Book Review [ By Any Greens Necessary: A Revolutionary Guide for Black Women Who Want to Eat Great, Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and Look Phat ]

If you are working on transitioning to a healthier eating lifestyle, becoming a vegetarian or better yet a vegan, then this book is a great read. Tracye Lynn McQuirter covers the essentials in educating yourself on the benefits of eliminating animal flesh and incorporating more fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and plant-based proteins.

The scope is excellent for beginners with a range that covers cultural eating habits, a thorough perspective on the protein myth, through the gamuts of meat processing and on to your step by step process for success in your new eating lifestyle. There is also a brief array of tasty recipes that add a new flavor to some old favorites. The recipes would satisfy even veteran vegans! Whether intentional or not, Ms. McQuirter has captured very well one of the wise naturopathic sayings, that the majority of the work in changing to a healthy lifestyle is in the unhealthy things that you give up.

The language of By Any Greens Necessary is straight and plain with good energy in the writing. Ms. McQuirter covers in a very culturally relative way, the myths and ignorance of meat eating and dairy consumption. Her sharp humor also compels you to keep reading. However, there are some slow spot that you might have to grind your teeth through. The fact finding studies can get tiresome and the meat misery chapters are repetitious, which could have been combined and would have disseminated the same info.

When it came down to working with the foods that get you PHAT (Pretty Hot And Tempting), she used an excellent strategy  in tying the dairy and sugar consumption to existing health epidemics. As well as providing a great grain preparation guide. Since there is so much current debate on the pros and cons of soy, I would have liked to have had more info on the topic.

Two more points and then I 'm done. Canola is a no no, however Ms. McQuirter recommend the "organic" kind, and maybe in the revised or 2nd edition she can check her facts on how long it takes for chickens to grow. I have never heard of a 7 year old chicken! LOL!

Finally, if you are ready to live a healthier lifestyle and look like her mother at 70 years olds, by the way she has a beautiful picture of the family's three generations of vegans in the book, then this book is for you. Very good vegan/vegetarian starter book.

Dr. Akua Gray, ND
Houston, Texas
November 2, 2012