The How Not To Die Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease [Hardcover] Dr Michael Greger (author), Gene Stone (co-author), Robin Robertson (co-author) Hardcover – January 1, 2018

I eagerly pre-ordered this six months ago, and have been anticipating its arrival since then. It's a beautiful cookbook -- one that is sure to please both those who are new to vegan/plant-based eating and those who are already eating this way.As a bit of background, I've been vegan for almost five years, but only read Dr. Greger's  How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease  earlier this summer. I loved that book and its focus on integrating research studies with practical tips, but had wished for more actual recipes. Enter this new cookbook . . . .The book is divided up into the following sections:* Simple Preparations -- includes ten recipes that are used as the basis for other recipes -- things like spice blends, almond milk, and vegetable broth* Breakfast* Snacks, Dips, and Spreads* Soups and Chilies* Salads and Dressings* Burgers, Wraps, and More* Very Veggie Mains* Bean Cuisine* Great Grains* Sides* Sweets* SipsAlso included at the end is a section that includes sample menus for two weeks of eating, as well as some kitchen prep tips. At the beginning of the book, Dr. Greger summarizes some of the more pertinent research from _How Not to Die_. After that, he also provides his list of the "Daily Dozen" -- the twelve foods he suggests we eat every day as a way to prevent heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.All of the recipes use a whole-foods, plant-based (WFPB) approach to eating, one that is similar to the Forks over Knives, Engine 2, China Study, and Plant Pure Nation lifestyles. Sweetness comes in through the use of things like the dates in the Date Paste recipe and date sugar, and everything is also refined-sugar-free, oil-free, and salt-free, for those following an SOS-free diet. (Miso paste is used in a few recipes for salty flavor.) The only "unusual" ingredient that the recipes use is nutritional yeast, which you can buy here on Amazon. "Nooch," as it's nicknamed, imparts a cheese-like flavor to dishes, and is a great source of Vitamin B12 (if you buy the fortified version of it), which plant-based eaters need to supplement with since plant foods don't contain it.Many of the recipes also contain a side box that provides cooking/preparation tips or other information that is helpful in preparing the recipe. There are beautiful full-color photos -- which is one thing I always look for in cookbooks since they inspire me to cook -- for almost every recipe, except for the smaller things like in the "Simple Preparations" chapter. (See the two photos for samples of what the pages look like.) The directions are also clear and easy to follow, and speak to the expertise of Robin Robertson, who developed the recipes. At the bottom of each page, there are also X's that mark off which of the Daily Dozen foods that recipe incorporates.The book itself is also wonderfully put together, with hardback binding and a lovey green binding that matches the cover of _How Not to Die_.It would have been nice if this had included the prep and cooking times for each recipe, but you can eyeball them and get an idea of how long each will take. Also, the voice/style of the writing is a little off to me; the headnotes to each recipe and the supplemental textboxes make it sound as if Dr. Greger created the recipes, but then credit is given to Robin Robertson.Although I've only had this for a day, I've made the Chocolate Oatmeal, the Black Bean Soup with Quinoa and Kale, and the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. All three recipes came together quickly and easily, which is important when you're looking for fast, healthy meals. I'm looking forward to using this often, and know it will get a lot of use in my kitchen!Bon appetit!UPDATE ON 12-7-17: I noticed that a few reviewers have given this cookbook a negative review because it doesn't include nutrition information, but the philosophy behind whole-foods, plant-based eating is that if you're eating healthy whole foods, you don't need to worry about calorie counts. I've been following this approach to my eating for a few years, and have been at a stable, healthy weight. While I agree that having this information would be useful, only two of the ten or so WFPB cookbooks that I own have that information, so it's not that unusual that Dr. Greger chose not to include it.UPDATE ON 12-9-17: I've made a few more recipes this weekend, including the Almond-Chocolate Truffles and Black Bean Burgers pictured, and all have been delicious.Also, I've noticed that some reviewers are worried about getting ahold of miso paste and nutritional yeast. If you can't find miso locally (it has to be refrigerated, so is harder to buy online), you can substitute tahini mixed with a bit of salt; the taste won't be quite the same, but it will add the salty flavor. For nutritional yeast, I've been buying  Hoosier Hill Farm Nutritional Yeast Flakes, 1 Pound  for the last three years here on Amazon, and really like it. It stays fresh for quite awhile in the pantry. Hope that helps!UPDATE ON 12-24-17: I've been using this book non-stop since I got it, and continue to love it! This past week one of the recipes I made from it was the pasta with lentil sauce (see last photo). I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe's, and it came together so quickly and easily.UPDATE ON 5-6-18: I've been cooking a lot from this book, as well as other SOS-free cookbooks, and have lost seven pounds since January. It's been hard for me to lose weight, but really focusing on cooking without oil and eating whole foods has made a huge difference.

I LOVE this cookbook. Seriously, if I were moving to a studio apartment and had room for just one cookbook, it would be this one.After having learned from "How Not to Die" about the long-term health benefits of a whole plant-based diet, I ran into the challenges of how to cook in this new way. After all, it's not enough to just avoid meat, dairy, & processed foods. You need to get your complete nutrition. Before this cookbook came out, I was struggling to piece together recipes that I found online. The trouble with that method was that (a.) I had no way of knowing whether the recipes I was selecting fit together to ensure that I was covering all my nutritional bases; (b.) it takes a lot of time to hunt down recipes online that are not only whole-food plant-based but also practical and tasty; and (c.) as a result I found myself stuck in a rut, cooking the same dishes over and over. That's no good. A new way of eating needs to be fun in order to sustain it over the long term.The "How Not to Die Cookbook" solves all of these problems. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and have purchased a copy for every household on my Christmas list.Some things that I especially like about this cookbook:- It offers a wide variety of nutritient-packed recipes. (Some cookbooks feel like "100 variations on quinoa salad." This one offers something for everyone.... even a vegan version of Mac & Cheese.)- Every recipe I've tried so far is delicious. (Unlike my experience with many other cookbooks, which are hit-and-miss).- The recipes I have tried are also are pretty quick to prepare. (This is coming from someone who is used to cooking from scratch. People who are transitioning away from processed foods will have to keep in mind that cooking whole plant-based foods does require SOME time.)- Each recipe includes a photograph, and the photos are beautiful. (This is helpful when choosing or cooking a recipe for the first time).- It's flexible. The authors encourage you to experiment with substitutions, and provide ideas in many of the recipes for substitutions. This is helpful for people who don't like a particular ingredient that's called for, or simply don't have it on hand.- The beginning of the book includes instructions on how to make & store large quantities of the staple ingredients that are used in many of the recipes (almond milk, vegetable broth, spice mix, etc.).- For those who haven't read "How Not to Die" but are interested in an evidence-based eating, the beginning of the book includes a summary of the most important findings from "How Not to Die."- In the back of the book there are complete meal plans for two whole weeks, which really helps me to get a concrete picture of what complete nutrition looks like over the course of the day.- To make it easier to freestyle your meal-planning, each recipe comes with an easy-reference list telling you which of Dr. Greger's "daily dozen" foods the dish contains.

Fabulous book full of information and recipes I wish I had known about 50 years ago. This book has helped me convert to wholefood, plant-based eating, and ,like many of the other people who have reviewed it , I can honestly say that my physical and mental health have improved dramatically. I feel re-energised, re-invigorated, re-juvenated, and the chronic pain I have been suffering for years has gone - Oh - and a stone dropped off in a matter of 4 or 5 weeks. Can't rate this book too highly

I'd been in a massive rut with my food before I got this book. I've been vegetarian since childhood and am conscious of wanting to give my body the nutrients it needs - particularly fibre, protein and vitamins. But I was lazy, and whenever I searched for high fibre vegetarian recipes, a lot of uninspiring meals would come up, each with a long list of ingredients that'd end up gathering dust in my cupboards. So I just ended up having salads every day.UNTIL I READ THIS! Honestly, it's completely changed how I eat and got me out of my rut. I'm now cooking every day, eating a wider variety of vegetables and beans and especially spices! I've made maybe 7 or 8 of the recipes so far and all but 1 I've really loved, and they are actually as easy to prepare as they say they'll be, even for a novice like me. The best thing about this book is that once you get the staples in - herbs, spices, grains, pulses, tinned (or dry) beans, tomatoes, nuts and dates - you can make basically any recipe as the same ingredients come up over and over! Just get in whatever fresh veg you need for that day/week's meals! Everything is so well-researched and evidenced that I feel so good about what I'm eating, proud of myself for cooking a variety of meals, and I'm saving money. It also gave me the push I needed to go vegan, as I now don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.I can't say enough good things about this - if you're daunted by cooking, wanting to get more healthy, and/or wanting to reduce your animal product consumption, THIS IS THE COOKBOOK FOR YOU MY FRIEND!

As others said: "Some of the cup to gram conversions seem totally wrong. Spinach for example is 225g per cup according to the book – that’s an entire packet of spinach to 1 cup."The conversions mistakes are everywhere and questioning the usability of the book. This let this otherwise nice book down.

As a typical sick omnivore, eating super tasty junk and getting sicker with each meal, this book allowed me to change my ways. After only 3 months of incorporating a WFPB diet into my life I’m fitter, healthier, happier, lighter and feel more at one with the world than ever. Wow!!!This cookbook helped me get started on the road to a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, which is more than the general Vegan diet. It’s clearly laid out with lots of lovely inspiring pictures of vegetables and prepared meals to give me inspiration and something to aim at. Profits from the sale of the book go to charity and further nutritional research. Today, cash rich corporates fund most research which is all smoke and mirrors and aimed exclusively at selling more product. Confusion abounds.Check out ‘How Not To Die’ and Dr Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Diet on YouTube for more clarity.The UN World Health Organisation estimates that we could return 76% of agricultural land to the wild and save the oceans ecosystems from total collapse if we stopped eating animals. And fully feed everyone on Earth as part of the deal. Think for a moment what a WFPB diet actually means since it extends way beyond ‘me’. If you’re wondering what to do about the mega mess then get on board and help save the world with every bite.And feel fantastic doing it!Doctors are the masters of trauma care but can’t fix chronic disease. None of their drugs cure. Diabetes alone is threatening to force the collapse of the NHS by 2030. You will have to care for yourself. How are you going to do that?You could start with this cookbook.

From Omnivore to Vegan in one easy step. A superb book if you are truly bothered about what you eat and want to know how to make a positive change. I can't recommend this book highly enough.