysteine, that toxic amino acid we all make and that is now linked to over 100 diseases and conditions, including heart disease and Alzheimer's.  The beauty of the book however is that the foods and especially the multi-vitamin levels he recommends will automatically drop this blood toxin to the lowest possible level in anyone!  Who could ask for more?

Again, this is an easy reading, gentle and probably attitude changing book and I imagine that most readers will find several tips that will help improve their health and pay for the book many times over.  Eddie Vos health-heart.org Sutton (Qc) Canada
750517
There are plenty of books on plant based nutrition and why it's important and preferred.  However, in order to be optimally healthy we need more than that.  We must be smart consumers as it relates to healthcare.  Opting out of the medical mill is every bit as important to being healthy as eating the right diet.  This book tells you how to do both.  Fun and easy to read and understand.
566359
I really enjoyed reading through this book and will now use it as an authoritative reference. Good information on phytonutrient content of foods and how these phytonutrients can enhance health. This is a must read for anyone considering a clean, plant based diet.
4689482
This book has an amazing amount of pertinent research regarding the health values of eating a whole plant food diet. Dr. Greger gets right to the point in this book and on his free website, NutritionFacts.org. I am now addicted to watching his videos on YouTube. I occassionally supplement with watching them on his website. The website allows you to read the text instead of watching the video, which though less entertaining can be quicker and allows you to review what your just read more quickly. We had a friend who once said he would rather die than give up his meatballs, steaks, etc. Sadly he may well get his wish. We went to a sporting event with him and he couldn't go up one flight of stairs at the stadium without stopping to catch his breath. He was not only overweight and out of shape but his cholesterol was really high. It is sad that people in this country are not exposed to tasty, high quality vegan or vegetarian cooking. We live fairly close to a Veggie Grill which has many tasty and healthy entrees, salads,
soups and more. I can always get a good veggie meal at a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant, but you have look carefully to find the vegan menu items or just learn to ask for no meat with your meal. In any case, Dr. Greger does a great job of explaining the benefits of eating vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds. It helps to also read something by Dr. Dean Ornish for more information on complementary lifestyle changes like stress management, exercise, and social interaction.
872663
This was a fascinating and informative book that advances a hypothesis and then seeks to show the truth of that hypothesis.  The hypothesis is that what we eat matters, a lot.  As diets have changes to, in general, more carbohydrates and vegetable oils (poly unsaturated fats) chronic disease and indeed genetics they have affected human well being. Many of the commonly believed myths that cholesterol is bad for you and that saturated fats should be avoided are discussed in an intelligent manner.  References are provided for those interested in seeing backup for the points of view.  I only wish the government could get motivated to modify some of the dangerous half-truths and its nutrition recommendations because they have a large impact on all of us.  Dr. Shanahan also touches on some of the highly regarded organizations such as the American Heart Association and where their funding's comes from (pharmaceutical firms).  By itself this is not necessarily bad but it seems less than pure.  I guess my only criticism would be it does mix the anecdotal with journal references but that probably makes for a better read.  Really good book!
4647235
A decent read, with the message "ditch the processed food, go vegetarian & organic and start juicing for increasing nutrients"
398398
With years and years of research and actual studies you can't deny the fact (at least I can't) that a whole foods plant-based diet is the key to better health! I first saw T. Colin Campbell on a documentary and wanted to know more.  I love how he presents evidence. This book was VERY educational, thought provoking and even a bit scary, but I wanted the truth. I am  already weaning my own diet to vegetarianism (having problems with going cold  turkey)and seeing a huge improvement in my health . This is my second go at it and I think this time I will succeed.
122548
Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health is a nuce book filled with good advice and some terrific recipes.

I do eat some meat (free-range organic) but most of my diet consists of plant based foods and I am always on the look out for new recipes to try.

I found the information in this book to be valuable...although I am quiet knowledgeable on the subject, I still learned. This book is about eating healthy, whole and natural plant-based foods and the health benefits of doing so.

The best part are the recipes. Last weekend, I had a party and decided to make several dishes from this book. I tried the tofu spinach dip, quesidillas, lettuce wraps and the fresh strawberry pie. Every dish was a winner!

I highly recommend this book for a healthy lifestyle and for delicious recipes!

Author, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET
72382
David Perlmutter's  "Grain Brain" is meant to turn the American diet on its head. The main theme of this interesting book is that what we eat affects our brain health, as well as influencing our ability to stave off the diseases like diabetes or Alzheimer's that often accompany old age. "Health may not be the most important thing in life, but without it, nothing else matters," Dr. Perlmutter sensibly states.

If readers decided to follow the author's suggested lifestyle, among other things they would have to monitor and perhaps cut is their consumption of gluten, sugar and fructose. They would then have to get most of their carbohydrate intake from vegetables. Many fats and oils that had been thought taboo for serious dieters would now be permitted, along with whole eggs (not just the egg whites). And a disciplined approach to exercise would be mandatory.

None of this is totally new. A few scientists, physicians and nutritionists have been increasingly saying these things for the past several years. In this book Perlmutter not only presents his own ideas in a very readable fashion but also cites laboratory studies and clinical experiments to back up his conclusions.

Of course, not everyone agrees with Dr. Perlmutter's concepts. Some reviews by opponents of his nutritional program have been quite strident, and some of the points these reviewers make are legitimate. However, I personally found "Grain Brain" to be clear, logical, and thought-provoking, and I recommend it to readers interested in improving their nutrition and brain health.