Plant Based Nutrition and Health

By Stephen Walsh, PhD

I have often enjoyed Stephen Walsh's comments on IVU-Sci, an e-mail discussion list for scientists with an interest in vegetarianism, so I was delighted to hear that he had written Plant Based Nutrition and Health. Walsh's background is in process systems analysis, and he has used the skills acquired in this field to evaluate nutrition research and develop recommendations.

Plant Based Nutrition and Health makes a strong case for choosing a plant-based diet. Topics covered include achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, calcium and bone health, essential fats, vitamin and mineral needs and how to meet these needs with plant foods, and using plant-based diets at different phases of the life cycle. A few simple recipes are included, but the main focus of this book is nutrition.

Plant Based Nutrition and Health is somewhat technical, but Walsh does a good job of explaining complex topics and often uses graphs and charts to illustrate his points. Also, he includes an extensive list of up-to-date references.

This book would be an excellent addition to the library of anyone who wants background information on current vegetarian nutrition.

Plant Based Nutrition and Health (ISBN 0-907337-26-0) is published by The Vegan Society. It has 240 pages and retails for $12.95. Look for this book in your local bookstore or contact The Vegan Society at <www.vegansociety.com>. Reviewed by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Vegetarian Resource Group
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning