Rating: 
Summary: An excellent plan, if a bit spartan.
Review: I stand by my previous review, and wish to correct the previous reviewer who stated that "all the amino acids in proteins can be found in all plant sources". This is *completely* wrong. And as Manager of the Natural Medicine Forum on CompuServe for the past six years, I can speak with some authority on this, and am far from being "rather uneducated", as that reviewer stated. The amino acid L-Carnitine can ONLY be obtained from animal foods (see "The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book" by Lieberman & Bruning for more details on this). One cannot obtain L-Carnitine from vegetable sources. It can be synthesized from them, but only if the body has enough vitamin c, niacin, vitamin B6, iron, and the amino acid L-Lysine. And because cereal grains such as corn, wheat and rice - mainstays of many vegetarian diets, are low in L-Lysine, the vegetatian's ability to synthesize carnitine may be compromised. The cooking of these grains destroys L-Lysine entirely. So, I stand by my original statement that the eating plan presented in this book, while excellent for some, does not necessarily work for all, and some vegans may experience a lack of certain essential amino acids, L-Carnitine being one, as I did.
Rating: 
Summary: The journey to healthy eating
Review: I started changing my eating habits about 18 months ago. I quit eating meat, however, I was still eating fish. I added a lot of raw foods and then found www.notmilk.com. I started the McDougall way of eating and daily exercising 12/01/03. My blood pressure went down 40 points on the second day. I have also lost 23 pounds. The Quick & Easy cookbook is wonderful. Every recipe that I have tried has been good. I brought it with me on my vacation in Maui. My daughter and her family here are Vegans. They are going to order the cookbook because they also love the recipes. This is a great addition to anyone's cookbook collection.
Rating:
Summary: Good diet plan - not a "diet"
Review: I would first like to say that this isn't actually a "diet." It's a healthier way of living. Though I do think that 10 grams of fat should probably be upped to about 20. Also, to the person who said, "my body needs the amino acids in animal proteins to function properly" is rather uneducated - all the amino acids in proteins can be found in all plant sources. Protein deficiency, especially in the western world, is highly rare, even in the Vegan population. It's the *last* thing we need to worry about. At any rate, I am excited to try the other McDougal books as well.
Rating:
Summary: This is a terrific cookbook, with dozens of easy recipes
Review: I'm always looking for fast, easy, and nutritious meals to make after work, and this cookbook fills that need. While I don't always follow a diet as strict as the McDougall's, the recipes make it so simple there's almost no excuse! The recipes also lend themselves to the addition of meat, for my non-vegetarian husband. I highly recommend this book. I think it would be an excellent cookbook for a new vegetarian, since the recipes are so simple and nutritionally balanced.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, low-fat and tastes good, too.
Review: I've enjoyed using this cookbook. The recipes are easy, low-fat, vegan, and they taste good, too. That's about all I can ask of any cookbook.
Rating:
Summary: The Best cookbook in my collection!
Review: It's wonderful to finally find a healthy vegetarian cookbook with easy to prepare meals, and easy to find ingredients! I was skeptical at first about cooking without oil, but it actually tastes better, and I feel lots better too. I also wasn't sure about giving up dairy, since I love cheese, but I haven't missed it yet, and don't think I ever will! Besides feeling and looking better, we're also saving money on our weekly grocery bill.
Rating:
Summary: can even pass the kid test!
Review: Like most recipe books, one has to weed thru many recipes to find dishes that appeal to the whole family. This one is no exception. However, I did find MANY recipes in here that my WHOLE FAMILY will eat AND enjoy, including the kids. This is not a "diet" book to use temporarily, but rather a help to change the way you eat forever book. The recipes really do prepare in quick time. Fast minestrone is so easy that my husband will make it and that's pretty close to a miracle in itself.
Rating:
Summary: can even pass the kid test!
Review: Like most recipe books, one has to weed thru many recipes to find dishes that appeal to the whole family. This one is no exception. However, I did find MANY recipes in here that my WHOLE FAMILY will eat AND enjoy, including the kids. This is not a "diet" book to use temporarily, but rather a help to change the way you eat forever book. The recipes really do prepare in quick time. Fast minestrone is so easy that my husband will make it and that's pretty close to a miracle in itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Food quickly becomes boring
Review: The diet works - I quickly lost 30 pounds and kept with it for about a year. Unfortunately, I found the recipes very boring and not particularly good. I hate to cook, so the title of the book was appealing. But I have to say, there are only so many ways you can put beans, corn, and tomatoes together. Ultimately I quit the diet, gained back all the weight and then some. I got to the point where I could not stand the thought of stomaching one more of these recipes. I have been a vegan for several years - and so I was already accustomed to eating a plant based diet. Quick and easy - yes, but I would argue the delicious.
Rating:
Summary: Very easy recipes, no "advanced" recipes
Review: This book lives up to its name, the recipes were very quick and easy. Many of the main dishes and sauces call for tofu, which I am not a fan of. These recipes are great weekday meals, since they are so fast, and they make great left-overs to take to work for lunch. If you want an advanced vegetarian cookbook, look elsewhere. I enjoy cooking, and do not mind spending hours on a meal, so I still trying to decide on a "harder" cookbook. Any suggestions?
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