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114 reviews for:
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
Alicia Silverstone
3.65 AVERAGE
114 reviews for:
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
Alicia Silverstone
3.65 AVERAGE
This book is alright. I like the idea of eating a Kind Diet, and certainly value the health benefits that accompany that diet. Silverstone goes with anecdotal evidence over scientific in this book, with a very chatty best-buds tone. It's interesting, but not necessarily convincing for me. Then again, I didn't need convincing. I was already sold on moving towards a vegan diet. I just needed recipe ideas.
The recipes were alright too. There were a few that sounded good. Some that sounded strange, even to an adventurous eater like me. And many that sounded OK. She uses gluten in a number of recipes, which is not an option for me. She also calls for a number of more exotic (i.e. expensive) ingredients. I'm never sold by cooks who say "Oh, this ingredient is expensive, but it's so great, it's worth it." or "Oh, it's expensive, but it's worth it, and you only use a little at a time anyway, so it will last forever." If it costs half my weekly grocery budget to buy your truffle oil, I don't care how good it is. I am not likely to buy it.
In general, I felt many of her recipes had to do with macrobiotic diet ideas, and were a little more exotic than I am willing to try or am able to afford. Between that and the recipes with gluten, there is not much left I'm dying to try. I don't want to discourage others from trying it, but it's not a winner for me. Good for her for getting the word out about a kind diet, though. I think we could all use a little more of that kind of kindness in our lives.
The recipes were alright too. There were a few that sounded good. Some that sounded strange, even to an adventurous eater like me. And many that sounded OK. She uses gluten in a number of recipes, which is not an option for me. She also calls for a number of more exotic (i.e. expensive) ingredients. I'm never sold by cooks who say "Oh, this ingredient is expensive, but it's so great, it's worth it." or "Oh, it's expensive, but it's worth it, and you only use a little at a time anyway, so it will last forever." If it costs half my weekly grocery budget to buy your truffle oil, I don't care how good it is. I am not likely to buy it.
In general, I felt many of her recipes had to do with macrobiotic diet ideas, and were a little more exotic than I am willing to try or am able to afford. Between that and the recipes with gluten, there is not much left I'm dying to try. I don't want to discourage others from trying it, but it's not a winner for me. Good for her for getting the word out about a kind diet, though. I think we could all use a little more of that kind of kindness in our lives.
I've been really interested in changing to a vegan lifestyle and the first two parts of this book just gave me more reasons. I enjoyed the reading and the information. The recipes were a little outlandish at some points. She mentions going to vegan restaurants often, and said that it's unlikely that you don't have a vegan restaurant near you. Okay, Alicia, come here to my town and see the vegetarianism!
Alicia Silverstone is one of those people that is positive almost to the point of obnoxiousness. But her overall attitude about life was pretty cool. This book was very well planned out, very well researched, and while I certainly didn't agree with everything mentioned, I can see myself adapting a lot of not only the diet changes, but the lifestyle changes laid out in this book.
This book is part nutrition, part weight loss and part cookbook. The first part of the book is a listing of what is considered "nasty" foods(meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods in general) and the reasons we should avoid them. The second part is the "kind" foods(whole grains, vegetables, fruits, raw natural sugars)and the reasons we should stock up on these on a regular basis. The third part was her different levels of the Kind Diet(Flirting, Vegan, and Superhero). If you're Flirting, you may start substituting meat or dairy products for vegan/vegetarian alternatives, you may indulge in "nasty" foods once and a while, and be a little more lax about your overall diet. The Vegan level includes no animal products at all, also limiting processed foods and sugars. The Superhero level takes it to the next level. Pretty much a vegan diet with no processed foods or sugars at all and mostly local, organic, seasonal foods. The superhero level is one I don't think I could ever go on the way on. Just not practical for my lifestyle(especially living in Ohio). The last section of the book is recipes for the vegan and superhero levels, and while I haven't tried any yet, there are several I plan on trying and I will keep the book just for the recipes alone.
I like that the book laid out not only the health benefits of this type of diet, but it also focused more on the environment, which is something I can for sure get behind. And even if I don't eat vegan all the time(I can't imagine never having a bacon cheeseburger again), the book made me realize that by limiting these foods, I can really impact not only my health, but the earth and my wallet, which are things I hadn't really considered before. Also, when I do choose to have meat, I can at least make sure I'm getting better quality meats, dairy, and eggs by choosing local farms with humane practices and better treatment for the animals. I would spend a little more money now for that piece of mind.
The reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because I thought Alicia was kind of condescending sometimes when presenting facts. A lot of times, she would start a sentence with, "You see..." and then give whatever fact. That bothered me as a reader. Also, I cringed every time she used "bennies" for "benefits" of the Kind Diet. And some of the editing was poorly done(for example, pages 114 and 116 have the EXACT same sentence word for word literally 2 pages from each other...I did a double take and thought I was crazy, but check it out...it's there).
I'm happy I got this book to start kicking off my vegan experiment month. I will reference it in the future for sure.
This book is part nutrition, part weight loss and part cookbook. The first part of the book is a listing of what is considered "nasty" foods(meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods in general) and the reasons we should avoid them. The second part is the "kind" foods(whole grains, vegetables, fruits, raw natural sugars)and the reasons we should stock up on these on a regular basis. The third part was her different levels of the Kind Diet(Flirting, Vegan, and Superhero). If you're Flirting, you may start substituting meat or dairy products for vegan/vegetarian alternatives, you may indulge in "nasty" foods once and a while, and be a little more lax about your overall diet. The Vegan level includes no animal products at all, also limiting processed foods and sugars. The Superhero level takes it to the next level. Pretty much a vegan diet with no processed foods or sugars at all and mostly local, organic, seasonal foods. The superhero level is one I don't think I could ever go on the way on. Just not practical for my lifestyle(especially living in Ohio). The last section of the book is recipes for the vegan and superhero levels, and while I haven't tried any yet, there are several I plan on trying and I will keep the book just for the recipes alone.
I like that the book laid out not only the health benefits of this type of diet, but it also focused more on the environment, which is something I can for sure get behind. And even if I don't eat vegan all the time(I can't imagine never having a bacon cheeseburger again), the book made me realize that by limiting these foods, I can really impact not only my health, but the earth and my wallet, which are things I hadn't really considered before. Also, when I do choose to have meat, I can at least make sure I'm getting better quality meats, dairy, and eggs by choosing local farms with humane practices and better treatment for the animals. I would spend a little more money now for that piece of mind.
The reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because I thought Alicia was kind of condescending sometimes when presenting facts. A lot of times, she would start a sentence with, "You see..." and then give whatever fact. That bothered me as a reader. Also, I cringed every time she used "bennies" for "benefits" of the Kind Diet. And some of the editing was poorly done(for example, pages 114 and 116 have the EXACT same sentence word for word literally 2 pages from each other...I did a double take and thought I was crazy, but check it out...it's there).
I'm happy I got this book to start kicking off my vegan experiment month. I will reference it in the future for sure.
This book really tied things together after watching Earthlings. Can't wait to try the recipes!
Lots of useful information in first part of book; lots of great recipes in second part. I'm enjoying working my way through the food and highly recommend this to anyone thinking of incorporating more plant-based food into their diet.
While I don't think I'm committed to being a vegan, I haven't had red meat for 7 years (and can say I haven't had any cravings either). I started reading this to get some ideas for some plant friendly meals because I eat WAY too much processed food.
I love the concept of "The Kind Diet," and the way Alicia emphasizes that veganism is a way to make food choices that are kind to your body, the planet and (of course) to animals. She takes veganism away from deprivation and constantly saying "no" to certain foods, and moves it towards saying "yes" to a kinder lifestyle.
That being said, I found the tone of the book annoying, which is why I didn't give it five stars. Alicia seems to think that because she is a celebrity, people are dying to know every detail of her life, and while some of her advice and tips are genuinely useful, others are just over-sharing (I don't need to know what foods make Alicia feel gassy/constipated/bloated, etc.). I also got sick of looking at pictures of Alicia throughout the book. Frankly, I wasn't reading it because I'm a fan of "Clueless," so I just wasn't interested in her photos and personal anecdotes.
Despite all this, the book is an excellent introduction to veganism. It also offers an impressive collection of recipes that range from comfort foods that omnivores wouldn't even notice are vegan to more adventurous ethnic dishes. I'm really excited to try the recipes for guacamole bean dip and homemade peanut butter cups!
That being said, I found the tone of the book annoying, which is why I didn't give it five stars. Alicia seems to think that because she is a celebrity, people are dying to know every detail of her life, and while some of her advice and tips are genuinely useful, others are just over-sharing (I don't need to know what foods make Alicia feel gassy/constipated/bloated, etc.). I also got sick of looking at pictures of Alicia throughout the book. Frankly, I wasn't reading it because I'm a fan of "Clueless," so I just wasn't interested in her photos and personal anecdotes.
Despite all this, the book is an excellent introduction to veganism. It also offers an impressive collection of recipes that range from comfort foods that omnivores wouldn't even notice are vegan to more adventurous ethnic dishes. I'm really excited to try the recipes for guacamole bean dip and homemade peanut butter cups!
If your Vegetarian, vegan or just plain interested in the world of vegetarian/veganism, this is the perfect book for you.
I wanted to read this from the second I heard about it and I absolutely loved it.
I was quite shocked through out the whole book. I never knew what all the meat and animal products where really doing to our bodies and health. I was so interested in all the information Alicia had compiled, I was hooked from the get go and finished it in a matter of days.
Not only was there heaps of interesting and useful information but there was also dozens upon dozens of incredible healthy vegan recipes I am dieing to try, plus all the great looking pictures just make your mouth water.
After reading this I am slowing eliminating the meat and reducing the animal products in my life. This book is well worth the read.
I wanted to read this from the second I heard about it and I absolutely loved it.
I was quite shocked through out the whole book. I never knew what all the meat and animal products where really doing to our bodies and health. I was so interested in all the information Alicia had compiled, I was hooked from the get go and finished it in a matter of days.
Not only was there heaps of interesting and useful information but there was also dozens upon dozens of incredible healthy vegan recipes I am dieing to try, plus all the great looking pictures just make your mouth water.
After reading this I am slowing eliminating the meat and reducing the animal products in my life. This book is well worth the read.
This is a must-read for anyone, I think, who wants to be aware of what they eat. I like her description of macrobiotic diets. The recipes are ridiculous, though. Almost everyone contains an Asian ingredient that you can't find here!
Loved the information on what is good for you and what is bad for you as far as food is concerned (very helpful and easy to read). Didn't so much care for the recipes which had a solidly Asian feel and contained ingredients that I just can't easily obtain. That said, there were 4 or 5 recipes that I did try (maybe one that I had to adapt to "normal" ingredients) and they were all really wonderful.