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Book Review: Dr. Kerrie Saunders’ “The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention”

Posted May 21, 2007 at 01:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Her Health, Her Motivation, Books, Her Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Vegetarianism, Special Features, HAL Reviews

For the average American, dinner probably means sitting down to a plate of meat, rounded out with sides like white bread and potatoes, and polished off with an after-dinner bowl of ice cream in front of the television. If this sounds familiar, Dr. Kerrie K. Saunders has written a book you need to read. A practitioner of integrative medicine, Dr. Saunders penned The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention to argue that a diet based on “the new four food groups” can prevent or cure the epidemic ailments, from obesity and diabetes to cancer, that are increasingly prevalent across North America.

The book is divided into nine chapters, focusing on chronic illnesses and using studies, facts, and intensive research to demonstrate the potential for a plant-based diet to all but eliminate these ailments from our lives. While it has been widely publicized that a diet high in meat, dairy, and processed foods is closely correlated to obesity and heart disease, Saunders offers surprising evidence linking the American diet to diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer, as well. For example, while conventional medicine still expounds the importance of dairy products in staving off bone loss, Dr. Saunders points out that North America has the highest rate of dairy consumption – along with the highest rate of osteoporosis – in the world.

In fact, in Asian and African populations consuming a plant-based diet, ailments like osteoporosis, adult-onset diabetes, atherosclerosis, and many types of cancer are not only rare, they are simply unheard of. As if the anecdotal evidence isn’t enough, Saunders offers study after study showing the indisputable connection between our eating and our illnesses – each chapter ends with a lengthy list of references to published studies from reputable sources like the American Dietetic Association and a broad spectrum of university research departments.

Saunders goes beyond health and lifestyle in the final pages of the book, where she briefly outlines the ethical and ecological implications of the current American diet. From information on the hormones and antibiotics invading meat and dairy production to the heavy burden of these industries on the environment, she argues that our current lifestyles are simply unsustainable. She notes that to feed an average, omnivorous American requires 6,000 gallons of water per day, while a vegan diet needs only 300 gallons. Facts like these clearly illustrate that the American people aren’t only making themselves sick, but are destroying their planet as well.

While Saunders certainly backs up her own claims with significant studies and research, it is important for readers to keep in mind that not every contention in the book is backed up by infallible evidence. Much like the proponents of the traditional American diet criticized by Saunders, the author herself is advocating a particular regime – so be wary of the bias pervading her commentary. For example, she lists five factors that she argues contribute to obesity among the American people, and while she may not be wrong, she does not offer research to prove herself definitively right, either. This isn’t to say Saunders doesn’t present well researched, convincing material, but read carefully to distinguish fact from opinion.

Although the book offers some dietary guidelines and outlines the plant-based diet promoted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (the PCRM diet), it is not a step-by-step guide to vegan dining or meal planning. Saunders offers a lengthy list of further reading for those seeking more specific advice on switching to a vegan diet, as well as recommendations on foods and lifestyle changes to help prevent and cure specific chronic illnesses. Indeed, Saunders’ book is more than just an argument for veganism, but an impassioned plea advocating an entire cultural transformation, away from a meat-and-potatoes, sedentary existence and towards a plant-based diet and active lifestyle.

If Saunders’ enthusiasm doesn’t get you, the information surely will – the book is a compelling portrait of the overwhelming crisis facing the American population, and an ideal starting point for anyone seeking to make positive changes to a potentially devastating lifestyle.

To purchase a copy of The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention, click here.

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Tags: atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, dr. food, dr. kerrie saunders, heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, physicians committee for responsible medicine (pcrm), plant-based diet, the vegan diet as chronic disease prevention, vegan, veganism

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