*book was gifted for purpose of review, images and opinions all my own. The Vegan Kitchen is a recipe and nutrition book, here’s what’s what with it. Find out below, what you need to know about this book.
“Say hello to the vegan bible”
About the book
A bold claim if ever there was one! This book “The Vegan Kitchen” “is an essential guide to navigating a plant based diet”. The author is Rose Glover, a nutritional therapist who runs a consultancy that specifically works with women, suffering from a variety of health issues. Glover has a particular interest in the link between hormones, sleep, digestion and a plant based diet. The book is broken down in to three sections, creating a balanced nutritional vegan diet, what to stock up your kitchen with, and 12 recipes.
About me
I am 10 months into my plant based journey (I do in very moderate amounts eat some dairy), but 98% of my diet is plant based, and so far so good! I feel great, I look good, I am enjoying what I eat, and the fact that volume wise, I can tackle as much as I like is a dream come true! However, there’s a huge amount of speculation everywhere I turn it seems, about just how BAD for you a plant based diet is, I mean, but where d’ya get ya protein tho? It has made me second guess this lifestyle from time to time, with scaremongering over bone issues, lacking iron (especially for women), and vitamin b12 deficiencies, I’ve wondered just how hard it is to get right. So, The Vegan Kitchen plonked through the letterbox at the perfect time.
The Review
I LOVE IT! For a good few reasons! Firstly, I love how the bulk of the book is purely informational rather than “just” a recipe book”. Though my diet is going well, I am definitely underweight which can be a worry for your health. So, until get to have the chance to have all my nutrients etc tested by my GP, I want to make sure I am not lacking in any vitals. The book breaks down in to bite size (DAD JOKE 1) pieces all the plant based food groups. In each section it covers, nutritional information per item by weight/serving size, and a tonne of tables which have really useful information for example, minerals, its functions and where to get it. So if you’re looking for specific information about a food group, or a health related issue, the relevant related information is really easy to find. Something else that I appreciate about this book, is that it is really basic (in a good way!) I mean, it isn’t full of medical jargon that to your average Joe is nothing more than gobbledygook, it is very “text/information heavy”, but the pages are organised in such a way e.g tables and headers, it is very easy to navigate, written in a way that most people will be able to understand. I try to eat a varied diet, but go back to my old faves because they’re tasty and quick (when I want to eat I want it now!). I thought I was already eating really well, in parts this book made me realise that I am, but also helped me see where I can improve my balance. The Vegan Kitchen has helped me realise variety is the spice of life (DAD JOKE 2), because certain nutrients and vitamins work best in harmony with another, for example vitamin D is fat soluble meaning that vitamin D when ingested with a fat can be absorbed into the bodies fatty tissues. This book also offers 12 plant based staple recipes that are nutritional and relatively easy to do, from sauces to butters to pizza (slice, slice baby (DAD JOKE 3). I have dabbled in a couple of recipes already, look out for those being recreated when I can nail my food photography like the pictures featured in The Vegan Kitchen.
I would recommend it to anyone at any stage of their plant based journey because it is really straightforward. The Vegan Kitchen is very informative in a way that is not intimidating, I know sounds daft, but if you’ve ever read any advice on food and health, a lot of writers can come across really aggressive and unpleasant. Not this book, all the information is really easy to digest (DAD JOKE 4), I’ll be reaching for it often for advice on both health and recipes.
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Amy Versus Life 