The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Optimal Health, Beginning Today

by Sharon Palmer, David L. Katz (Foreword by)

Overview

Harness the power of whole-plant foods to lead a long and vibrant life—whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous.

Eat more whole plants. This simple recommendation is at the heart of a building consensus: The healthiest diet is a plant-based diet. Plants have spent millions of years evolving their defenses against disease. Now, studies indicate that by eating whole, minimally processed plant foods, humans too can gain protection—against everyday illness, diabetes, obesity, depression, mental decline, heart disease, and even cancer.

In The Plant-Powered Diet, registered dietitian Sharon Palmer marshals the most up-to-date findings in nutrition to explain both why you should fill more of your plate with whole-plant foods and how to do so, whether you’re a longtime vegan or a committed omnivore. Here is:
• Essential information on the healthiest plant foods—whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and even herbs, spices, chocolate, coffee, tea, and wine
• Advice for navigating the supermarket, kitchen, restaurant menus, on-the-go meals, exercise, and more
• A 14-day meal plan, plus daily action alerts to get you started
• And 75 original plant-based recipes for every meal—all with complete nutritional data.

The Plant-Powered Diet is not a diet you’ll go “on” today and “off” tomorrow. It is a simple, satisfying, and thoroughly delicious way of eating that can not only last your lifetime—but lengthen it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615190584
Publisher:	The Experiment, LLC
Publication date:	07/17/2012
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	421,026
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.14(d)

About the Author

Sharon Palmer, RDN, is a registered dietitian, editor of the award-winning health newsletter Environmental Nutrition, and a nationally recognized nutrition expert who has personally impacted thousands of people’s lives through her writing and clinical work. She lives outside of Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.

Foreword author David L. Katz, MD, MPH, is director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dr. David L. Katz ix

Introduction xiii

1 Eating Plants for Optimal Health 1

2 Shifting Your Focus from Animals to Powerful Plants 27

3 Unleashing Plant-Powered Proteins 43

4 The Wholesome Goodness of Grains 80

5 Falling in Love with Vegetables 106

6 Fruits, Nature's Perfect Sweetener 131

7 Plant Fats Rule 165

8 The Bold and the Beautiful: Herbs, Spices, and Chocolate 183

9 Cheers to Your Health! Plant-Based Drinks with Benefits: Coffee, Tea, and Wine 204

10 Don't Forget the Power of Exercise 219

11 In Search of Powerful Plants in Restaurants and on the Road 229

12 Take the Powerful Plants Plunge 243

13 14 Days of Powerful Plants 265

14 Plant-Powered Recipe Collection 270

Notes 368

Appendix: Nutrients in Action 391

Glossary 394

Acknowledgments 401

Index 403

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Registered Dietitian Sharon Palmer wrote a book that is much like a superfood: dense with the good stuff. The abundance of information in the first half is worth its weight in kale, then followed by 75 of the author’s own, family-tested recipes. This is a tome ideal for flexitarians and new vegans who are still learning.”
—VegNews.com

“The Plant-Powered Diet is a compilation of compelling arguments for the ideal nutrition plan—one that is based on whole plant foods. Palmer is welcoming to her readers as she provides solutions for eating in a more health-promoting way. I recommend this as a resource for anyone seeking a healthier diet.”

—Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, plant-based dietitian and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition

“The Plant-Powered Diet makes the transition to a plant-powered lifestyle simple. The support tools, such as pantry lists, dining out tips, and recipes, will help anyone realistically make the leap into a plant-powered lifestyle. It’s refreshing to see a focus on whole food, vegetarian recipes.”
—Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet

“In The Plant-Powered Diet, Sharon Palmer shares her passion for wholesome, delicious plant foods. This book, which is based on compelling scientific evidence, will help you find your own plant-based eating style that’s healthy, sustainable, and delicious.”
—Cheryl Forberg, RD, James Beard Award–winning chef, New York Times bestselling author, and original nutritionist for The Biggest Loser

“A plant-powered diet is a very powerful step in the right direction toward an all plant-based, whole-food diet. A very useful and very informative book.”
—Gene Stone, editor of Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health and author of The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

“The Plant-Powered Diet is not your typical ‘diet’ book, but a very well-researched and practical guide to help people shift away from the typical meat-centric lifestyle. Sharon Palmer’s wisdom will be invaluable in helping people embrace efforts like Meatless Monday, which can benefit their health and the health of the planet.”
—Peggy Neu, president of The Monday Campaigns

“The Plant Powered Diet is a spot-on roadmap for our time. Eating deliciously, healthfully, and with a sense of our place in the world has never been easier, thanks to Sharon—I love this book!”
—Kate Geagan, MS, RD, author of Go Green Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low-Carbon Footprint Diet

“The Plant-Powered Diet is a celebration of the delicious, healthful qualities of beautiful plant foods in their natural form. Everyone can gain tremendous benefits from eating this way.”
—Patricia Bannan, MS, RD, nutrition expert and author of Eat Right When Time Is Tight

“The Plant-Powered Diet is the best book on diet and health I’ve read in years.”
—Ginny Kisch Messina, author of Vegan for Life

“Sharon Palmer gently guides you to a menu of healthier food choices in this well-researched and beautifully written comprehensive plan. The Plant-Powered Diet will educate you and motivate you to include more powerful plant foods in your diet every day.”
—Jill Weisenberger, MS, RD, CDE, author of Diabetes Weight Loss—Week by Week

Editorial Reviews

"In The Plant-Powered Diet, Sharon Palmer shares her passion for wholesome, delicious plant foods. This book, which is based on compelling scientific evidence, will help you find your own plant-based eating style that’s healthy, sustainable, and delicious."

Cheryl Forberg

"Sharon Palmer gently guides you to a menu of healthier food choices in this well-researched and beautifully written comprehensive plan. The Plant-Powered Diet will educate you and motivate you to include more powerful plant foods in your diet every day."

Jill Weisenberger

"The Plant-Powered Diet makes the transition to a plant-powered lifestyle simple. The support tools, such as pantry lists, dining out tips, and recipes, will help anyone realistically make the leap into a plant-powered lifestyle. It’s refreshing to see a focus on whole food, vegetarian recipes."

Dawn Jackson Blatner

"The Plant-Powered Diet is a compilation of compelling arguments for the ideal nutrition plan—one that is based on whole plant foods. Palmer is welcoming to her readers as she provides solutions for eating in a more health-promoting way. I recommend this as a resource for anyone seeking a healthier diet."

Julieanna Hever

"The Plant-Powered Diet is not your typical ‘diet’ book, but a very well-researched and practical guide to help people shift away from the typical meat-centric lifestyle. Sharon Palmer’s wisdom will be invaluable in helping people embrace efforts like Meatless Monday, which can benefit their health and the health of the planet."

Peggy Neu

"Registered Dietitian Sharon Palmer wrote a book that is much like a superfood: dense with the good stuff. The abundance of information in the first half is worth its weight in kale, then followed by 75 of the author’s own, family-tested recipes. This is a tome ideal for flexitarians and new vegans who are still learning."

VegNews.com

"The Plant Powered Diet is a spot-on roadmap for our time. Eating deliciously, healthfully, and with a sense of our place in the world has never been easier, thanks to Sharon—I love this book!"

Kate Geagan

"A plant-powered diet is a very powerful step in the right direction toward an all plant-based, whole-food diet. A very useful and very informative book."

Gene Stone

"The Plant-Powered Diet is the best book on diet and health I’ve read in years."

Ginny Kisch Messina

"The Plant-Powered Diet is a celebration of the delicious, healthful qualities of beautiful plant foods in their natural form. Everyone can gain tremendous benefits from eating this way."

Patricia Bannan

"Registered Dietitian Sharon Palmer wrote a book that is much like a superfood: dense with the good stuff. The abundance of information in the first half is worth its weight in kale, then followed by 75 of the author’s own, family-tested recipes. This is a tome ideal for flexitarians and new vegans who are still learning.”—VegNews.com

“The Plant-Powered Diet is a compilation of compelling arguments for the ideal nutrition plan—one that is based on whole plant foods. Palmer is welcoming to her readers as she provides solutions for eating in a more health-promoting way. I recommend this as a resource for anyone seeking a healthier diet.”—Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, plant-based dietitian and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition

“The Plant-Powered Diet makes the transition to a plant-powered lifestyle simple. The support tools, such as pantry lists, dining out tips, and recipes, will help anyone realistically make the leap into a plant-powered lifestyle. It’s refreshing to see a focus on whole food, vegetarian recipes.”—Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet

“In The Plant-Powered Diet, Sharon Palmer shares her passion for wholesome, delicious plant foods. This book, which is based on compelling scientific evidence, will help you find your own plant-based eating style that’s healthy, sustainable, and delicious.”—Cheryl Forberg, RD, James Beard Award–winning chef, New York Times bestselling author, and original nutritionist for The Biggest Loser

“A plant-powered diet is a very powerful step in the right direction toward an all plant-based, whole-food diet. A very useful and very informative book.”—Gene Stone, editor of Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health and author of The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

“The Plant-Powered Diet is not your typical ‘diet’ book, but a very well-researched and practical guide to help people shift away from the typical meat-centric lifestyle. Sharon Palmer’s wisdom will be invaluable in helping people embrace efforts like Meatless Monday, which can benefit their health and the health of the planet.”—Peggy Neu, president of The Monday Campaigns

“The Plant Powered Diet is a spot-on roadmap for our time. Eating deliciously, healthfully, and with a sense of our place in the world has never been easier, thanks to Sharon—I love this book!”—Kate Geagan, MS, RD, author of Go Green Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low-Carbon Footprint Diet

“The Plant-Powered Diet is a celebration of the delicious, healthful qualities of beautiful plant foods in their natural form. Everyone can gain tremendous benefits from eating this way.”—Patricia Bannan, MS, RD, nutrition expert and author of Eat Right When Time Is Tight

“The Plant-Powered Diet is the best book on diet and health I’ve read in years.”—Ginny Kisch Messina, author of Vegan for Life

“Sharon Palmer gently guides you to a menu of healthier food choices in this well-researched and beautifully written comprehensive plan. The Plant-Powered Diet will educate you and motivate you to include more powerful plant foods in your diet every day.”—Jill Weisenberger, MS, RD, CDE, author of Diabetes Weight Loss—Week by Week

From the Publisher