The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately [Paperback]

 

 

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People ask me two questions all the time. 1) How to eat a more plant-based diet and 2) How to lose weight. Colleen Patrick Goudreau's newest book, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner and Living Compassionately answers both these questions. And, probably for the first time ever I actually have a book that I can hand people when they express interest in adopting a vegetarian diet.

Colleen Patrick Goudreau is no stranger to my bookshelves. I love all of her previous books from The Joy of Vegan Baking to the Vegan Table, Color me Vegan and Vegan's Daily Companion. But this one is different, it reaches out to people who are curious, who express an interest, but have no idea where to start. And even if they have some idea of how to start, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge will inspire them into action. This book has been endorsed by the well known and respected registered dietitian, Brenda Davis, who wrote the forward to the book. Davis describes the book as 'a comprehensive and delightful resource to offer every morsel of support imaginable as you venture through what may feel like unfamiliar territory.'

First of all, let me say, the book is beautifully laid out. It is full colour, loaded with glossy pictures, glorious colours, and brilliant sidebars in orange boxes to 'challenge your thinking.' Visual learners will be apprenticed. Those who like pictures in cook books to get an idea of what the recipes they are cooking will look like, will be salivating. There is even a full colour 'center-fold' spread of the vegan food products that Colleen recommends throughout the book. This is food porn at its best. Best of all it is not degrading to any living sentient being.

Let's talk a little bit about the content. The book is divided into three adorable sections. 1) Get Ready, 2) Get Set, 3) Go! Don't you just love that? In get ready, Colleen has chapters defining vegan and explaining why the challenge is 30 days. In get set, Colleen sets you up for success suggesting you get a food buddy and set your goals and intentions. In this section there is also a chapter on collecting your before numbers - everything from your BMI, to blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and tryglicerides. You are after all going to be tracking your success by taking on this 30-day challenge.

I love the chapter on completing your 3-Day Food Diary. As a vegan I have a lot of people tell me that they don't eat a lot of meat - almost everybody who finds out I'm a vegan insists they don't eat much meat. Colleen always asks, compared to who? what? when? It can be an eye opening experience to track how much animal products you actually consume.

The section called Go! has lots of tips that will contribute to your success. Colleen offers advice on stocking a healthy vegan kitchen, eating affordably, how to navigate the grocery store as a vegan, ideas for breakfast, packing lunches, and eating vegan while traveling.

One of my favourite pieces of non-nonsense advice that Colleen gives is this, 'If you don't have time to get sick, you have to make time to be healthy.' Colleen rightly states that our dependence on the processed, packaged, frozen and fast food (that is making us sick) has given us a completely distorted sense of how much time it should take to prepare our food. People think money is the most important thing, until they lose their health. Make time people, this is your life we're talking about.

Colleen is incredibly skilled at debunking myths and overcoming objections. Issues such as cravings for meat, 'I could never live without cheese,' where do you get your calcium, where do you get your protein, getting iron, omega 3's and B12 are all addressed with savvy competence. Colleen will even teach you how to make tofu actually taste good.

The 30-Day Vegan Challenge also gives you the skills for eating a plant-based diet in social situations. She addresses some of the common challenges from eating in social situations, to eating in a mixed household.
What most attracts me to Colleen's work is her unending positive attitude. Colleen writes book after book about vegan living that focuses on the positive and abundant qualities of being vegan. When you view the world from Colleen's eyes, being vegan is not about lack, it is about thriving in a bountiful way. As a yogi and daily meditator I also appreciate Colleen's infusion of Buddhist and Yogic philosophies from non-violence to compassion. Like Colleen says, it's cool to be kind.

I highly recommend Colleen's book, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, but you'll need to buy more than one, because you'll be wanting to give away multiple copies to all your friends and family.

I have been counting down the days until The 30-day Vegan Challenge arrived and it's finally here! I purchased my book and I can't put it down! I have been curious about vegan eating but didn't know how to get started and I couldn't find anything that really made me interested in reading about veganism or find anything that could answer all of my questions until now!! This book is so easy to read and understand, and really makes you think about what you have been eating and how you can change your eating habits (it has even helped my husband understand!). It also shows passion and compassion throughout the entire book. I love how each chapter is a new day, and the pictures are beautiful. I have been on the challenge for only 3 days now and can't tell you how much better I feel, plus I can see changes in my family as well! I love my new way of life with the 30-day challenge. Thank you for writing a wonderful and inspirational book.

For fellow devoted listeners of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau`s podcast, Vegetarian Food For Thought, much of the content of this book is familiar. But now I have a handy reference to her words rather than going over hours of podcasts to find that answer. Her answers are always well-researched and referenced. Plus she has the wonderful vegan registered dietitian, Brenda Davis(author of Becoming Vegan and Becoming Raw) contributing her expertise. I love the way this book is laid out, with breakfast recipes in the breakfast section and so on(seems obvious, right). Her responses to far-too-common questions are compassionate and truthful.
Seriously, I wish I had this book when I was transitioning to veganism from carnism(if you are not familiar with carnism, search Melanie Joy). It`s amazing to be able to give this to my friends and family when they ask how to start to learn. My husband and my good friend are giving it a go. That`s amazing in itself.
Thank you Colleen!

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5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had this book months ago
I wish that I had this book when I was transitioning from vegetarian to vegan. The first chapter is where I got information and tips I wish I had when I decided to go vegan... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Melissa

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