Lean On Me

Actually, don't lean on me. I have personal space issues. Lean on Kathy Freston instead. The Quantum Wellness and Veganist author has a new book out, and it's all about getting lean from a vegan diet.

I was sent a copy for review, and even though I'm not trying to lose weight, I figure it can't hurt to try and re-adopt some healthy eating principles that I've lost along the way. Freston's new book, The Lean, is billed as "A Revolutionary and Simple 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss." So like other 30 day vegan guides, each of the 30 chapters is intended to read be over the course of a month.

It's written for people who aren't already vegan, so there are chapters on trading dairy products for plant-based versions and changing up your cheese. But there are also chapters we could all use, vegan already or not. The first chapter is called "Drink Water. Lots of Water" (always good advice), and day 7 is all about taking in your daily flax for omega-3's (an area I've been slacking in lately because I've been too lazy to clean the coffee out of my grinder to grind my flax seed).

With each chapter, you add a new daily step. I've decided to read each chapter by the day, so I may post again later in the month. But so far, I've read six day's worth, which means I'm drinking lots of water (Day 1), having a hearty breakfast (Day 2), eating an apple a day or other fibrous fruit (Day 3), saying no to my poison (Day 4), eating nuts daily (Day 5), and drinking my plant milk (Day 6).

(UPDATE: A few commenters have asked about the "say no to your poison" thing. It just means giving up the unhealthy food habit you struggle with the most. For me, it's late-night weekend munchies, but for others, it could be sugar or soda or chips.)

There's also plenty of delicious, wholesome recipes in the back of the book. I'll make a few over the course of the month, but I started with this Channa Dal:

I'd actually never cooked with whole cumin seeds before, and I'm not sure why. They lent an amazing flavor to this dish, which could have easily passed for something purchased from an Indian restaurant. It is that good! I served my Channa Dal with Slow-Cooked Swiss Chard and some homemade Garlic-Onion Naan that was lurking in my freezer.

Since I finished my Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse in January, I've been slacking on maintaining my health goals. Hopefully, The Lean will help get me back on track. There are a number of excellent XX-day vegan guides out there (Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's 30-Day Vegan Challenge, Sarah Taylor's Go Vegan In 30 Days, and 21-Day PCRM Vegan Kickstart), but this one is tailored specifically to those looking to shed a few pounds. The next time your omni BFF bitches about feeling fat, hand her this book.