Veganist by Kathy Freston - Review

Here it is, folks. Can be found in Dollar Tree.

I would first like to start this review by stating that, in general, I have very little against a vegan diet **IF** it involves plenty of healthy fats (obviously here I'd be going with coconut, olive, and avocado), enough protein (I guess legumes? I am not a fan of soy but soy would have to be the most optimal), minimal carbohydrate and no grains. If Ms. Freston had a version of a lower carbohydrate, healthy-fat laden vegan plan to outline, then I would be more than willing to endorse her for being a great voice for the vegan community and nutritionally forward thinking. This is not to say that I would tell anyone to eliminate animal products; I feel there are little to no benefits of completely eliminating animal products from a well-followed low carb regimen. Unfortunately, this book is rife with unsound nutritional advice based upon research that is flawed and simply outdated. Let's start there and finish up with what I do agree with Ms. Freston about (yes, there actually ARE points in this book that I think have a little bit of merit).

This book is split into chapters she has decided to call "promises"; her claim is that she has ten promises that, if followed and heeded, it will forever change one's life for the better with regards to health, overall environmental impact, and spirituality. These statements are beyond bold, but I have managed to finish the book and can tell you that some of the "promises" aren't so far-fetched, but I specifically have big issues with many statements put forth in chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5. The biggest fallacies spread throughout all four of these chapters involves the nutritional superiority of veganism versus other weight loss methods, including a few sections where Ms. Freston and other "experts" purposefully bad mouth low carbohydrate plans. This book was published in 2011, so I guess it is possible that much of the information that has been thoroughly vetted over the last four years might not have been widely accepted at that time, but I personally think that to a vegan "low carbohydrate" always imprints an image of tons of slaughtered animals and abused dairy creatures. Rather than confront any large bodies of evidence regarding the health benefits that most people can reap from living a low carb lifestyle, Ms. Freston and others take a little time out of their vegan pride parade to serve up some outright nutritional falsehoods to make their nutritional positions look more ideal.

Promise One is really the chapter I found to be the hardest to trudge through; it is entitled "Your Body Will Find and Maintain Its Ideal Weight - Effortlessly". I do not disagree with the point made throughout the chapter that fiber can be a great weight loss tool since it bulks up in the digestive tract and makes your body think it is fuller than it actually is, and I think almost anyone could benefit from fiber as long as there is an adequate increase in fluid intake at the same time (otherwise you might find yourself not visiting a bathroom for a day or two). I also applaud her for making the distinction that added sugars and refined grains in processed foods are to be avoided. The rest of this chapter is fairly downhill from there; in the first page Ms. Freston demonizes fats (especially saturated fats), claims that all the weight lost on low carb plans is water weight and nothing more, and states that "complex" carbohydrates are a great energy source and (a little further in the book) that they are necessary. Many low carb experts have written books that highlight the scientific reasons none of these things previously stated are true; I especially suggest reading through Atkins (his informative low carb bibles are easy to read and understand and well before their time), Gary Taubes' landmark Good Calories, Bad Calories or any of the work done by Dr. Eric Westman, the doctor who has taken up Dr. Atkins' work and is in charge of Duke University's weight loss clinic. These fallacies are also easily refuted through a variety of websites (a favorite of mine is Authority Nutrition) with very little searching on the internet. Let it be said, though, that for the minimal good information this chapter has for legitimate weight loss aids, most of the chapter is one long diatribe of outdated information with little science in the last twenty years to back it up, along with anecdotal "evidence" that low carb is neither sustainable nor a way to lose fat (as someone who has been low carb for over two years and has lost 68 lbs, and knows many more people who have had similar success, I beg to differ loudly).

Promise Two uses similar scientific fallacies to try and state that veganism is the best way to reverse most chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Following the belief that cholesterol, saturated fat, and animal products are the main cause for any chronic problem - especially heart disease in this chapter - Ms. Freston leads us through a couple of waves of interviews with "experts" and personal recollections from people who have adopted a vegan lifestyle with gusto to rejuvenate their health. Now, I really have nothing against people changing their lifestyles to regain their health since I am someone who has done it over the last two years as well, but I do take offense to the arguments presented as to why animal products are even to be blamed for diabetes of all things. Claiming that fat blocks the proper usage of insulin in the cells is just ludicrous; by the time insulin is so prevalent in the bloodstream the real issue is loss of sensitivity to insulin. Fats and cholesterol are important in the body and involved in a number of processes such as proper hormone creation and utilization and transporting insulin to where it needs to go. Avoiding cholesterol will not make one's blood sugar go down any faster; the real issue with high blood sugar is the presence of too much sugar either due to excessive glucose intake or excessive intake of other carbohydrates such as starchy foods. Many weight loss clinics that promote low carb plus higher fat lifestyles (also known as "ketogenic" diets) have evidence galore of the dramatic improvements patients see when on a strict low carb plan; I feel that Ms. Freston's attack of animal products as to be the blame for chronic illness is misfounded and an outright lie. The real blame should be pointed in the direction of processed foods, added sugars, excessive intake of grains, and overindulgence in foods that humans are not meant to eat (or drink) in large amounts. A vegan diet low in processed food products and excess sugars will be a benefit to anyone looking to lose weight and I do not deny that; however, I feel it is extremely bad form to pass along information that is just plain wrong to people who are desperate for answers and in need of truth and guidance. Many studies exist that have proven that too LOW of cholesterol (especially in women) is more deadly and worrisome than having high cholesterol at all; claiming that having cholesterol below 200 (and preferably much lower than that according to this book) is the only way to avoid a heart attack and excluding all fats and going vegan is the BEST solution is in no way true.

Promise Three claims a longer and better life; this chapter is basically a follow up of avoiding chronic diseases and other conditions spoken of in the previous chapter. My issues with this chapter are about the same so I won't rehash it. Promise Five is the last chapter I had overwhelming contention with; it claims you will save lots of money eating vegan - WHICH IS TRUE. The main fallacy in this chapter is that Ms. Freston claims that meats are "cheap" due to a variety of subsidies that the animal agriculture sector receives from the government. As someone who eats meat a majority of the time, I would like to state that meats are in no way CHEAP and the prices of such products have skyrocketed over the past few years. Beef especially has been hit hard, and many of my favorite forms of beef are nearly double the price I paid for them even just a year ago (ground beef being the biggest culprit right now); pork and especially bacon are also a lot higher priced than I've seen them before. Using the "meat is cheap" as a supposed excuse as to why people eat so much meat is just ridiculous; it is very expensive to be low carb - much moreso than if I was to live an unprocessed vegan lifestyle - and I think the misinformation in this chapter negates most of the arguments she presents further within.

So, it sounds like I agree with nothing that Ms. Freston presents, but there is definitely a large portion of this book that hits home; most of the last part of this book is focusing on the evils of factory farms and large scale animal agriculture, and I actually fully agree with the point that is made that commercially grown animals are treated poorly. As a homesteader and Libertarian, my ultimate goal in life is to eventually be totally self-sufficient and not rely upon anyone, especially the government or commerical businesses, for any resources that I may need. This would also include raising my own animals at home exclusively as a food source; we are well on our way with a flock of chickens who supply eggs, one of the most complete and perfect food sources of protein available. On a small family farm like ours, we are able to raise animals in a fashion that is extremely humane with plenty of space for our animals. They are fed, watered, and well-treated; our chickens are free to roam our entire property with little to no interference. It only takes hens about five weeks to hatch a nest of eggs; our first experience with new chickens has been beyond positive with a total of nine chicks who made it through the first week of life. I personally believe that small family farms and raising humane sources of animal products is the key to a better food supply in our country; I don't think that a total elimination of the raising of farm animals is necessary or warranted as long as the animals are treated fairly and eventually slaughtered without excessive suffering or abuse. Ms. Freston, however, in no way mentions the small homestead only keeping animals as a source of personal sustenance and subsistence; rather, the chapters that focus on the wrongs of animal agriculture only speak of large commercial farms and do not offer any alternatives or concessions that smaller farms could be the key to a better food supply. The author instead suggests using all the grain that is usually grown for commercial farms to feed the world's hungry, especially soy and corn crops; soy is notoriously intensive and hard on the land while also being a very common allergen, and corn is also a frequent allergen. Corn and soy are also two of the most common genetically modified crops in the world. It is poor form to completely exclude a worthwhile portion of the food chain that is represented by smaller farms and personal farms such as mine and imply that since the large farms are so terrible that all forms of animal agriculture are terrible; there is no argument presented that really gives small farms a bad name or why we should not grow our own food. I firmly believe that the key to our future lies in going back to our roots of being sustainable on a household level without so many handouts from the government and need of grocery stores and commercial farms of all types (including those that grow plants for money and subsidies, which the corn and soy industries both get tons of). I hope to not buy meat at the grocery store in the next few years ever again and rely solely upon my own homestead as my source for food or look to trade other small farmers for items that I cannot easily raise on my own farm.

Alright, I apologize a bit for the lengthy review, but to sum it all up: animals, dietary saturated fats, and cholesterol are NOT the reason we are fat and sick; rather, the blame needs to be pointed at a food supply filled with excessively processed items and added sugars in everything (a supporting role in the blame game should also be given to grains of all types). Many outlets of science are available that irrefutably prove that fats are not as evil as they've been portrayed over the last 40+ years by the mainstream medical profession and media. I totally agree with Ms. Freston's view of commercial farming and animal cruelty issues; I believe the solution to that problem, however, is totally different than the suggestion that animals should never be raised as a form of food. I believe that small farms and families growing their own food (be it plant or animal) will be the ultimate solution to the problems we are seeing with the food supply in the United States; totally excommunicating the public from the grocery industry will cripple the real villains (Big Sugar, Big Food lobbies especially) and bring about a true revolution in the way of health, lifestyle, and politics too.

Strive for self-sustenance and treat your animals well while they are with you; yet, I say enjoy the fruits of your homesteading labors rather than abstain from eating any animal products. Big Food and Big Sugar is your real enemy, not a small family homestead raising animals to survive.