Scan barcode
witandsin's review
3.0
Reviewed for Wit and Sin
I have mixed feelings about Joyful, Delicious, Vegan and mulled over this book for quite some time before writing a review. Let’s start with the good – Sherra Aguirre’s writing is positive, relatable, and easy to enjoy. Though I’m not a doctor there doesn’t seem to be any bad advice in this book. Aguirre tells readers what worked for her to reverse hypertension and heart disease symptoms, namely a mostly raw vegan diet. An abundance of fresh plants and an avoidance of frankenfoods in your diet is a pretty solid way to improve your health. Aguirre’s writing is empowering and may be beneficial to those who are wary.
One of the issues I had with this book is that most of the research and supporting evidence to back the author’s claims are anecdotal, not peer-reviewed, or come from controversial sources. I wish there had been more scientific claims to back up what Aguirre says. There is also a negative feeling toward Western medicine in this book which I understand in some ways but in others it’s a bit off-putting as medication is sometimes the only option people have when diet alone won’t fix things. And though Aguirre advises a mostly raw vegan diet to reverse heart disease symptoms, a good portion of the recipes in this book aren’t raw. Aguirre points out you can look online for recipes in places like Pinterest, which is true, but then why purchase this book? All in all, I found Joyful, Delicious, Vegan to be a good source for tips and tricks, but readers should take the sources provided with a grain of salt.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have mixed feelings about Joyful, Delicious, Vegan and mulled over this book for quite some time before writing a review. Let’s start with the good – Sherra Aguirre’s writing is positive, relatable, and easy to enjoy. Though I’m not a doctor there doesn’t seem to be any bad advice in this book. Aguirre tells readers what worked for her to reverse hypertension and heart disease symptoms, namely a mostly raw vegan diet. An abundance of fresh plants and an avoidance of frankenfoods in your diet is a pretty solid way to improve your health. Aguirre’s writing is empowering and may be beneficial to those who are wary.
One of the issues I had with this book is that most of the research and supporting evidence to back the author’s claims are anecdotal, not peer-reviewed, or come from controversial sources. I wish there had been more scientific claims to back up what Aguirre says. There is also a negative feeling toward Western medicine in this book which I understand in some ways but in others it’s a bit off-putting as medication is sometimes the only option people have when diet alone won’t fix things. And though Aguirre advises a mostly raw vegan diet to reverse heart disease symptoms, a good portion of the recipes in this book aren’t raw. Aguirre points out you can look online for recipes in places like Pinterest, which is true, but then why purchase this book? All in all, I found Joyful, Delicious, Vegan to be a good source for tips and tricks, but readers should take the sources provided with a grain of salt.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
luellabenkess's review
4.0
This is a very good book. It's a comprehensive introduction to veganism, detailing the many health benefits it provides. It's not as heavy as others I have read on the same subject and reading this inspired me to continue my journey into a healthy lifestyle.
The book provides many tips to start you off and even includes a section on the individual benefits of different cuisines.
The recipes sound very interesting and I'll certainly try some of them. Pictures would have tempted me further.
Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
The book provides many tips to start you off and even includes a section on the individual benefits of different cuisines.
The recipes sound very interesting and I'll certainly try some of them. Pictures would have tempted me further.
Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
mreadsbooksnfics's review
4.0
This book is awesome!
I’m vegan, and I loved learning how to make the most of the diet. I loved the advice and how to eat raw for better health benefits. The writing is friendly and very personable.
I learned a lot of health benefits I had not be aware of before. It also made me look again at how I order when I go to a restaurant.
This is great for new and old vegans. The Information is useful and friendly.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy given for book review purposes.
I’m vegan, and I loved learning how to make the most of the diet. I loved the advice and how to eat raw for better health benefits. The writing is friendly and very personable.
I learned a lot of health benefits I had not be aware of before. It also made me look again at how I order when I go to a restaurant.
This is great for new and old vegans. The Information is useful and friendly.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy given for book review purposes.
leahsbooks's review
sad
slow-paced
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I am providing my honest opinion voluntarily.
I had expected this to be more of a cookbook, but that wasn't really what this was at all.
While I can understand and respect the role that diet plays in a person's life and health, and how the author has made significant changes in her own health as a result of dietary changes, I was super disappointed in the overall book. It came across as very "New Age," which isn't necessarily bad, but some of them definitely had me scratching my head. "If I have heartburn, I first look at what may be contributing to the problem." This didn't sound so bad, so I kept reading, especially since I struggle with daily heartburn that 100% is not related to my diet. But the next sentence said "Then I allow myself to feel empathy and love for the cells that make up my esophagus and digestive tract. I put the discomfort I feel in the context of the greater distress they must feel." HUH?
The value of eating healthy is well-known, but I really got strong anti-medication vibes while reading this. As someone who depends on medication to live, I was especially sensitive to this message. The author also endorses a radical diet, and justifies this based on 2 doctors, but both of them were controversial figures without well-founded studies backing their claims. Sorry, but while I do follow a vegan diet, and always strive to add more whole foods to my diet, a program that pushes 30-day detox cleanses, followed by a raw vegan diet that eliminates all nuts and oil just doesn't sound appealing.
This was proven when we finally got to the recipe section. It made up less than 12% of the entire book, and even at my hungriest, not one of the recipes sounded remotely appealing. Maybe they could have intrigued me more if there was a single picture included? But not one photo of this food that was touted as colorful and appealing was added to the text.
At the end of the book there was a list of sources, but there were only 3 that involved peer-reviewed journals. The rest basically equated to websites that have no proven validity, and authors of diet books. Because they *always* tell the truth, right? I'd suggest passing on this one and sticking to actual valid, scientific information if you want to learn more about the benefits of a vegan diet (yes, cooked vegetables are still nutritious, despite what this book repeatedly insists), and picking up a cookbook or blog-hopping to find some appealing vegan recipes that are full of whole foods.
I had expected this to be more of a cookbook, but that wasn't really what this was at all.
While I can understand and respect the role that diet plays in a person's life and health, and how the author has made significant changes in her own health as a result of dietary changes, I was super disappointed in the overall book. It came across as very "New Age," which isn't necessarily bad, but some of them definitely had me scratching my head. "If I have heartburn, I first look at what may be contributing to the problem." This didn't sound so bad, so I kept reading, especially since I struggle with daily heartburn that 100% is not related to my diet. But the next sentence said "Then I allow myself to feel empathy and love for the cells that make up my esophagus and digestive tract. I put the discomfort I feel in the context of the greater distress they must feel." HUH?
The value of eating healthy is well-known, but I really got strong anti-medication vibes while reading this. As someone who depends on medication to live, I was especially sensitive to this message. The author also endorses a radical diet, and justifies this based on 2 doctors, but both of them were controversial figures without well-founded studies backing their claims. Sorry, but while I do follow a vegan diet, and always strive to add more whole foods to my diet, a program that pushes 30-day detox cleanses, followed by a raw vegan diet that eliminates all nuts and oil just doesn't sound appealing.
This was proven when we finally got to the recipe section. It made up less than 12% of the entire book, and even at my hungriest, not one of the recipes sounded remotely appealing. Maybe they could have intrigued me more if there was a single picture included? But not one photo of this food that was touted as colorful and appealing was added to the text.
At the end of the book there was a list of sources, but there were only 3 that involved peer-reviewed journals. The rest basically equated to websites that have no proven validity, and authors of diet books. Because they *always* tell the truth, right? I'd suggest passing on this one and sticking to actual valid, scientific information if you want to learn more about the benefits of a vegan diet (yes, cooked vegetables are still nutritious, despite what this book repeatedly insists), and picking up a cookbook or blog-hopping to find some appealing vegan recipes that are full of whole foods.
More...