The Healthspan Solution: How and What to Eat to Add Life to Your Years

This is an amazing, comprehensive resource on Plant Based eating. This is the first book I've read that does equal justice to both the health information and cooking. Most books either 1) Go in depth on the science/information, but recipes are an add-on at the end or 2) Are great cookbooks, but provide only a brief overview of the science. This book does a great job accomplishing both!The first section of the book provides an excellent resource on nutrition and health. The first few dozen pages synthesize the current science and knowledge in a concise and easy to understand way. Ray and Julieanna possess a vast amount of the technical and scientific knowledge; they are able to translate this into simple messages. I appreciate the visuals to reinforce the concepts such as the Food Triangle. There around 250 citations to inform their evidence-based approach to nutrition and health.The second section is a cookbook. As an owner of dozens of plant based cookbooks, this is one of my favorites. First, the pictures are stunningly beautiful. I like to browse recipes with my eyes. The pictures are vibrant, the food enticing. It's so much fun to look at! Second, the recipes are accessible. They are not overly complicated to fix, just a few steps. Most ingredients can be found at any grocery store or Walmart. For non-plant based eaters, there are a few "unusual" items (e.g. nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder), but most stores carry these items and can also be easily found online.The recipe grouping departs from the traditional breakfast, lunch, dessert, etc. Instead, the recipes are grouped by soups, salads, sides, sweet, and sauces as they challenge the meal paradigms. I particularly liked the "formulator" sections on cream soups and burgers. They provide a generic recipe outline and then provide examples of how to customize. (e.g. take a basic burger recipe to make curry burger, Thai burger, tex-mex burger, BBQ burger, etc). My favorite recipes so far include the garlic sauce (great over steamed broccoli), Mama's Butter Bean soup, and pineapple fried rice.I have followed Ray and Julieanna's approach to health and have seen profound improvements including lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels. I have lost a tremendous amount of weight (well over 100+lbs). This approach has positively changed my life in so many ways. My future Healthspan is so much brighter due to Ray and Julieanna. I wish everyone would start to implement this information into their lives. It has been life changing to my wife, me, and so many others. I wish everyone would experience all the great benefits for themselves.Encourage anyone who is "plant curious" to purchase this resource to explore all the abundance and flavors available in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices!

After reading the previous review about lack of legibility, I almost did not order this book. I often have issues with distracting backgrounds and lack of contrast. But, to my happy surprise, this was not a significant problem. In fact, I would not have thought of it had it not been called to my attention, Yes, I might have preferred white pages, and I certainly would not like to read a long book of this format. My experience is not meant at all to demean the cautions of the previous reviewer. We all do literally perceive differently.In sum, the format it is fine for my use as a cookbook. In fact, the background may obscure finger prints as I will be consulting it often in food prep.Enticed by the amazing photos, I plunged directly into the recipes, I find them all that I was hoping for in plant-based whole food. Unlike some cookbooks which seem to add on new, exotic, and often unnecessary ingredients to previous recipes, I have a sense that the authors start afresh with a balance of solid nutrition, great taste as well as recognition of current trends and availability; e.g., Jack fruit. .I will comment further on my cooking experience as I try more recipes. So far, i think it may rank both my best new vegetarian recent acquisition as well as informative text on plant-sourced nutrition.

Utterly refreshing. The concept that we are “not broken” is a profound insight, especially in light of the current big pharma culture that promotes human frailty in order to (for a price) fix our “brokenness.” Ms. Hever and Mr. Cronise define Healthspan as “the period of life spent in good health, free from chronic diseases and disabilities of aging” and give us practical and scientifically proven guidelines and recipes to aid this quest.The Healthspan solution has delighted my inner Objectivist as it puts the responsibility for one’s health squarely back where it belongs, with each individual. The science in this book supports the concept of humans “as heroic beings” by empowering us with tools to be genuinely healthy and thus able to pursue our own happiness and be productive citizens - because we are physically able.Ms. Hever and Mr. Cronise have spilled the proverbial beans by asking the question “Can we do with diet what drug companies strive to do with a pill?” And then giving us a pragmatic approach to do exactly that. As we practice this scientific approach to well-being we become more independent, more productive and less burden on society.By reading The Healthspan solution and applying the information, you will become your own hero, able to pursue happiness as the moral purpose of your life, to engage in productive achievement as your noblest activity, and to live longer, in good health, free from the diseases and disabilities of aging.It only stands to reason.

This is like two books in one! The first four chapters break down science that explains WHY a Whole Food Plant Based diet is the optimal diet for humans to maximize not only their lifespan, or how long one lives, but also their Healthspan; the quality of one's life (which is super important, especially as we age). It also goes into the nutrition side of a Whole Food Plant Based diet, and contains many tips to make the transition to this way of eating smoother.The second and main event part of the book, is obviously the numerous recipes: All healthy, all delicious, and divided into Soups, Salads, Sides, and Sweets (their sauces and dressings are also top notch). Honestly, they are some of the most delicious plant based recipes I've ever attempted to make, and most of them are fairly quick and easy to make for a novice cook such as myself. My current favorites are the Eggplant Rollatini, Wild Rice & Mushroom Bisque, Tahini Broccoli Slaw, Nacho Casserole, and Sriracha Stuffed Mushrooms (yes, I love me some mushrooms!). I recommend picking up the hardcover for the best experience all around.