Going Vegetarian: A Healthy Guide to Making the Switch

by Dana Meachen Rau

Overview

Vegetarian food is good for you and for the planet. But if you're thinking of revolutionizing your diet, you need to get the facts first. Learn about the benefits and challenges of a diet that does not include red meat, poultry, or fish. Helpful tips, delicious vegetarian recipes, and how tos will make the switch so much easier. Want to change the world? Now you can, one plate at a time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756545222
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2012
Series:	Food Revolution
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	940L (what's this?)
Age Range:	11 - 14 Years

About the Author

Mari Schuh's love of reading began with cereal boxes at the kitchen table. Today, she is the author of hundreds of nonfiction books for beginning readers, covering topics from tomatoes to tornadoes. Mari lives in the Midwest with her husband and their super sassy house rabbit. Learn more about her at marischuh.com.

Dana Meachen Rau is an author, editor, and illustrator of children’s books. She has written more than 100 books for children, many of them nonfiction in subjects including astronomy, history, and geography, as well as numerous biographies. She lives in Burlington, Connecticut, with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

Meatless meals — Why vegetarian? — Know your nutrients — Making the cut — Up for the challenge.

Editorial Reviews

Many middle and high school students consider challenging themselves to adopt a diet that is not focused on animals. This simple and informative book can help them decide if vegetarianism is right for them. There are a variety of reasons why people choose to be vegetarians. A plant–based diet is healthful, it is ecologically beneficial to eat lower on the food chain, and for some it is a cultural or religious tradition. Vegetarians are grouped into six types: Ovo–lacto vegetarians eat no meat, but eat eggs and dairy; ovo vegetarians eat eggs but no meat or dairy; lacto vegetarians eat dairy foods but no meat or eggs; pesci–vegetarians eat fish but no other meat; flexitarians eat meat occasionally, and vegans eat no animal products at all. The book is focused on the ovo–lacto vegetarian lifestyle. Disadvantages of eating meat—higher saturated fat and cholesterol and the possibility that it can harbor toxins, antibiotics, hormones and E. coli—are clearly stated. It is also noted that raising animals is a threat to forest land, uses massive amounts of water, contributes to climate change, and often involves mistreatment when animals are raised for food. Practical advice is offered to prospective vegetarians.They should take one step at a time, know why they are adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, and be prepared to compromise, check food labels, map out a meal schedule, avoid vegetarian junk food and, perhaps most importantly, respect those who have chosen not to be vegetarians. There is an explanation of how various nutrients are needed by the body and the plant sources that are rich in those nutrients. It is made clear that going vegetarian is an individual choice. Each person who wants to eat less meat must draw the line wherever s/he desires. The book is concise, enlightening, and full of stunning photography. It could easily be read from cover to cover in a short time. There are several recipes for vegetarian dishes, a short glossary, a list of print and online resources, and an index. The information is fair and balanced with none of the rigid and preachy bias that is sometimes typical of articles and books on vegetarianism. It would be appropriate for middle and high school health or biology classes as part of a nutrition unit. But, since any student considering vegetarianism would find the book useful, it would be a valuable addition to a school or classroom library.

NSTA Recommends

Passing up the preachy, and going for a hefty serving of helpful information, Dana Meachen Rau has written manuals for teens considering making a change in their daily diets. Detailed diets address the nutritional concerns people have giving up animal products. She also discusses the importance of not burdening one’s family with different dietary choices and offers helpful suggestions like doing grocery shopping or making parts of the planned meal. The books contain insets and tables that offer simple alternatives to meat and non-organic foods, a wide variety of organic, meatless, or vegan recipes, and helpful statistics. All books include metric conversion tables for easier cooking. The series is a great addition to any middle or high school library. Recommended.

Library Media Connection Online

Gr 5–9—Whether looking to go organic, ovo-lacto vegetarian, or vegan, kids will find the information necessary to make the switch in these titles. Each book includes a definition of the lifestyle, an exploration of the reasons to change eating habits, suggestions for handling pushback from family and friends, and practical tips to get started. Rau cautions against changing for the wrong reasons, advises careful research and diet planning, and empowers kids to take ownership of their decisions. Organic focuses on the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) regulations, making no mention of other certification programs. It does, however, warn kids about trusting organic labels implicitly and recommends that they go straight to the source when possible by researching and even visiting companies. Serve these up to budding health foodies.

School Library Journal