Vegan for Her: The Woman's Guide to Being Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet

355 Pages·2013·3.72 MB·English

by  Virginia Messina

PRAISE FOR VEGAN FOR HER
“Vegan for Her provides sensible guidance for women of all ages. Whether your
focus is sports nutrition, eating to prevent cancer or heart disease, or simply
understanding how a plant-based diet can meet your unique needs, this book is
for you.”
—REED MANGELS, PhD, RD, author of The Everything Vegan
Pregnancy Book and coauthor of Simply Vegan
“This is an exceptional book for vegan and not-yet-vegan women everywhere.
Ginny Messina has outdone herself when she created this ultimate go-to guide
for women during all aspects of their lives and has made being healthy cool and
easy.”
—ANNIE SHANNON, coauthor of Betty Goes Vegan
“Vegan for Her is an excellent and articulate resource for every woman who
wants to eat with compassion while protecting and enhancing her health.”
—CAROL J. ADAMS, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat and
Living Among Meat Eaters
“A fantastic science-based resource by one of the giants in plant-based
nutrition.”
—MICHAEL GREGER, MD, founder of NutritionFacts.org
PRAISE FOR VEGAN FOR LIFE
“Jack Norris and Ginny Messina have produced a highly readable, information-
packed book about vegan nutrition. . . . I highly recommend Vegan for Life—for
new vegans, established vegans, people curious about vegan diets. . . . It’s
essential reading!”
—Vegetarian Journal
“Packed with science yet never boring, Norris and Messina—both longtime
vegans themselves—put their wealth of knowledge at your fingertips while
putting to rest any nutritional issues that concern those aspiring to a plant based-
diet. . . . No vegan myth goes unbusted. Overflowing with charts, meal and menu
plans, interesting factoids, and separate chapters devoted to specific issues
(pregnancy, children, athletes, etc.), Vegan for Life is a complete reference guide
that deserves a spot in your library or kitchen.”
—VegNews
“Armed with this compendium and a vegan cookbook, novices will make an
easy, healthy transition to meat, egg, and dairy-free meals, while practicing
vegans can use it as a guide to the best food choices.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Vegan for Life is one of those books that you’ll pull off the shelf for inspiration
and consultation time after time.”
—Curled Up with a Good Book
“Simply amazing . . . displaces Becoming Vegan as the definitive vegan nutrition
book.”
—Reno Gazette-Journal
“The most authoritative vegan nutrition book on the planet.”
—Vegan.com
“If you’re an animal lover, this book may be helpful in helping you find a more
compassionate way to eat.”
—Portland Book Review
“An interesting, easy-to-read, and extremely informative resource . . . Vegan for
Life is a fantastic educational guide and resource for new or seasoned vegans
alike. In addition, it’s a great resource for dieticians who wish to promote aspects
of a plant-based diet to clients, whether vegans or omnivores.”
—Today’s Dietitian

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as
trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark
claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters.
Copyright © 2013 by Virginia Messina and JL Fields
Plant Plate copyright © 2013 by Virginia Messina and Ari Evergreen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, address Da Capo Press, 44
Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210.
Designed by Linda Mark
Set in 10.5 point Guardi LT Std by the Perseus Books Group
Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
First Da Capo Press edition 2013
ISBN 978-0-7382-1672-0 (e-book)
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com
Note: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. This book is intended
only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about health issues. In no way is this book
intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own physician. The
ultimate decision concerning care should be made between you and your doctor. We strongly recommend
you follow his or her advice. Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the
part of the authors or Da Capo Press. The authors and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the
use of this book. The names and identifying details of people associated with events described in this book
have been changed. Any similarity to actual persons is coincidental.
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations,
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at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, or call (800) 810-
4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To a goat in Africa, to a calf on his way to the slaughterhouse—for
starting us on this journey toward a life of compassion.
CONTENTS
Introduction
PART ONE: GOING VEGAN
1. Going Vegan: An Easy Transition
2. Vegan Nutrition: A Primer
3. Beyond Nutrients: One Healthy Diet
PART TWO: HEALTHY EATING FOR ALL THE TIMES OF A
WOMAN’S LIFE
4. Understanding Research on Vegan Diets and Women’s Health
5. Diet and Hormones Throughout a Woman’s Life
6. A Plant-Based Plan to Enhance Fertility
7. Growing New Vegans: Nutrition for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
8. Powered by Plants: The Female Vegan Athlete
PART THREE: LIFELONG HEALTH FOR VEGAN WOMEN
9. Health and Happiness Beyond the Scale
10. Healthy Aging
11. Preventing Breast Cancer
12. Eating for a Healthy Heart
13. Strong Bones for Life
14. Fighting Pain with Plant Foods
15. Controlling Diabetes
16. Feeling Good: Managing Stress and Depression
17. Veganism Beyond the Plate
PART FOUR: RECIPES
List of Recipes
Recipes
Metric Conversion Chart
Acknowledgments
Resources for Vegan Women
Appendix A: Be a Healthy Vegan Woman for Life
Appendix B: Food Sources of Nutrients That Are Important in Women’s Health
References
Index
Recipe Index
INTRODUCTION
T
rading in animal foods for plant-based meals is one of the most powerful
decisions you can make. For starters, a menu built around plant foods is very
likely to put you on the road toward better health. Plant-based diets can lower
your risk for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. This way of
eating has a lot of history behind it, too. The healthiest diet patterns in the world
—like traditional Mediterranean and Japanese diets—are plant-based, including
only small amounts of meat, fish, and poultry. Those who opt for vegetarian
diets, which include no meat, poultry, or fish, may reap even greater benefits.
But being vegan is a little bit different. It takes choices beyond health and, in
fact, beyond food. When you go vegan, you embrace a way of eating and living
that brings big-picture kinds of benefits. It’s a chance to take care of yourself
and, in the process, give a little bit of care to the rest of the world. There is truly
no other lifestyle choice that delivers as many benefits or makes the same kind
of impact.
The word vegan was coined nearly seventy years ago in England by Donald
Watson, who said it was “a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible
and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food,
clothing and any other purpose.” Although he wasn’t the first to address the
choice to forgo animal products, he was the first to give it a name. The Vegan
Society, which he founded with a small group of like-minded individuals in
1944, is still active in England, and people all over the world are choosing a
vegan lifestyle for their health, for the environment, and for the animals.
A BOOK FOR VEGAN WOMEN