Book Reviews

Looking for a healthier lifestyle? Vegan Fitness for Mortals: Eat Your Veggies, Be Active, Avoid Injury, and Get Healthy for Life is the place to start! Beginning with her familial history, Jones explains what brought her to a vegan diet and fit lifestyle. Her family members battled obesity, breast cancer, heart disease, and poor lung health all their lives; her doctors said she was destined for a similar path as her weight continued to increase into her adult years. After many unsuccessful fad diets, she realized that fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and consistent exercise were the medicine she needed. Once readers learn of her personal journey, they'll know she's a trustworthy source, especially as today she's a medal-winning athlete and personal trainer.

Before diving into fitness plans, Jones tells readers about the benefits exercise can create in other areas of life — more energy, better brain functioning, improved sex drive, deeper sleep, and decreased effects of aging — backing up her claims with scientific studies. This motivates readers to embrace fitness since it will aid them in all areas of life. Encouraging readers to start with a plan and schedule while bearing in mind their age, gender, and genetics, it's clear she wants each individual to find activities that fit their lifestyles and specific needs; she strives for everyone to achieve!

Jones weaves the benefits of vegan diet into her promotion of exercise in a conversational yet convincing manner. From reducing inflammation to aiding in recovery, readers will be inspired to eliminate meat and dairy from their diets in order to see results! Anyone who is looking to start a vegan diet but is unsure can find recommendations, recipes, and nutrition basics.

The book contains various fitness plans from walking, running, and biking to swimming, weight training, and yoga. Each activity section has tips, programs, and various exercises for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes alike, catering to a wide audience. Additional chapters on gear and gadgets, warms ups and cooldowns, and injury prevention will help readers with any activity or fitness plan they choose.

Vegan Fitness for Mortals is an essential resource for anyone looking to move more and eat better. Even seasoned athletes will be reminded of their fitness basics by reading Jones' book. With a friendly tone and simple suggestions, Jones makes exercise and veganism easy for everyone to begin.

The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Isa Moskowitz has written many excellent vegan cookbooks and now owns 2 vegan restaurants (one in Omaha Nebraska and the other in Brooklyn, New York). This cookbook showcases her phenomenal cuisine and now you can share it with your family and friends during a holiday gathering.

At Thanksgiving you can prepare Pumpkin Cornbread, Curried Candied Yams, and Green Bean Casserole. For Chanukah try Sweet Potato Latkes, Jelly Doughnuts, or Rugelach. During Christmas feast on Eggplant Lasagna, Gingerbread Waffles, or Candy Cane Fudge Cookies. And for New Year's you can make Cinnamon-Apple Crepes or Orange-Pecan Sticky Buns.

On other festive days try Seared Dragon Green Beans for the Chinese New Year, Beeting Heart Salad for Valentine's Day, Irish Stout Stew with Potato Biscuits for St. Patrick's Day, Glazed Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Scones for Easter, Broccoli Kukgel for Rosh Hshanah, Zomberoni Pizza Faces for Halloween, Eggplant Chimichurri Kabobs for the Fourth of July, Burrito Potato Salad for Cinco de Mayo, and Gumbo Z'herbes for Mardi Gras.