The Vegiterranean Diet, the latest book by Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., will appeal to anyone who’s interested in Mediterranean food or who just really loves hummus and wine, like I do. But it’s far more than just praise for a region’s cuisine—it’s also a comprehensive and enticingly presented case for going vegan.

Hever is a registered dietician, and her primary focus is on nutrition. The book covers basically everything that you need to know in order to eat healthfully, all written in a succinct, easy-to-understand style. Hever especially shines when debunking annoying health myths, such as the vilification of carbs and soy scare-mongering. She emphasizes the importance of “foodism” over “nutritionism”—that is, building your meals around whole, unprocessed foods, rather than obsessing over individual nutrients.

While backing up her claims about the benefits of a “vegiterranean” diet with ample evidence, she summarizes her message by telling readers to eat a colorful, varied diet and to prepare simple fresh foods at home.

Just as central to the vegiterranean diet as nutrition are the lifestyle and philosophy surrounding it, which include eating only when you’re hungry (and stopping before you become overly full), getting plenty of exercise, and practicing mindfulness.

And of course, that means being mindful about how eating meat harms the environment, animals, and our own health and psyches. While roundly condemning eating animals, Hever also touches on how our societal norms encourage us to do so without giving it a second thought—an ideology called “carnism,” the opposite of veganism. This subject made headlines recently after a paper in the journal Appetite shed some light on the excuses that meat-eaters use to justify eating animals. Hever also reminds readers that much of the information that dietitians are taught in school is passed along by the meat and dairy industries.

The last few chapters include meal plans, tips for stocking your kitchen with the proper utensils and staples, and many tasty-sounding recipes.

I enthusiastically recommend The Vegiterranean Diet to anyone who wants to have a better understanding of nutrition and follow a healthier lifestyle.

Let us know what you think. Will you try the vegiterranean diet?

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