The Healthiest Diet on the Planet: Why the Foods You Love-Pizza, Pancakes, Potatoes, Pasta, and More-Are the Solution to Preventing Disease and Looking and Feeling Your Best
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- Create Date：2021-06-19 08:55:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John A. McDougall
- ISBN：0062426761
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Summary
The bestselling author and internationally celebrated physician and expert on nutrition offers an appealing， approachable health solution—eat the foods you love to lose weight and get healthy。
For years， we’ve been told that a healthy diet is heavy on meat， poultry， and fish， and avoids carbohydrates， particularly foods high in starch—empty calories harmful to our bodies。
But what if everything we’ve heard was backwards？
High in calories and cholesterol， animal fats and proteins too often leave you hungry and lead to overeating and weight gain。 They are often the root causes of a host of avoidable health problems—from indigestion， ulcers， and constipation to obesity， diabetes， heart disease， and cancer。 On the other hand， complex carbohydrates like whole grains， legumes， tubers， and other starches provide your body with essential proteins and nutrients that satisfy the appetite while simultaneously fighting illness。 But Americans eat far too few calories from carbohydrates—only about forty percent， according to Dr。 John McDougall， internationally renowned expert on nutrition and health， featured on the documentary Forks Over Knives。
The Healthiest Diet on the Planet helps us reclaim our health by enjoying nutritious starches， vegetables， and fruits。 McDougall takes on the propaganda machines pushing dangerous， high-fat fad diets and cuts through the smoke and mirrors of the diet industry。 He offers a clear， proven guide to what we should and shouldn’t eat to prevent disease， slow the aging process， improve our physical fitness， be kind to the environment， and be our most attractive selves。
Featuring two dozen color photos and mouth-watering， easy-to-follow recipes for buckwheat pancakes， breakfast tortillas， baked potato skins， rainbow risotto， red lentil soup， green enchiladas， dairy-free lasagna and pizza， and more， The Healthiest Diet on the Planet will help you look great， feel better， and forever change the way you think about health and nutrition。
For years， we’ve been told that a healthy diet is heavy on meat， poultry， and fish， and avoids carbohydrates， particularly foods high in starch—empty calories harmful to our bodies。
But what if everything we’ve heard was backwards？
High in calories and cholesterol， animal fats and proteins too often leave you hungry and lead to overeating and weight gain。 They are often the root causes of a host of avoidable health problems—from indigestion， ulcers， and constipation to obesity， diabetes， heart disease， and cancer。 On the other hand， complex carbohydrates like whole grains， legumes， tubers， and other starches provide your body with essential proteins and nutrients that satisfy the appetite while simultaneously fighting illness。 But Americans eat far too few calories from carbohydrates—only about forty percent， according to Dr。 John McDougall， internationally renowned expert on nutrition and health， featured on the documentary Forks Over Knives。
The Healthiest Diet on the Planet helps us reclaim our health by enjoying nutritious starches， vegetables， and fruits。 McDougall takes on the propaganda machines pushing dangerous， high-fat fad diets and cuts through the smoke and mirrors of the diet industry。 He offers a clear， proven guide to what we should and shouldn’t eat to prevent disease， slow the aging process， improve our physical fitness， be kind to the environment， and be our most attractive selves。
Featuring two dozen color photos and mouth-watering， easy-to-follow recipes for buckwheat pancakes， breakfast tortillas， baked potato skins， rainbow risotto， red lentil soup， green enchiladas， dairy-free lasagna and pizza， and more， The Healthiest Diet on the Planet will help you look great， feel better， and forever change the way you think about health and nutrition。
Reviews
Deena Thomson
，
I liked it but it seemed to be pretty much the same as The Starch Solution which I really enjoyed。 A more condensed version
Crystal
，
I really enjoyed this book！ It was a quick and informative read！ I heard of the McDougall program and wanted to learn more。 This book did not disappoint me in that quest！ I really like the color picture book insert in the middle， and the recipes sound so enticing！ Lots of great ideas for meals！ That was very encouraging， since I’m not much of an imaginative or creative cook on my own。 The recipes are simple yet elegant。 I’m convinced that even I can make them！ LOL I would definitely recommend th I really enjoyed this book！ It was a quick and informative read！ I heard of the McDougall program and wanted to learn more。 This book did not disappoint me in that quest！ I really like the color picture book insert in the middle， and the recipes sound so enticing！ Lots of great ideas for meals！ That was very encouraging， since I’m not much of an imaginative or creative cook on my own。 The recipes are simple yet elegant。 I’m convinced that even I can make them！ LOL I would definitely recommend this book and am considering retaining a copy of my own as a reference book。 Fantastic！ I’m excited to start a new healthier way of eating。 。。。more
Lynda
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Excellent reading and informative healthy eating information。 Dr。 & Mrs McDougall are amazing in helping us make healthy eating choices
Brenda Williams
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Very informative book。
Therese
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Love McDougall。。。now if I could just get better at compliance。 A quick read and a great book to start with if you are new to McDougall or need a quick refresher！
Gerald Kinro
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This is a reiteration of the author's famed dietary program。 The tone is a little bitter when defending those works who oppose his thesis， much like the author of The China Study。 Human diet is not a static field as discoveries are made every day。 Even some other devotees of a plant-based diet such as Terry Shintani acknowledge the existence of good carbs and bad carbs。 On the other hand， this work makes no mention of the glycemic index and the glycemic load。 Still this book was sort of interest This is a reiteration of the author's famed dietary program。 The tone is a little bitter when defending those works who oppose his thesis， much like the author of The China Study。 Human diet is not a static field as discoveries are made every day。 Even some other devotees of a plant-based diet such as Terry Shintani acknowledge the existence of good carbs and bad carbs。 On the other hand， this work makes no mention of the glycemic index and the glycemic load。 Still this book was sort of interesting and beautifully illustrated。 。。。more
Amelia
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As a McDougall fan， I'm pleased with this one。 It's his most straightforward work so far， but is a little redundant of his earlier books。 I'd recommend this to anyone who is short on time and needs the simple gist of this lifestyle before moving forward。 As a McDougall fan， I'm pleased with this one。 It's his most straightforward work so far， but is a little redundant of his earlier books。 I'd recommend this to anyone who is short on time and needs the simple gist of this lifestyle before moving forward。 。。。more
Mischenko
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This book is a perfect example of why people need to choose the foods that work for their bodies and not just go by what one person says。In The Healthiest Diet on the Planet， Dr。 McDougall warns against eating dairy， oils， eggs， meat （including fish）， taking supplements， and any kind of fake meat or heavily processed food。While I do agree with some of Dr。 McDougall's suggestions， I certainly do not believe that his recommendations will work for everyone， and that begins with me。 Do I believe sta This book is a perfect example of why people need to choose the foods that work for their bodies and not just go by what one person says。In The Healthiest Diet on the Planet， Dr。 McDougall warns against eating dairy， oils， eggs， meat （including fish）， taking supplements， and any kind of fake meat or heavily processed food。While I do agree with some of Dr。 McDougall's suggestions， I certainly do not believe that his recommendations will work for everyone， and that begins with me。 Do I believe starchy foods are healthy？ Yes， some， but I'm not a person who believes in wheat and corn because I do have sensitivities to them。 Have I been diagnosed with celiac disease？ No， but many people （including myself） have what's called 'gluten sensitivity' which can be just as bad， causing a wide range of problems including autoimmune disease。 Soy can also be an issue。 I can understand where the author is coming from with going against the use of supplements， but some people （including myself） must take supplements like iron and vitamin D。 There's just no way around it unless you want to risk deficiency。Another thought: unless you're making your own whole grain bread at home， it's loaded with stuff that isn't good。 Anyone can argue that the majority of the breads at the supermarket are unhealthy。 So， if you don't take organic into account， by eating all the wheat and corn suggested， you'll be eating loads of pesticides， herbicides， and other chemicals too。 Because I live in America where heavy chemicals are used on farmed foods like soy， produce， wheat， and other grains， I can't agree with that and will continue to make organic bread at home for my family。 Maybe there's a healthy bread recipe in one of the author's other books？There were a few other niggles I had， like frying in a non-stick pan。 Really？ I'll use cast iron and organic olive oil over teflon any time。 I do believe there are non-toxic pans that claim to be nonstick， but they aren't mentioned here。 Eating out of cans is also questionable， especially tomatoes and other acidic foods。 Also， the book seems to be directed toward people who are overweight， so nuts， avocados， and dried fruits need to be kept to a minimum。 Not all sick people are overweight; some people are skinny and sick。 It's a good start， but diet isn't the only fix。I appreciated that Dr。 McDougall mentioned the climate crisis and one major problem we have in America: livestock farming。 There doesn't seem to be a lot of people talking about that and it's something we all need to be aware of。 Many people don't even realize that mass meat farming is a top cause for greenhouse gases。 I don't want to slam meat， because people obviously feel strongly about it and might get upset， but meat （grass-fed） is something I eat little of and hope to completely remove from my diet。 So， don't get me wrong， there were very good parts （for me） in the book too。 It just all comes down to what you believe in。Overall， I think there are some really good recipes here and healthy recommendations。 I don't mean to bash the book， but if you're going to title a book like this using the word 'healthiest'， surely you have to take much more into consideration than just removing animal products and oils。 This book seems like more of a 'lesser of two evils' diet。 After all the years I've spent reading books on diets on what you should and shouldn't eat， my conclusion is that you have to find what works for you。 What's good for one person might not be good for another。 Personally， what works for me is a diet consisting mainly of plant based foods。 With that said， it's important for us to make our own educated decisions。 I have a friend who swears by this diet， so definitely pick up this book and decide for yourself whether or not you think it'll work for you。2。5-3*** 。。。more
Jennifer
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Absolutely AMAZING book。 I have never felt sooo empowered and educated about nutrition。 Everything we have been taught is wrong。 Simple and easy to understand yet crazy informative。 Dr。Mcdougall and his wife are prime examples of extraordinary people wanting to make a difference。 So many people have had ailments that were fixed just through eating， me being one of them！ This book is a HIDDEN GEM！！！
Kristie J。
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The "Healthiest Diet on the Planet，" according to the author， is a low-fat vegan diet， and "the foods you love - pizza， pancakes，" etc。 are the vegan versions of those items， i。e。 pizza with no cheese or meat， not the greasy， cheesy， yummy pepperoni pizza most of us grew up with。 I picked up this book at the library because it was prominently displayed at the reference desk and I was curious to find out what the healthiest diet was。 I didn't flip through the book until I got home。 That's when I The "Healthiest Diet on the Planet，" according to the author， is a low-fat vegan diet， and "the foods you love - pizza， pancakes，" etc。 are the vegan versions of those items， i。e。 pizza with no cheese or meat， not the greasy， cheesy， yummy pepperoni pizza most of us grew up with。 I picked up this book at the library because it was prominently displayed at the reference desk and I was curious to find out what the healthiest diet was。 I didn't flip through the book until I got home。 That's when I saw the full-color pictures of a person sitting on a toilet （to illustrate constipation）， a cat eating a bird （to illustrate what carnivores eat）， and a topless woman covering her one good breast and one removed breast with her hands （to illustrate cancer）。 I've read several books about various diets and I can honestly say I have never seen that before。 The most interesting part of the book was when the author told his story about being a medical doctor on a sugar plantation on the Big Island of Hawaii and how he came to believe the vegan diet is the healthiest。 The best take-home message I learned from the book was that we don't need as much protein as we think we do and I need to be careful not to overeat protein。 As an omnivore and meat-lover， I'm still going to eat meat， but I do think I need to watch the quantity。 I tend to eat lots of meat， when in reality， I'm probably overdoing it and need to focus more on veggies and fruits。 I would take the author more seriously if he didn't rant and rave about how meat is the source of all evil， and if he focused more on selling the nutrition of his diet。 From page 72， "Every person whom Paleo gurus convince to follow an animal food-based diet brings us one step closer to the end of the world as we know it。" In fact， a disturbing number of the references in the back of the book are references to the author's own papers and monthly newsletters。 He also looks at research and the diets of various people around the world and draws far-reaching conclusions about how meat is bad。 For example， he talks about how billions of people around the world， like Asians， eat starch-based diets and a small amount of meat。 Then， he concludes that the vegan diet is the "healthiest in the world。" But， a small amount of meat is not the same thing as a vegan diet！He also advises taking a B12 supplement because of the very small risk （one in a million he says） that following a vegan diet will give you B12 deficiency disease。 From page 125， "When following a vegan diet （like the Healthiest Diet on the Planet）， 。。。， you should supplement your diet with a minimum of 5 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily。" How can it be the healthiest diet on the planet if it doesn't meet all of our nutritional needs？ 。。。more
Geneva
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I came upon this one randomly and thought I'd give it a read。 I haven't read through the studies to confirm McDougall's findings， but the concept is interesting and there seems to be， at a minimum， some smaller sized studies that reflect well on what he is doing。 The writing is a little over the top occasionally， but generally quick and interesting。 And some yummy recipes at the end！ I came upon this one randomly and thought I'd give it a read。 I haven't read through the studies to confirm McDougall's findings， but the concept is interesting and there seems to be， at a minimum， some smaller sized studies that reflect well on what he is doing。 The writing is a little over the top occasionally， but generally quick and interesting。 And some yummy recipes at the end！ 。。。more
Emily McCool
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Really awesome book to summarize nutrition for you， & recipes to help you follow through with it！
Scott
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Good Book。 Real Helpful Diet Advice。
Varrick Nunez
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I picked this up because I am endlessly interested in my diet， which， unfortunately， is not great。。。The reading material is just 78 pages， so it should've been a quick read， but then I started investigating the references cited a bit more than usual。 The author's assertion is that we've been massively duped by various food industry groups （e。g。 dairymen， poultry & egg producers， beef producers）。 Unsurprising， as there's money involved。 Based on what I read in the reference material， I believe th I picked this up because I am endlessly interested in my diet， which， unfortunately， is not great。。。The reading material is just 78 pages， so it should've been a quick read， but then I started investigating the references cited a bit more than usual。 The author's assertion is that we've been massively duped by various food industry groups （e。g。 dairymen， poultry & egg producers， beef producers）。 Unsurprising， as there's money involved。 Based on what I read in the reference material， I believe that Dr。 McDougall is right。Rather than the Standard American Diet as portrayed on the USDA Food Pyramid （www。choosemyplate。gov）， Dr。 McDougall insists that we are actually "starchitarians，" that is， we are adapted to thrive on starchy vegetables， including grains， potatoes， yams， etc。 Further， he asserts that animal protein （including eggs and dairy）， and fat in any form （including EVOO）， should be avoided altogether， and that we should minimize the use of high-fat vegetable foods like nuts， avocado （sad！） and olives （really unhappy about this！）。There is a color plate section （a good visual） that pairs foods to traffic signals （e。g。 meat = red light， nuts = yellow， potatoes = green）， and the remaining pages are for recipes mostly， with a couple of imperial to metric conversion tables。 。。。more
Sehrish Baig
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The doctor hasn’t described any method to control blood sugar in Diabetic patients with starch based diet。
Jean
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I found his arguments full of fallacies （I。e。 this is the healthiest diet on the planet because it doesn't support the livestock industry which is to blame for the greenhouse effect）。 He pretty much ignores the role of refined sugar in the increase in diseases and promotes a heavily starchy diet without ever saying " but you've got to keep the sugar intake down"。 My personal experience has been that sugars cause way more inflammation， stomach issues， and weight gain， than eating a paleo or low c I found his arguments full of fallacies （I。e。 this is the healthiest diet on the planet because it doesn't support the livestock industry which is to blame for the greenhouse effect）。 He pretty much ignores the role of refined sugar in the increase in diseases and promotes a heavily starchy diet without ever saying " but you've got to keep the sugar intake down"。 My personal experience has been that sugars cause way more inflammation， stomach issues， and weight gain， than eating a paleo or low carb diet does。 And I know enough people with celiac and gluten sensativites， that I believe his claims that people who truly shouldn't be eating wheat are rare and gluten free is just a fad， are unfounded。 I read this book because I was looking for sugar free/gluten-free recipes and was sorely disappointed。 。。。more
Richard Pütz
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great book， I took many of the ideas and combined them into a plant-based Mediterranean lifestyle of eating and have never felt better and lost weight too boot！
Melissa Morgan-Oakes
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Will this diet change your life？ That depends on how addicted you are to flour and sugar。 While I agree completely with the science that proves that whole food， plant based diets should be the diet of choice for humans four reasons of health， ecology and finance I struggle with Dr。 MacDougall's reliance on grain flours， pasta and even small amounts of refined， processed sugars （including agave）。 There are other （many） sources that indicate that significantly altering a grain （or a sugar cane， or Will this diet change your life？ That depends on how addicted you are to flour and sugar。 While I agree completely with the science that proves that whole food， plant based diets should be the diet of choice for humans four reasons of health， ecology and finance I struggle with Dr。 MacDougall's reliance on grain flours， pasta and even small amounts of refined， processed sugars （including agave）。 There are other （many） sources that indicate that significantly altering a grain （or a sugar cane， or an agave plant， or the sap of a maple tree。。。or a poppy， or a coca leaf for that matter） from it's original whole， intact form creates an addictive substance。 I have seen first hand the life changing magic of surrendering yourself to a whole food plant based diet。 This one would work a lot better if it put a stronger focus on "WHOLE"， with fewer easy outs to feed your brain's addiction to refined flours and sugars。 。。。more
CassieV
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I read this side by side with It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways （a re-read） and I have to admit， compared to the Hartwigs' research， McDougall expects his reader to take a lot his assertions at face value。 I appreciate some of the points he made about animal products and dairy， and I will probably be minimizing those a bit more in the future， but I just couldn't get behind the idea that all starchy carbs are better than anything else for us。 I gues I read this side by side with It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways （a re-read） and I have to admit， compared to the Hartwigs' research， McDougall expects his reader to take a lot his assertions at face value。 I appreciate some of the points he made about animal products and dairy， and I will probably be minimizing those a bit more in the future， but I just couldn't get behind the idea that all starchy carbs are better than anything else for us。 I guess I was expecting a vegan author to spend more time trying to get me to eat vegetables and fruits and less reassuring me that white rice and white flour are okay。 In fairness， though， when I checked this out from the library， I didn't catch the subtitle （The Healthiest Diet on the Planet: Why the Foods You Love - Pizza， Pancakes， Potatoes， Pasta， and More - Are the Solution to Preventing Disease and Looking and Feeling Your Best） as that's way too much to put on the spine。 I just saw an author I'd seen while researching whole plant diets and brought it home。 。。。more
Lavonne
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Moving my diet in this direction， so the recipes are helpful。 Trying out a soup with my lovely turnip and beet greens today。
Angela
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I did not care for this book much because of Dr。 McDougal's writing style。 He is a bit arrogant， and I didn't care for his sales pitches throughout the book。 I do appreciate his research though。 I did not care for this book much because of Dr。 McDougal's writing style。 He is a bit arrogant， and I didn't care for his sales pitches throughout the book。 I do appreciate his research though。 。。。more
Jeanette
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This was a fast， easy read。 The changes are easily made， simply put， and there are tons of great recipes。 Dr McDougall never fails！
Daniel
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Well， here is a testimonial。 I have been on the diet， strictly， for four weeks now and have lost only eight pounds。 However， I was never hungry during that time。 I no longer take daily medicine for constipation， and my inflammatory arthritis has considerably improved。 Of the two diets now popular， a ketogenic or meat and fat diet and a plant based diet， this book promotes the vegan option。 It is an evidence based diet， supported by large studies such as T。 Colin Campbell's "The China Study，" as Well， here is a testimonial。 I have been on the diet， strictly， for four weeks now and have lost only eight pounds。 However， I was never hungry during that time。 I no longer take daily medicine for constipation， and my inflammatory arthritis has considerably improved。 Of the two diets now popular， a ketogenic or meat and fat diet and a plant based diet， this book promotes the vegan option。 It is an evidence based diet， supported by large studies such as T。 Colin Campbell's "The China Study，" as well as records of wartime reduction of disease and mortality that accompanied rationing。 （See Dr Mikkel Hindhede WWI， Denmark） Page 124 has references to good websites such as: Forks Over Knives， Engine 2 Diet， Vegan Coach， Plant-Powered Kitchen， etc。 。。。more
Huma Rashid
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I should have known what to expect when I saw that the author of the famously debunked China Study praised this book on the cover。 Good lord。 Yeah， I'm definitely not eating the way this book suggests。 Also， I laughed when he wrote about how people lost 3。1lbs a week on an "unrestricted amoutn of foods，" except he says to give up all animal products。 Yeah， super unrestricted。 （I know he was talking about an unrestricted AMOUNT， as opposed to unrestricted diet， but it still made me laugh。 Sure， e I should have known what to expect when I saw that the author of the famously debunked China Study praised this book on the cover。 Good lord。 Yeah， I'm definitely not eating the way this book suggests。 Also， I laughed when he wrote about how people lost 3。1lbs a week on an "unrestricted amoutn of foods，" except he says to give up all animal products。 Yeah， super unrestricted。 （I know he was talking about an unrestricted AMOUNT， as opposed to unrestricted diet， but it still made me laugh。 Sure， eat 30lbs of potatoes a day and it's an unrestricted amount of food， but a very restricted diet， LOL。）Hard pass from me， dog。 。。。more
Laura
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I've been picking up this book off and on for a bit。 The information is not new to me， so I was using it as a "refresher" and flipping through recipes。 This is a great place to start for anyone looking to take control of their health and use food as their medicine。 The information is easy to read and hits the "highlights" of why one would make these dietary changes。 The recipes are easy and delicious。 I've been picking up this book off and on for a bit。 The information is not new to me， so I was using it as a "refresher" and flipping through recipes。 This is a great place to start for anyone looking to take control of their health and use food as their medicine。 The information is easy to read and hits the "highlights" of why one would make these dietary changes。 The recipes are easy and delicious。 。。。more
Webajeb
，
Easy read， and some good recipes。 Nothing new to me， but would be a great book to start off with if you'd like to up your health game。 Easy read， and some good recipes。 Nothing new to me， but would be a great book to start off with if you'd like to up your health game。 。。。more
Cari
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Excellent resource！I loved this book！ I've done a lot of reading on plant based eating and this is one of the best I've read。 The best part is how simple and not complicated Dr McDougall makes it， fantastic！ And thanks to his wife Mary for the down to earth recipes that are most family's go to eating。 Can't wait to try them out！ This book will be something I refer back to a lot。 Wonderful information！ Excellent resource！I loved this book！ I've done a lot of reading on plant based eating and this is one of the best I've read。 The best part is how simple and not complicated Dr McDougall makes it， fantastic！ And thanks to his wife Mary for the down to earth recipes that are most family's go to eating。 Can't wait to try them out！ This book will be something I refer back to a lot。 Wonderful information！ 。。。more
Marva Welborn
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This book makes sense。I've finally found a plan I believe I can live with。 I believe meat， etc。 is bad for us。 Fruits and vegetables alone are not filling enough。 I didn't like the repetition in the book。 I can't wait to try the recipes。 I've been looking for Asian based recipes。 This book makes sense。I've finally found a plan I believe I can live with。 I believe meat， etc。 is bad for us。 Fruits and vegetables alone are not filling enough。 I didn't like the repetition in the book。 I can't wait to try the recipes。 I've been looking for Asian based recipes。 。。。more
cindy massey
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Great This is the best book on how to eat correctly。 Lots of recipes too。 I will have to get the book to have too。 Read this on kindle
Karen
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