Making the initial decision to go meat free (even once a week) was a hard decision for me, but there were a few movies and books that made the transition much easier. Knowing what meat was doing to my body made a big difference in how much I wanted to eat it, and knowing that the research was science based instead of emotional made a big difference to me.
There are a few great books and movies that talk about the importance of a plant based diet for a healthy life; these are a few of my favorites!
Forks Over Knives
This is both a book and a movie. I have heard fantastic things about the book, but have only seen the movie. It is a great look at what meat and dairy are doing to our bodies and how a plant based diet can stop, or sometimes, reverse these effects.
The book was written by two doctors, one at Cornell University and one at the Cleveland Clinic, who research the effects of a meat-based diet on humans. Both these doctors completely their research without knowing what the other was doing and only learned afterwards. What each of them found, through researching cancers and diets of third world countries, is pretty incredible.
Whether you love meat, hate it, or do not care either way, this movie is a great watch and a must see!
Skinny B----
I have had a pretty great inner debate on whether I should review this book or not. It is quite a bit controversial (the name alone) and controversy is not my middle name. But, just because something is controversial, does not mean it is bad. This book is in my top ten best books ever read list because it changed my outlook on food.
My college room-mate and I read this book together after hearing how fantastic it was. Neither of us were vegetarians, or healthy eater's, really- but both of us thought it was important to understand what we were eating and how it was effecting us long term. Boy was I happy we read it. Be prepared, it is mostly science and research articles explained (science geeks rejoice) and there are a few points that pull on your heart strings worse than the Humane Society commercials. The authors warn you of this first, but my thinking was "if I am going to eat animals, I better know how they got on my plate". If you eat meat, this should be a definite read. If you do not, read it anyway... They go into more than vegan lifestyles and talk a lot about preservatives, engineered foods, and how to live a healthy but well rounded life.