The Complete Vegetarian: The Essential Guide to Good Health edited by Peggy Carlson, M.D., University of Illinois Press, 2009.

The Complete Vegetarian is a handbook for serious vegetarians and as well as for those who are serious about nutrition while still eating meat. There is much to learn from this in-depth handbook on the nutritional aspects of a vegetarian life, the diseases that may be impacted by a vegetarian diet, and how to plan meals for the average vegetarian to the pregnant mother to the athlete. Key nutrition chapters include protein, fats, fiber, iron, zinc and calcium among others. Key chapters on disease and nutrition include heart disease, cancer, hypertension, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

An eye-opening introduction acquaints the reader with 25-30 years of the latest research on vegetarian diets. Editor Peggy Carlson, M.D. points out that most people become vegetarians for health reasons alone. Research has shown that vegetarian diets can both help prevent and treat many diseases. Despite this, nutrition is one of the most underutilized tools in a health practitioner’s tool bag. Not to be missed is Carlson’s history of vegetarianism and an overview and comparison of diets across the globe.

The Complete Vegetarian is one of the most comprehensive handbooks on vegetarian diet available with a robust list of medical professionals and nutritionist as contributors in addition to an extensive list of source material and further reading.

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