The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet by Alicia Silverstone.

The Kind Diet is not very kind. What is wrong with The Kind Diet? Remember Zooey Deschanel’s diet plan? Does she follow The Kind Diet? Of course, it is hardly surprising that this book is clueless. After all, it was written by Alicia Silverstone whose carrier has been defined by playing a clueless teenager.

The Kind Diet is so predictably bland that it makes eating an unsalted carrot puree more exciting. Assuming you are willing to temporarily suspend your common sense, the book does make a strong case for switching to a vegan diet, but why do vegans feel the need to use guilt and politics instead of solid nutritional data to make their argument? Is it because veganism cannot be defended on its merits alone?

I mean, why would you want to completely eliminate entire food groups from your diet? What is wrong with eating grass-fed meat, fish, poultry, seafood and dairy? Absolutely nothing! The Kind Diet, however, argues otherwise despite the fact that credible scientific studies do not support extreme diets. Yes, veganism is an extreme form of dieting with dangerous – and potentially deadly – side effects.

One of the healthiest people in the world eat nothing but meat and fat. Have you ever heard of Chukchi or Inuit? They do not eat grains and only rarely consume a few vegetables and wild berries in minuscule amounts, yet their cholesterol levels are perfect, their blood pressure is normal, and they generally do not get cancer or heart disease. Oh, did I mention that most of them smoke about a pack a day? Well, they do. The diets of other indigenous peoples have always been high in animal protein and fat. But if we are to believe vegans, these people should not be alive today, which is clearly not the case.

After reading The Kind Diet, it is hard to shake off the impression that eating gassy foods is the only answer to health and weight loss. At the same time, it is unreasonable to simply dismiss as a fluke the fact that most people, who follow a balanced diet which does not exclude animal proteins, do not have any issues with maintaining a healthy weight or being generally healthy.

Do vegans have enough mental energy to make a distinction between eating highly processed meat and dairy products and eating a balanced diet that includes all food groups in moderation?