Vegetarian Chicks - The Kind Diet

Has anybody read Alicia Silverstone's new book (http://www.amazon.com/Kind-Diet-Simple-Feeling-Losing/dp/1605296449/ref=bxgy_cc_b_img_b)? I've got it, but haven't read it yet.

Someone I'm following on Twitter syas they haven't yet been disappointed with a Kind Diet recipe. Sounds promising! Read it already and let us know. :D

I wanted to buy the book so I rifled through it at the bookstore. I skimmed through the recipes and there were quite a few ingredients that I had never heard of before so I set it back down. I ended up purchasing 125 Best Vegetarian Recipes instead. Easy to find ingredients and easy to make recipes.

I just finished reading "The Hip Chicks Guide to Macrobiotics". I really liked it a lot. Apparently, The Kind Diet was co-written by the author and a lot of the recipes are from the Hip Chicks Guide although not all. She also borrows from some other books and has some of her own recipes.

Having said that, I am eating more macrobiotic-like these days.

I read it and really liked it.

It's basically the same information that's already out there, but the 'Super Hero' section was interesting and some of that information was new to me. The recipes look really yummy too. I haven't gotten the chance to make a lot of them, but I have made the Peanut Butter Cups and they we SO good.

I think this book is definitely good for people looking to go vegetarian/vegan who may not appreciate the way that Skinny ***** was written. It covers a lot of the same information, just less harshly.

Like lots of people, I just ordered this book after seeing Alicia Silverstone on Oprah. I've already gone vegetarian but I'm hoping this book will convince me to go vegan. I'm already sort of convinced but I'm dreading the inconvenience of it!

Lisa,

I think it takes practice but I don't think of being vegan as an inconvenience. It definitely gets easier once you get into a groove.

Yep. I know any lifestyle change is an inconvenience at first and there's a learning curve, but I know it would be worth it. The trouble is going to be coordinating my new way of eating with my carnivorous husband and son. I'd like to raise my son vegetarian or vegan (he's 18 months old) but I haven't made that change. I plan to talk to the pediatrician at his next appointment and see what he thinks (though he's pretty old-school, so he probably will advise against it and I'll have to take what he says with a grain of salt). Then I'll have to work on convincing my husband that our son doesn't need to eat meat. My husband is already eating a lot less meat since I went vegetarian, and he's ok with it to a point. But he's a BIG fan of bacon! He's one of those people who's thin as a rail no matter what he eats, so he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about what he should or shouldn't eat. He says he tried to go vegetarian when he was in college and he was tired all the time, so he has this preconceived notion that it's just not for him.

Well not sure what your doctor would say but I've known many moms who have have raised their children vegan from conception. I also know they tend to seek Indian pediatricians/obstetricians due to the fact that a large number of Indians are vegetarian or at least understanding of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. And overall, we may be a meat centered/dairy centered society but the majority of the world isn't.

Here are a few links that may help
http://www.vegfamily.com/
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/WELCOME/treatmentguides/veganchildren.html
http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Vegan-Children-Non-Vegan-World/dp/0972510206 (book)

I also recommend reading The China Study. I think it is a great book overall although it isn't focused on children.

I also have a skinny husband and really I bulk up his meals quite a bit. He gets a lot more grains/nuts/fats than I do.

The China Study is definitely another one I'm hoping to read soon. I'll have to request it at my library (as a SAHM, I can't afford to buy books very often anymore!)

I've been tempted to change pediatricians before, but I do like some things about him. He's very pro-breastfeeding, but I would hope that all pediatricians are. He was definitely not in a hurry for me to introduce cow's milk, saying "your baby's a human, not a calf," so that was in line with my thinking. My whole family is all about formula so they're all freaked out that my child still nurses at 18 months and that he's never had a drop of formula. Now they're all freaked out that I'm going vegetarian and my mom seems terrified that I might not feed her grandson the way she thinks I should. Of course, she feeds him absolute JUNK. She's coming for a week-long visit at the end of the month and it's going to be painful!!

Thanks for the links. You always have good info for me. :)

I have the book and I'm sorry I wasted my money. I do not care for it at all. I tend toward a lower carb, lacto ovo veg diet. The only vegan cookbook I like is The Carb Conscious Vegetarian. OMG, I could live off those recipes!

I also like The Low Carb Vegetarian (lacto ovo) by Rose Elliott. But that's just me. Like I said, I veer toward moderately lower carb recipes due to my blood sugar issues.

The Kind Life was a good book but not my favorite. My personal must have is the Veganomicon.

Sorry for the thread-hijack but LisaMarie71, if it helps you with your family, the American Dietetics Association takes the position that a properly planned vegetarian or vegan diet is appropriate for all lifestages. You can find their official position paper here (http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8357).

Yep. I know any lifestyle change is an inconvenience at first and there's a learning curve, but I know it would be worth it. The trouble is going to be coordinating my new way of eating with my carnivorous husband and son. I'd like to raise my son vegetarian or vegan (he's 18 months old) but I haven't made that change. I plan to talk to the pediatrician at his next appointment and see what he thinks (though he's pretty old-school, so he probably will advise against it and I'll have to take what he says with a grain of salt).

LisaMarie71, I am a born and raised vegetarian. I'm almost 50 years old, and have no idea what a steak or a McDonald's hamburger tastes like. It is possible.

I agree with Birman...
Anything is possible. We hold ourselves back too many times and put too much faith in what is considered the norm.

LisaMarie71, I am a born and raised vegetarian. I'm almost 50 years old, and have no idea what a steak or a McDonald's hamburger tastes like. It is possible.

Oh my goodness that's wonderful! I envy you the good health you probably have as a result! I hate that I've poisoned my body with meat and dairy for 38 years, and I really don't want to do it to my child.

Thanks for all the encouragement, everyone.

The good news is that my little boy seems to love all the vegetarian stuff I've been making. He threw DOWN on my potatoes and lentils with curry with a side of broccoli tonight, and my silly carnivore husband won't even try the potato/lentil dish. He's convinced he hates lentils.

LisaMarie,
I'm sure you could sneak those lentils in some dish without him even knowing...lol

I read most of this book sitting down in the bookstore on multiple consecutive Fridays. It was interesting. Alicia is cute and seems like a sweetheart, but sometimes a bit ridiculous and immature. The part about "leeks being sexy" cracked me up! I can never look at another leek again without thinking of it and laughing.

She got me interested in lotus roots though! :-)

~CGH~

LisaMarie,
I'm sure you could sneak those lentils in some dish without him even knowing...lol

I heated up the left over potatoes and lentils with curry tonight and he's trying it right now. I also made some carrots cooked simply with a little olive oil and that was my dinner. My husband made barbecued pork slices so he's cutting up some of that for my little boy too. Ugh. Oh well.

I finally got this book in the mail today so I'm going to read it soon. Right now I'm about 100 pages into The China Study, which is absolutely fascinating and further confirmation that a plant-based diet is the way to go. Very convincing confirmation!!

I read this book recently, and I actually liked it.

It was a little silly, but it was exactly what I expected from her. It's cute and lighthearted, and a great "primer" to macrobiotics. I followed the book with the Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics, which was still sweet but had a lot more information.

I'd like to raise my son vegetarian or vegan (he's 18 months old) but I haven't made that change. I plan to talk to the pediatrician at his next appointment and see what he thinks (though he's pretty old-school, so he probably will advise against it and I'll have to take what he says with a grain of salt).


I want to raise my girls vegan too and checked with our pediatrician about it. She said that it is fine and connected me with someone who is raised all of her kids vegan. My ped is a long-distance runner and was raised vegetarian so I figure she knows what she is talking about. The woman that raised her kids vegan recommended relying first on veggies and then fruits. Try to minimize the carbs because that will be all they want to eat. She also recommended the book Eat to Live. I read it. It was ok but I would recommend getting it from the library and not spending money on it. Especially if you already have The Kind Diet.

My husband wasn't too thrilled at first because he is worried that I won't be getting the right nutrition but the idea is starting to grow on him. He even made a vegan dinner for us last night. He doesn't want to do it himself but is totally ok with making a piece of chicken or whatever for himself and then eating our main dish as a side.

He threw DOWN on my potatoes and lentils with curry

Mind sharing the recipe?

Mind sharing the recipe?

I got it out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and I sent that back to the library and lost the page where I copied it out! Luckily, I just found it online. :) Here's a link:

http://www.myfirstkitchen.net/blog/2009/1/7/potatoes-and-lentils-with-curry.html

I didn't use the yogurt, however. And I'm considering adding onions next time I cook this.

I really liked the Kind Diet. I totally agree that Silverstone is kind of juvenile at times, but to me, it made her and the book seem more approachable. I've tried several of the recipes in the book and they are FANTASTIC! Especially the Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean dip. We used "Veggie Shreds" and it melts JUST like real cheese, IMO. Raw Balls - delish, and the cornbread recipe was really good - but you can easily half the sweetner.

Hettie - I'm not sure if you are vegan but FYI, veggie shreds contain casein which means they aren't vegan.

I loved this book! A ton of good info! I am vegetarian, but not vegan. I still struggle with giving up cheese! lol

Hettie, I really liked the cornbread muffins too. I used the full cup of maple syrup, even though it was expensive, and I agree that you could probably cut the sweetener down. Have you tried the chocolate peanut butter cups? Holy moly they're good. Not good for weight loss, but tasty!