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Badass Vegan: Fuel Your Body, Ph*ck the System, and Live Your Life Right: A Cookbook
A "wake you up" manifesto and plant-based lifestyle plan to buck the system that keeps us fat, sick, and tired--from the Badass Vegan.
As John Lewis, aka "The Badass Vegan," says, when most people meet him, vegan isn't the first word that comes to mind. He's six-foot-six, African American, with the build of a guy who played Division I college basketball. Not bad for someone who hasn't had any animal protein in fifteen years.
Lewis became a plant-based eater when he saw how the conventional American diet was utterly failing his community. As he describes, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic pain are killing Black people faster than any gun. The issue of food injustice is huge and complex, but as Lewis tells his strong community of followers, one solution is simple: Wake up now and do better in your own life. Want to give the middle finger to the processed food and pharmaceutical industries that are keeping you fat, sick, and tired? Go plant-based.
Badass Vegan offers an irreverent and eye-opening four-part master plan to help readers shift their mindset and enjoy the massive health benefits and pure pleasures of a plant-based lifestyle. Lewis demystifies going vegan and makes it realistic--even if you're intimidated by a whole avocado (Lewis once was, too)--with rock-solid advice on stocking a pantry, getting your nutrients, building strength, shedding excess weight, and ultimately creating sustainable change for a lifetime of health. Complete with 75 recipes for delicious food that'll keep you motivated, from Jack U Up Street Tacos to Cucumber Watermelon Smoothies and Kimchi Nori Maki Rolls, Badass Vegan is a timely and profoundly needed manifesto for living a life with a lower risk for disease and making a positive impact on the world.
As John Lewis, aka "The Badass Vegan," says, when most people meet him, vegan isn't the first word that comes to mind. He's six-foot-six, African American, with the build of a guy who played Division I college basketball. Not bad for someone who hasn't had any animal protein in fifteen years.
Lewis became a plant-based eater when he saw how the conventional American diet was utterly failing his community. As he describes, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic pain are killing Black people faster than any gun. The issue of food injustice is huge and complex, but as Lewis tells his strong community of followers, one solution is simple: Wake up now and do better in your own life. Want to give the middle finger to the processed food and pharmaceutical industries that are keeping you fat, sick, and tired? Go plant-based.
Badass Vegan offers an irreverent and eye-opening four-part master plan to help readers shift their mindset and enjoy the massive health benefits and pure pleasures of a plant-based lifestyle. Lewis demystifies going vegan and makes it realistic--even if you're intimidated by a whole avocado (Lewis once was, too)--with rock-solid advice on stocking a pantry, getting your nutrients, building strength, shedding excess weight, and ultimately creating sustainable change for a lifetime of health. Complete with 75 recipes for delicious food that'll keep you motivated, from Jack U Up Street Tacos to Cucumber Watermelon Smoothies and Kimchi Nori Maki Rolls, Badass Vegan is a timely and profoundly needed manifesto for living a life with a lower risk for disease and making a positive impact on the world.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published March 14, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 9, 2023
This book is full of conspiracy theories, which the author acknowledges. The author believes the government is trying to kill black people by limiting their access to healthy food. He says there are contracts that keep stores out of poor black neighborhoods. I know about these contracts. It’s the reason the closest Trader Joe’s to me is 20 minutes away. Fancy grocery stores don’t allow other fancy grocery stores nearby. But I have a fancy grocery store and a Walmart neighborhood market and a normal grocery store because no one is going to ban all grocery stores from an area. The bag limit thing on public transportation I totally believe though. I would suggest reading How the Other Half Eats if you want to know the real reasons low income people choose cheap high calorie foods.
He also says eating meat releases more cortisol into your body than death of a spouse. This REALLY got to me as a young widow. There’s no way. I have collapsed multiple times from the stress of my husband being diagnosed with terminal cancer and having to bury him. I have never collapsed bc eating meat hurt me so badly. So I googled it. Couldn’t find anything. I looked in the back of the book for citations- none. I finally see a citation website at the end of the section and guess what? The page doesn’t exist. Not surprising considering it’s not true. So what else in this book isn’t true? It’s a very fancy book, I think he could have put the citations in there if he wanted people to have them.
And finally the food- I didn’t make anything. Many of the recipes have ingredients I’ve never heard of and I’m a pretty experienced home cook. The few things I wanted to make were super simple and wouldn’t really require a recipe anyway. I was excited about this book but I think the average reader will be scared off by the first half and whoever sticks around after that will be intimidated by many of the recipes.
He also says eating meat releases more cortisol into your body than death of a spouse. This REALLY got to me as a young widow. There’s no way. I have collapsed multiple times from the stress of my husband being diagnosed with terminal cancer and having to bury him. I have never collapsed bc eating meat hurt me so badly. So I googled it. Couldn’t find anything. I looked in the back of the book for citations- none. I finally see a citation website at the end of the section and guess what? The page doesn’t exist. Not surprising considering it’s not true. So what else in this book isn’t true? It’s a very fancy book, I think he could have put the citations in there if he wanted people to have them.
And finally the food- I didn’t make anything. Many of the recipes have ingredients I’ve never heard of and I’m a pretty experienced home cook. The few things I wanted to make were super simple and wouldn’t really require a recipe anyway. I was excited about this book but I think the average reader will be scared off by the first half and whoever sticks around after that will be intimidated by many of the recipes.
August 29, 2023
The first half of this book is John Lewis' primer on why one should eat vegan and how to go about doing so. One interesting area covered that I haven't seen in a vegan cookbook before was the ratios and amounts of carbs, fats and protein one should be eating based on personal activity levels. Second half of the book are where the recipes reside, and they are pretty standard fare and serve as a good starting point for anyone looking to eat more vegan meals.
February 28, 2024
“Badass Vegan" consists of twenty-one chapters divided into four parts.
The book begins with an introduction by the author John Lewis (aka Badass Vegan) who is a vegan health coach and wellness expert. In the introduction, Lewis shares with the reader his upbringing and his goal for writing this book which is to help people transition to a plat-based lifestyle without having to buy expensive food or appliances. While Lewis aims on improving the health of all readers, as a black man, he is especially concerned about the diet of the black community since many die unnecessarily death due to a diet consisting of animal products and fast food. Lewis provides the reader with a doable thirty day plan which allows help the reader have fun trying new things and not getting hung up on doing things “perfectly.” In the introduction, Lewis also shares how he transformed from being a overweight butcher into one of the most fit recognizable vegans today.
In part one, Lewis providers the reader with ways to break free of the standard American Diet (aka SAD) as well as reasons to become vegan. Lewis also discusses how eating animal products contributes to health issues such as low sperm count, infertility, hair loss and diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, organ failure, and cancer. Surprisingly, people who eat meat have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood than non meat eater. Part one of the book also discusses how milk isn’t made for humans but baby cows and in addition, most people are naturally lactose intolerant. It was also heartbreaking to read about the effects of animal farming on those living in surrounding areas including having traces of fecal matter on homes and appliances due to spraying from pig farms which is done from using the water in the lagoons as well as severe breathing difficulties.
I was surprised to learn that access to food by the poor can be limited by things such as grocery store clauses to not build multiple stores in the same area and bag limits on public transportation.
In part two, Lewis helps the reader ease into a vegan lifestyle with a thirty day plan. During the thirty day vegan plan, no foods are off limits except if it is animal based. Although the majority of the book is directed at non-vegans working to become vegan, I did appreciate Lewis speaking to vegan readers in part two of the book. Despite being well versed in animal based ingredients, I found the list provided of animal based ingredients, what they are, and where you find it chart to be extremely helpful. While food prep can be a daunting task for most people, Lewis provides helpful tips such as double cooking rice and storm ingredients in individual bags.
In part two, Lewis also guides the readers through the produce section to help alleviate stress from trying new fruits and vegetables by providing a list of what they taste like, why they’re good for you, and in some cases, how to cook them.
In part three, Lewis provides the reader with direction on how to remain vegan after the first thirty days of plant based eating. In this part of the book, Lewis provides the reader with a plan to help them discover how many calories they should be eating for a day to create a healthy body as well as introducing the concepts of micronutrients and macronutrients. The Building Block Plan consists of three phases, which each lasts one month and are The Burner, The Boost, and The Builder. During each month, the number and types of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins blocks will change since the ratio of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins you eat produces different results.
Macronutrients or macros are the biggest part of your diet and consists of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Micronutrients aka micros are the vitamins and minerals your body needs to both function and fend off chronic ailments. Lewis also provides information a explanation of vitamins and supplements one might need to take when on a vegan including vitamin b12, vitamin d, omega fatty acids, vitamin k2, and zinc. Part three ends with Lewis explaining the benefits of using intermittent fasting to help reach one’s health goals.
In part four, recipes are provided to the reader for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, sauces, and other assorted dishes. I liked that Lewis explains the difference between table salt and sea salt when used in cooking.My favorite recipes in this section of the book are avocadoé toast, panzanelle salad, mango salsa, banana-date bread, and chocolate chips cookies.
While this book is entertaining and chock full of thought provoking information, some readers may be turned off Lewis’ use of profanity throughout the but I feel that the profanity balances well with the wealth of health information he provides.
The book begins with an introduction by the author John Lewis (aka Badass Vegan) who is a vegan health coach and wellness expert. In the introduction, Lewis shares with the reader his upbringing and his goal for writing this book which is to help people transition to a plat-based lifestyle without having to buy expensive food or appliances. While Lewis aims on improving the health of all readers, as a black man, he is especially concerned about the diet of the black community since many die unnecessarily death due to a diet consisting of animal products and fast food. Lewis provides the reader with a doable thirty day plan which allows help the reader have fun trying new things and not getting hung up on doing things “perfectly.” In the introduction, Lewis also shares how he transformed from being a overweight butcher into one of the most fit recognizable vegans today.
In part one, Lewis providers the reader with ways to break free of the standard American Diet (aka SAD) as well as reasons to become vegan. Lewis also discusses how eating animal products contributes to health issues such as low sperm count, infertility, hair loss and diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, organ failure, and cancer. Surprisingly, people who eat meat have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood than non meat eater. Part one of the book also discusses how milk isn’t made for humans but baby cows and in addition, most people are naturally lactose intolerant. It was also heartbreaking to read about the effects of animal farming on those living in surrounding areas including having traces of fecal matter on homes and appliances due to spraying from pig farms which is done from using the water in the lagoons as well as severe breathing difficulties.
I was surprised to learn that access to food by the poor can be limited by things such as grocery store clauses to not build multiple stores in the same area and bag limits on public transportation.
In part two, Lewis helps the reader ease into a vegan lifestyle with a thirty day plan. During the thirty day vegan plan, no foods are off limits except if it is animal based. Although the majority of the book is directed at non-vegans working to become vegan, I did appreciate Lewis speaking to vegan readers in part two of the book. Despite being well versed in animal based ingredients, I found the list provided of animal based ingredients, what they are, and where you find it chart to be extremely helpful. While food prep can be a daunting task for most people, Lewis provides helpful tips such as double cooking rice and storm ingredients in individual bags.
In part two, Lewis also guides the readers through the produce section to help alleviate stress from trying new fruits and vegetables by providing a list of what they taste like, why they’re good for you, and in some cases, how to cook them.
In part three, Lewis provides the reader with direction on how to remain vegan after the first thirty days of plant based eating. In this part of the book, Lewis provides the reader with a plan to help them discover how many calories they should be eating for a day to create a healthy body as well as introducing the concepts of micronutrients and macronutrients. The Building Block Plan consists of three phases, which each lasts one month and are The Burner, The Boost, and The Builder. During each month, the number and types of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins blocks will change since the ratio of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins you eat produces different results.
Macronutrients or macros are the biggest part of your diet and consists of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Micronutrients aka micros are the vitamins and minerals your body needs to both function and fend off chronic ailments. Lewis also provides information a explanation of vitamins and supplements one might need to take when on a vegan including vitamin b12, vitamin d, omega fatty acids, vitamin k2, and zinc. Part three ends with Lewis explaining the benefits of using intermittent fasting to help reach one’s health goals.
In part four, recipes are provided to the reader for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, sauces, and other assorted dishes. I liked that Lewis explains the difference between table salt and sea salt when used in cooking.My favorite recipes in this section of the book are avocadoé toast, panzanelle salad, mango salsa, banana-date bread, and chocolate chips cookies.
While this book is entertaining and chock full of thought provoking information, some readers may be turned off Lewis’ use of profanity throughout the but I feel that the profanity balances well with the wealth of health information he provides.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2024
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which really is the only way to listen. It's read by the author, so you can hear his voice come through.
I came across this book exactly thirty days after I stopped eating meat and dairy. It was the right book for me at the right time as I more fully committed to my journey. It's written for a person who is considering veganism and offers what I believe to be a pretty good method of easing in. This book is less about why someone should be vegan and more about how to be successful (and realistic) around making a transition.
It has a lot of real talk about the difference between veganism (which simply involves omitting animal products and can still involve a lot of not-great-for-you processed foods) vs. adopting a whole-foods-plant-based diet (which means omitting animal products and eating mostly unprocessed foods in their whole, unprocessed forms, as they were when they grew out of the ground).
It gives a three-month method for gradual commitment, which I think is pretty wise because a lot of changes all at once can be overwhelming. It gives a ton of tips and tricks that I thought were excellent based on being thirty days in myself. I saw a lot of wisdom in this thinking and have recommended this book to numerous people. This is one of the best nutrition books I've ever read.
I came across this book exactly thirty days after I stopped eating meat and dairy. It was the right book for me at the right time as I more fully committed to my journey. It's written for a person who is considering veganism and offers what I believe to be a pretty good method of easing in. This book is less about why someone should be vegan and more about how to be successful (and realistic) around making a transition.
It has a lot of real talk about the difference between veganism (which simply involves omitting animal products and can still involve a lot of not-great-for-you processed foods) vs. adopting a whole-foods-plant-based diet (which means omitting animal products and eating mostly unprocessed foods in their whole, unprocessed forms, as they were when they grew out of the ground).
It gives a three-month method for gradual commitment, which I think is pretty wise because a lot of changes all at once can be overwhelming. It gives a ton of tips and tricks that I thought were excellent based on being thirty days in myself. I saw a lot of wisdom in this thinking and have recommended this book to numerous people. This is one of the best nutrition books I've ever read.
August 2, 2023
4 ½ stars
Cookbooks always tell a story before the recipes are shared. That’s why I read cookbooks from cover to cover. The thing that makes this book unique is it also shares ways to incorporate an active lifestyle, how to do intermittent fasting and various years of researched information is shared. The reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because many of the research is not cited in the book but we are told to visit the website. I couldn’t find the cite to many research information on the website. So I wish the author made those cites available in the back of the book.
Another reason, I didn’t give five stars is because there is a chapter that is a little confusing to me on what the author calls The Building Block. I may email the author to ask for a better explanation because I really want to figure out how macro and micro nutrients impact my body.
I’ve made a few recipes so far. One recipe I’ve made twice because it’s so delish.
As as a side note, I’ve met this author a few times. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and the author is a little funny.
Cookbooks always tell a story before the recipes are shared. That’s why I read cookbooks from cover to cover. The thing that makes this book unique is it also shares ways to incorporate an active lifestyle, how to do intermittent fasting and various years of researched information is shared. The reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because many of the research is not cited in the book but we are told to visit the website. I couldn’t find the cite to many research information on the website. So I wish the author made those cites available in the back of the book.
Another reason, I didn’t give five stars is because there is a chapter that is a little confusing to me on what the author calls The Building Block. I may email the author to ask for a better explanation because I really want to figure out how macro and micro nutrients impact my body.
I’ve made a few recipes so far. One recipe I’ve made twice because it’s so delish.
As as a side note, I’ve met this author a few times. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and the author is a little funny.
July 15, 2024
I read this book after I heard an interview with Lewis on a podcast. I enjoyed how he broke things down and talked about the injustices in our food system. The book was more of the same, lots of information about food insecurity and how these effects the black and brown communities with increased risk of disease as well as poor nutrition. I love his passion for the vegan lifestyle and how he calls out the ineffective and insidious ways in which bad food makes it into our bodies. Great ideas for recipes as well and he puts forth a simple plan to go plant-based. He's got some attitude, which made the book funny to read. Health, as he points out, intersects with race, government and economics and until you wake up, you'll keep getting sicker eating the animal foods that are pushed on us.
Favorite Line ~ "Take a step back and look at almost any hospital in the world. Wanna know what they're not filled with? Vegans. No one is ODing on plant."
Favorite Line ~ "Take a step back and look at almost any hospital in the world. Wanna know what they're not filled with? Vegans. No one is ODing on plant."
March 18, 2023
I enjoyed the book and appreciated his approach to veganism infused with facts and humor. John narrates the book and kept me engaged the entire time. He make compelling arguments for going vegan by the human welfare, animal welfare, environmental and health perspectives. I have heard all of these rationales in the past, but appreciated his humor and how he phrased certain perspectives that might resonate with more people. I live near and work in a hospital in St. Louis where John is from and see the impact of food deserts and an unhealthy diet on the health of our population. I loved the PDF that accompanied the audible book which was 120 pages of information and recipes. Highly recommend this book.
May 2, 2025
I was really jazzed to read this book and find some good recipes to start eating plant-based. Unfortunately, I encountered dangerous medical misinformation in the opening chapters, namely that a doctor told the author that his mother had caused her colon cancer by eating "too many animal products". He goes on to say that most chronic illnesses are the fault of affected person for not being vegan, including diabetes, and that cancer is a "lifestyle disease". The author frequently extrapolates reasonable health and wellness concepts into misinformation and even conspiracy theories. Wasn't impressed by the recipes, there were far less than expected and some were very basic. One is literally just a recipe for pesto on plain pasta.
August 17, 2023
Horrible book. I got this book to learn more about switching to being vegan (if possible for me). The author makes grand claims about the benefits of being vegan and the health benefits but does not cite his sources in the book. He then directs you to his website for citations but the page has a 404 not found error. Contact on his website form also failed to yield citations.
Additionally, he makes the claim protein is not needed for building muscle size. This is simply untrue and agreed upon by pretty much every scientist in the field. Again no citations to any studies proving otherwise.
Recipes are also overly complicated and have many ingredients making it tough to implement.
Additionally, he makes the claim protein is not needed for building muscle size. This is simply untrue and agreed upon by pretty much every scientist in the field. Again no citations to any studies proving otherwise.
Recipes are also overly complicated and have many ingredients making it tough to implement.
April 15, 2023
Many books about being vegan limit the reasons for going vegan to the three most common ones: your health, the health of the planet, and of course for the animals. While these are all excellent reasons to be vegan, the fact that our government and big corporations don't want us to be healthy is often ignored. I appreciated that Lewis gets into this topic and reaches an audience who might otherwise be put off by books about being vegan. I found this book at my library, so I hope those who he's trying to reach will check it out at their libraries, too.
June 24, 2024
If I were to start my vegan journey again I would want to read this book. Lewis wrote this book in an easily understandable way without much fluff - which I liked. The ideas in this book are not new and are based (mostly) on solid research. However, as others have mentioned, the sources should get a rework.
March 2, 2024
Opened my eyes to cultural aspects I hadn’t been aware of and inspired me. Citation links don’t work so don’t know about validity in some areas and found a couple erroneous statements. But good inspiration delivered in very readable, enjoyable style.
July 6, 2023
You’ll live longer if you’re vegan!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews