In many a glowing description of a non-fiction book, especially a prescriptive one like a self-help book or a cookbook, the reviewer will compliment the author by saying that reading their words feels like having a cup of tea with a friend.
I can go one better and say that spending time perusing the pages of Main Street Vegan: Everything You Need to Know to Eat Healthfully and Live Compassionately in the Real World* truly is like having a cup of tea with a friend — because its author, Victoria Moran, is a friend of mine, with whom I’ve had actual cups of tea (okay, coffee in my case). And she brings the same warm, witty voice she is blessed with in person to her latest book.
For anyone who wants to explore a plant-based diet but is overwhelmed by tomes about nutrition or befuddled by the avalanche of vegan books and blogs, here’s a great place to start. Victoria takes you down the path step by step, in bite-sized, entertaining chapters that each end with a tasty, do-able recipe (though this isn’t a cookbook, there are forty recipes in total).
Each chapter has an actionable title, starting with Decide that You Can Do This, and ending with Go the Distance. In between there are nuggets of wisdom in each of the other thirty-eight brief chapters including Save Your Money as Well as Your Life; Outgrow Your Need for Milk; Veganize Your Kitchen; Wake Up and Smell the Breakfast; Invite People Over, and much more. There’s also a nice list of resources in the appendices.
Victoria may be best known for books like Creating a Charmed Life* and Shelter for the Spirit,* but she has been gently promoting the plant-based diet for thirty years, and raised her daughter Adair (who is a contributor to this book) vegan from birth. Victoria has also maintained a sixty-pound weight loss for many years. Why is this book called Main Street Vegan*?
The back cover explains: “Hollywood celebrities are doing it. Corporate Moguls are doing it. But what about those of us living in the real world — and on a real budget?” That’s what this book gives you — an honest, real-life perspective on how anyone can go vegan, or at least explore a more plant-based diet. Victoria is not preachy and doesn’t beat you over the head with the message. She applauds any steps forward and urges you to Start Where You Are (Chapter 2!).
Learn more about Victoria Moran and her daughter Adair Moran at Main Street Vegan. You’ll also find information about the book, vegan coaching, and Victoria’s speaking schedule. And last but not least, follow this link to sample Adair Moran’s Spicy Coconut Lime Grilling Sauce.
- Read more of VegKitchen’s book reviews.
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