Customer Reviews

Food Revolution

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I read John Robbins's "Diet For A New America" many years ago and have been passing it on to friends ever since. I had been a vegetarian for almost 10 years when I read "Diet," but it wasn't until I read Robbins's book that I understood why. I had a basic feeling that it was wrong for animals to suffer, but I had never really educated myself about what that suffering entailed. Moreover, I had very little understanding of the nitty gritty of the other arguments for vegetarianism/veganism. "Diet" absolutely shocked me when I read it, and it shocked my meat-eating boyfriend when I gave it to him to read; we both became vegan [basically] overnight. ...Fabulous though "Diet" is, it's wonderful to have an updated resource, given everything that has changed since it was published. "The Food Revolution" covers all the basics of gmo crops, mad cow disease, and the health, animal rights, environmental, and human hunger arguments for eating less meat and dairy products. I would highly reccomend this book, both for meat-eaters and committed vegetarians/vegans alike. I have taken to asking friends and family to read "Food Revolution" as their birthday or Christmas present to me. It's a fast, compelling read, with enough anecdotes to keep you going and plenty of great pull-quote type statistics. And most importantly, I really believe this is a book that can change lives. If you only read one book on vegetarianism, it should be this one! If you only give friends and family members one book on vegetarianism, it should be this one!

Over twenty years ago I read Diet for a New America and after a short flirtation with vegetarianism; I somehow managed to forget most of what I absorbed. Since having my own family, facing increasing, personal health issues and growing up a little, I have slowly been working up the courage to face the facts so clearly outlined in this book.

This is one of those books that you wish everyone would read. If the information about diet and health, modern food production, the torture of animals in the name of appetite instead of necessity and the environmental destruction that is occurring as a result was more widely known, surely there would be a massive change in every North American's lifestyle and health. I am shocked at how effective the advertising campaigns of dairy and meat producers have been in brainwashing me into believing those foods were necessary for my health. Apparently the overwhelming majority of world-wide research shows that a plant based diet greatly decreases the risk of acquiring heart disease and many types of cancer and in cultures where this type of diet is standard, incidence of these diseases are very low.

Reading about the deplorable conditions of animals in huge, overcrowded, factory farms, the way they are transported to the slaughterhouse and what happens when they get there made me sick to my stomach. Reading about how the tropical rainforests are being destroyed and thousands of plant and animal species lost forever, in order for more cattle to graze so we can have hamburgers 5 cents cheaper is horrifying. The amount of water needed to produce a pound of vegetables or grains is a fraction of what is needed to produce a pound of beef for our consumption. John Robbins goes on page after page backed up by worldwide research that we are doing enormous damage to our selves and the rest of the natural world by continuing unnecessarily to eat a diet rich in animal products. The last part of the book focuses on genetically modified foods being designed with pesticides and herbicides built right in. The potential for destruction is enormous and terrifying. Many soybean, corn and canola crops currently planted in North America are of this Round-up Ready variety. I will be reading every label that could potentially contain oil or ingredients made from these products with infinite care.

There is so much valuable and urgent information contained within this book. If you are the least bit interested in your health or the health of our world and all of its inhabitants then I urge you to read this work.
On the back of the book it says, "This book can save your life". Not only can it save your life, but if enough people opened their eyes to the truths contained within and acted on them, I believe it could also help save our world.

In regards the review from the person from Stillwater, please don't write book reviews if you have the mentality and maturity of a child. We already know that people have the choice to eat what they want, that's not even what the book's about. You can't generalize a whole group of people (vegetarians), because you know of some who smoke. That has nothing to do with this book. This is a great book whether you're already vegetarian/vegan, or you're just considering it. It really makes you think about what's going on in this world.

The thing that makes this book stand out among others of it's kind is the very non-judgmental tone of it's author. This makes it perfect for someone that knows very little about the cruelty of the animal industry or has been stubborn or unwilling to hear about it. He actually begins his book by hawking the health benefits of a vegetarian diet instead of jumping right into the cruelty aspect, which I think is a better, more gentle approach to go about convincing certain people. The chapter where he rips on all the latest fad diets such as the Adkins, Zone, and Eat Right for your Type diets is amusing to read for anybody that's ever been curious about those diets, even if they've never tried them (believe it or not, there's never been research or studies done by ANY of those three authors to support their book!).

The best part of the book is that it's so carefully researched, and every fact stated is backed up with a citation to a reliable source. There's even helpful fact and quote boxes that are highlighted to get the attention of someone just flipping through it - it makes the book quite irresistible.

If everyone buying this book can pass it off to one friend,sibling, or co-worker then we can get to the "promised land", where no animals are eaten, that much quicker!

This short movie is very informative and funny--- www.themeatrix.com

The Food Revolution contains much useful information about the harmful effect of animal-product ingestion on one's health--a subject covered in far greater detail in The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell. Dr. Campbell's reference to The Food Revolution prompted me to buy and read it. The information, including statistics, that it conveys about factory farming, damage to the planet from our current lifestyles, and genetic engineering is compelling. If you have the capacity to empathize, you cannot read this book and remain unmoved. I've read a lot about factory farming on the Net, but The Food Revolution included many details I hadn't come across. I also hadn't realized the extent of the damage that animal-product consumption causes the environment and just how unsustainable it is. Learning of the potential for catastrophic consequences from genetically altering food (and associated issues) was the most enlightening part of the book for me. It also touches on the short-sighted, profit-motivated corporations and their affiliates that use part of their staggering wealth to purchase legal favor, and blind us to reality, just as Dr. Campbell discusses in far more detail in The China Study. The Food Revolution is a rational and comprehensive eyeopener, written without a whiff of fanatacism. It's a profound argument for a plant-based diet--or even for reducing our intake of animal products just a little. It shows us that as individuals, we can make a difference, and so very easily, by 'sacrificing' so very little. I recommend this book highly.

wow! This book will open your eyes to the food industry and what you are eating. Very informative and well written. A must read.

This is an important book; much like "Fast Food Nation" it is a wake-up call for all consumers to pay attention to the impact of our collective diet on the planet.

This comes from a fascinating and dedicated man, heir to the Baskin-Robbins fortune, who turned his back on his family empire on principal.

This book is very detailed, tackling many global issues - famine, poverty, animal cruelty, genetic modification of foodstuffs, water shortages - with the very clear conclusion - we must change our eating habits, to save the world and our own lives.

It isn't a vague book, but deals in specifics - for example, how many gallons of water a cow needs to produce a steak, and the local and broader impact of that consumption.

You should read this book. Especially if you don't want to! Recommended

I had a friend suggest that I pick up a copy of this book... and since then I have told coutnless friends to buy it as well (and yes, I have been loaning my copy out as well ;)

If you are interested in knowing about the powers that control your mind as far as food marketing are concerned, you should read this book.

If you are interested in learning how you can likely prevent cancer, heart disease and more, read this book.

Read this book - I can not stress it enough, it is very likely to change the way that you view your food, and what you have been taught througout life.

Reading this book will change your life!!

Most importantly - do not buy this book if you are interested in the specifics of eating, or you are looking for some sort of fad diet - this book does not do any of that. If you are interested in eating for your health, look to Eat To Live.

The Food Revolution is a remarkable book. John Robbins was heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream fortune, but turned it down to become a vegan activist. His earlier book Diet for a New America, published in the mid-80s, opened a lot of people's eyes to the horrible conditions animals live in on American "factory" farms. Now even many omnivorous people I've met will not eat veal, for example, and hopefully may come to see foie gras the same way.

When reading both of these books, I at times felt numbed by the large number of statistics, detailing the harmfulness of animal products in the diet, the destruction of the environment caused by factory farming, and the potential dangers of genetically-modified foods. In some ways this was preaching to the choir for me, as I'd been vegetarian and already trying to go vegan for years.

But beyond all of the statistics and doom-and-gloom predictions, there was a stronger message: of compassion. Robbins is one of the very, very few authors who has moved me to tears. I'm hardly a person who never cries, but when I do it's usually because of some petty personal reason (relationship troubles, etc.). But reading his books has showed me not only how wonderful and precious our animal friends are, but how opening up and truly listening to people you may not agree with can be transforming.

I hope more people read his books. Robbins really does cover pretty much all of the reasons why I am a mostly-vegan vegetarian: health, ethical, and environmental, and has plenty of footnote references for validation and further information. Yet despite what he's written, Robbins himself doesn't say that everyone should become a vegan; he states "I don't care whether you call yourself a vegan, a vegetarian, or an asparagus". He just wants to inform people of the issues involved, and hopes that if enough people are convinced, the world (America in particular) will move toward a more plant-centered diet.