My Book: Vegan for Life

Buy my new book Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-based Diet!

by Jack Norris, RD and Virginia Messina, MPH, RD.
Da Capo Press, 2011

In this comprehensive guide to plant-based nutrition, registered dietitians and long-time vegans Jack Norris and Virginia Messina answer all the key questions and debunk some of the most persistent myths about going vegan. It’s the definitive guide for aspiring and veteran vegans alike—or for those who are just thinking about taking a few steps toward more plant-based diets.

Here is what people are saying about Vegan for Life.

Publishers Weekly: “Armed with this compendium and a vegan cookbook, novices will make an easy, healthy transition to meat, egg and dairy-free meals, while practicing vegans can use it as a guide to the best food choices.”

Reno-Gazette: “ I can’t rave enough about Jack Norris and Virginia Messina’s new book “Vegan for Life.” …I’ve found myself reading this late into the night like a page-turning mystery. That’s, in part, because it dispels many of the things I’ve believed about vegan nutrition.

Peter Singer, PhD, author of Animal Liberation and Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University: “Here is the book I have been waiting for! Now when people ask me all those questions about how you can be healthy without eating animal products, I can tell them that they will find the answers in Vegan for Life.”

Michael Greger, M.D., Director, Public Health and Animal Agriculture, HSUS: “A no-nonsense guide to explode the myths, avoid the pitfalls, and maximize health on a plant-based diet. Required reading for every vegan, old or new.”

Healthy Voyager (blog): “Norris and Messina answer ‘everything you want to know about going vegan’ without a lot of scientific jargon or hit-you-over-the-head-messaging so that your learning curve or refresher is a positive one that is also simple to follow.”

JL Goes Vegan (blog): “ If you’re a new vegan, or a vegan who might be buying into the hype that a vegan diet is not sustainable, read this book. If you’re a vegan who wants a quick resource at your fingertips or the perfect book to hand over to your vegan-curious family member or friend read this book.”

About the Authors

JACK NORRIS, RD is co-founder and president of Vegan Outreach, established in 1993 and one of the most well-known vegan activist groups in the world.

Shortly after founding Vegan Outreach, Jack recognized that nutritional needs of vegans were not being adequately addressed. In response to this, he returned to school and received a degree in dietetics from Life University (Marietta, GA) in 2000, followed by a dietetic internship at Georgia State University in 2000-2001. He put his knowledge to use in establishing www.VeganHealth.org, considered to be the best source of vegan nutrition information on the internet. He also blogs at www.JackNorrisRD.com.

Jack is widely known and respected in the vegan and animal rights community and in 2005 was elected to the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Jack won VegNews Magazine’s Columnist of the Year award in 2003 and 2004. He is on the advisory board of the Humane Research Council, a group dedicated to promoting scientifically- based information for animal and vegan activists.

In addition to his work in dietetics, he has been a personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. He travels and speaks frequently to groups associated with state vegetarian societies and is a regular speaker at national animal rights conventions.

VIRGINIA MESSINA, MPH, RD is a dietitian and public health nutritionist specializing in vegan nutrition. She has a degree in nutrition from Douglass College, Rutgers University and a master’s degree in public health nutrition from the University of Michigan.

Ginny publishes widely on topics related to vegan diets for both health professionals and the public. She has twice co-authored the American Dietetic Association’s Position on Vegetarian Diets, and is co-author of a textbook on vegetarianism written for health professionals and nutrition students.

She has worked as a dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), taught nutrition to dietetics students at Central Michigan University, and was the director of nutrition services for a medical clinic serving 50,000 patients at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Ginny serves on advisory boards to PCRM and the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Through her blog www.TheVeganRD.com and as the National Vegan Examiner at examiner.com, she seeks to share the best and most up-to-date information on vegan nutrition and to make ethical eating an easy and realistic option for everyone.

In addition to her work as a dietitian, Ginny volunteers at the local animal shelter, serves as a board member of a local spay/neuter outreach organization and of the national advocacy group Alley Cat Rescue.