The Happy Vegan-Book Review

IMG_3419.JPG First off, let me say that I love the title of the book. It's clear and not misleading; it's for people who are already thinking about going vegan or are curious about vegan lifestyles. The Happy Vegan is exactly what this book is about. How to be a happy vegan and why.

I love how this book is organized. The sequence is perfect for someone who's thinking about becoming vegan. He presents the information on why you should go vegan in a very interesting way and it's easy to read. As he mentioned in an interview; he said he wants everyone to be able to read this book. I love the information he provides for new vegans to check out and the tips he gives out on how to transition to a vegan lifestyle. Smart and helpful tips.

At the end of the book, he added a section about meditation that I loved! I personally think that everyone should meditate and in his book he explains the process of how to start meditating because interesting enough, it's not as easy as some people think. Yeah, you just sit there but trust me; your brain can be tough sometimes. I love the tips he gives out in this chapter. VERY helpful.

Now for the things I didn't like. It bothered me so much that he didn't talk more about vitamin B12 enough. B12 was the main reason why I didn't go vegan earlier in my life. I remember I used to think if a vegan diet was meant for humans and that we're actually herbivores then how are we supposed to survive without B12 since according to most people it only comes from animal sources? That was my logic for being vegetarian for about 5 years and not vegan. After I did my research, I found out that B12 used to be found in the soil, but now with conventional farming; B12 is not available in the soil anymore. Also, B12 is found in dirt and since we're very clean and wash veggies and fruits we don't get B12 naturally. I've also read somewhere that even the B12 in animals is also fortified (I'm not sure how legit that is but I'm buying it.) So back to the book; he mentions that you can just take a pill and you'll be good to go. Why not just eat fortified food such as nutritional yeast? Furthermore, B12 gets stored in our bodies so if you've been eating animal products your whole life, then you're probably fine. Even if you decide to take supplements it's not like it's an everyday thing.

The other thing that bothered me was that there were so many spiritual messages. I personally like that, but I feel like it can turn away many people and it will make them think of veganism as a 'hippie thing' I get that he's a spiritual person, but maybe ease a little bit on that vibe just so people don't turn away, that's all. This didn't bother me as much, just what I thought when I pictured some people I know reading this book.

Other than those two negatives things, I think you should read this book. It's entertaining, interesting, informative, and easy to read. Oh and very organized! I loved that. Even if you have been vegan for a while, this book will still be useful to you. I think it works well as a reference. Also, as a mentioned earlier it contains tips on how to make your vegan journey easier and how to deal with social encounters.