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No matter how often it happens it’s always big news when a vegan celebrity starts eating meat. I’m not sure I even knew that Lizzo was eating a vegan diet until she stopped eating a vegan diet. She says she needed to add more protein to her diet and that adding animal foods cured her brain fog. (This is according to People magazine, so take it for what it’s worth.)

I don’t know Lizzo’s situation– maybe she really did need more protein than she was consuming. Or maybe, she suffers from disordered eating. Or maybe, like scores of vegans, she just suffers from too much online misinformation about diet and health.

Whatever the reason, there are lessons here for us animal activists.

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When I first moved to western Massachusetts, a new acquaintance invited my husband and me to dinner with a couple she wanted us to meet. She said we had a lot in common with them because of the “food thing.” I wasn’t entirely surprised to learn that this meant that one half of the couple avoids GMOs and gluten and is interested in juice fasting. She ordered chicken meat for dinner, so we clearly didn’t have a lot in common over the “food thing.”

Still, we bonded over a shared appreciation for classic rock music, and I enjoyed talking with her. We were not destined for friendship with this couple, though. That became abundantly clear towards the end of the evening (thankfully towards the ... Read More >

Earlier this year, I spent a weekend with family members who my husband and I don’t see often but with whom we remain close. We had organized the weekend, helping with travel arrangements and costs, and — as more or less the family elders–we were looking forward to hosting everyone for dinner on our arrival evening. But when I suggested a vegan restaurant –an especially lovely one—I was told that we needed to find a place that was more “inclusive.” Apparently one family member was eating only meat.

For those of us who hold the suffering of animals, and especially farmed animals, in our hearts, breaking bread with meat-eaters is always painful. It is hard, and especially so because we’re expected to ... Read More >

Here in western Massachusetts, there is a blanket of snow on the ground, but I’m dreaming about my garden. It’s what gardeners do. If we’re not out and about among the flowers, we’re planning and reading and dreaming about them.

One of the most consequential books I read last year about gardening is A New Garden Ethic by Benjamin Vogt. It advocates for gardening with native plants but is much more than a gardening book. It’s a plea for justice and fairness in the way we view our landscapes and those who share them with us. Unintentionally, it’s also a compelling argument in favor of a vegan ethic.

First, a couple of things about native plants and how they relate to veganism. Native plants have ... Read More >

Whether you’re diving headfirst into a vegan diet or making a gradual transition to more plant-based eating, you’ll maximize your chances of success by learning a little bit about nutrition, finding foods you enjoy, and having realistic expectations. Most of the information here comes from the Keys to Success section of Vegan for Life.

Be Smart About Nutrition

It’s easy to meet nutrient needs on a vegan diet but it’s not enough to simply eat a variety of whole plant foods. If you’ve always depended on cow’s milk for calcium and meat for protein, you need to learn new ways to get these and other nutrients. The Vegan for Life Food Guide will get you started and you’ll find more information in my nutrition primers ... Read More >

It’s been quiet on this website for a long time while I’ve had my attention on several all-consuming projects. One was the new edition of Vegan for Life. By the time that book was published last May, I was already immersed in an even bigger endeavor which was a 10-year update to The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets, scheduled for publication in October 2021. Co-authored with Dr. Reed Mangels and Dr. Mark Messina, this is a textbook and a comprehensive overview of all aspects of vegan and vegetarian nutrition.

One subject that both books cover is the use of vegan diets for reducing risk for chronic disease, losing weight, or managing heart disease or diabetes. Defining the “best” vegan diet for these purposes ... Read More >

New findings from the EPIC-Oxford study in the U.K. have raised questions about vegan diets and bone health. In this study, which included around 55,000 (mostly white) subjects, vegans had a 43% higher risk of fractures overall compared to nonvegetarians, as well as higher risks of hip, leg, and vertebral fractures.

The biggest difference was for hip fractures; vegans were more than twice as likely as people who ate meat to break their hip. Vegetarians and pesco-vegetarians (their diets include fish but no other meat) also had a higher risk of hip fracture, although not as high as vegans. Among the vegans, risk for fracture seemed to be greatest in women, especially post-menopausal women.

The average lower body weights of vegans was part of the ... Read More >

I’m excited to announce that a completely updated and expanded edition of Vegan for Life is headed into the world. Its pub date is May 12, 2020 and it’s available for pre-order now.

My co-author Jack Norris and I have added lots of new material to the book – a brand new and much simplified food guide, a chapter on eating to manage intestinal issues, and a compassionate guide to addressing body size issues within a vegan ethic. All the nutrition information is updated as are the guidelines for eating to reduce risk for chronic disease. We’ve added lots of information to help people go vegan and stay vegan.

Our goals for this book are the same as they were when we wrote the first ... Read More >

On any given day I’m well prepared to be quarantined. I have stacks and stacks of books waiting to be read on my bookshelves and kindle, plus supplies for all kinds of craft projects, and plenty of work. I’m the ultimate homebody anyway and am never bored. Also, I have sort of an odd penchant for dystopian literature, and it inspires me to be prepared for the worst. I’m not a prepper by any means, but I do get a little anxious if there is less than a six-week reserve of food in my pantry.

Even so, I’ve been reassessing my supplies as I follow the news about COVID-19. Given all the uncertainty over the coronavirus, it seems like a good idea to be ready ... Read More >

According to social media, Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar acceptance speech has a lot of people asking whether it might be a good idea to ditch dairy. The answer is yes. In the name of compassion and justice, dropping dairy foods from your menus is a very good idea.

Farmers insist that dairy cows live happy, protected lives. They share photos and videos that certainly make it look like the cows on small farms are content. But every single one of those cows and every single one of their calves eventually goes to slaughter. Some are sick and weak when they are loaded onto trucks. They might travel through several livestock auctions before they reach the slaughterhouse. They may travel for long distances without food or water ... Read More >