The Forks Over Knives Plan
How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
-
-
3.0 • 116 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
From the creators of the groundbreaking documentary comes the New York Times bestselling diet plan Sanjay Gupta called “the prescription you need to live a long, healthy life”—a plan to transition to a delicious whole-foods, plant-based diet in just twenty-eight days.
The trailblazing film Forks Over Knives helped spark a medical and nutritional revolution. Backed by scientific research, the film’s doctors and expert researchers made a radical but convincing case that modern diseases can be prevented and often reversed by leaving meat, dairy, and highly refined foods off the plate and adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet instead.
Now, The Forks Over Knives Plan shows you how to put this life-saving, delicious diet into practice in your own life. This easy-to-follow, meal-by-meal makeover is the approach Doctors Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman (featured in the documentary) use every day in their nutritional health practice—a simple plan that focuses on hearty comfort foods and does not involve portion control or worrying about obtaining single nutrients like protein and calcium.
In just four short weeks you’ll learn how to stock your refrigerator, plan meals, combat cravings, and discover all the tips and tricks you’ll need to eat on the go and snack healthily. You’ll also get 100 simple, tasty recipes to keep you on the right track, beautiful photographs, a 28-day eating guide, and advice throughout the book from people just like you.
Whether you’re already a convert and just want a dietary reboot, or you’re trying a plant-based diet for the first time, The Forks Over Knives Plan makes it easier than ever to transition to this healthiest way of eating…and to maintain it for life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the wake of the popular book Forks over Knives (which was also made into a film), physicians Pulde and Lederman (coauthors of Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole) explain how readers can change over to a whole-food, plant-based diet. Part I lays out the science behind the lifestyle/diet, which focuses on "fruit, vegetables, tubers and starchy vegetables, whole grains, and legumes" (meat, oils, eggs, and dairy are excluded). In Part II, readers are led chapter by chapter through the four-week transition to the Forks over Knives breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with week four devoted to"fine-tuning your lifestyle" and being prepared to deal with dining out, travel, and socializing. To their credit, Pulde and Lederman admit that some lifestyle changes may not come easily or swiftly for all and encourage readers to move at their own pace. Part III serves up 100 recipes from chefs Darshana Thacker and Del Sroufe, ranging from simple breakfast smoothies to Polenta Curry. Those new to the plan may be surprised that portion control is out the window; because, as the authors point out, plant-based foods have a lower calorie density, larger portions are required to maintain satiety (without weight gain). This is a worthy addition to the growing Forks over Knives library.
Customer Reviews
Fair Argument Poor Execution
While I agree with the authors' premise that a plant-dominated diet is likely one of the healthiest ways of eating, I find their scientific sloppiness and inaccuracy detracts from its effectiveness. For example, and I know this is picky, the authors incorrectly define the term calorie. While the chemist would describe a calorie as the energy required to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Centigrade, the dietitian (and we are talking diet here) would say that a calorie is the energy needed to raise 1000 grams of water 1 degree Centigrade. If the authors are willing to be off by a factor of 1000 in an elementary definition, it makes one wonder about the accuracy of the other facts they put forward and how well they proofread their recipes. Furthermore, I am willing to concede that humans are not obligate carnivores either biologically or evolutionarily, but neither are they obligate herbivores as the authors appear to argue; humans are omnivores and while early humans are a plant-dominated diet, they were neither vegans or vegetarians.
The authors, in their devotion to the idea of calorie density, appear to have come to the conclusion that all fats and oils have no place in their version of a plant based diet; ignoring the fact that fat and oil, used in moderate amounts, adds to and may even trigger the feeling of being satisfied by a meal. Rather, the authors exhibit a tendency to substitute sugars and carbs for fat and pils in their recipes (which may reduce the "diabetic-friendliness" the authors claim for their diet).
In summary, a reasonable argument, poorly executed topped by average recipes that may not deliver what the authors' original premise promises. If you want to eat a plant-based diet, great and more power to you, however there are far better cookbooks for that lifestyle out there than this one.