Excerpts

Just as a large tree begins with a tiny seed, we begin with a small step. The transition centers on the kitchen, but ripples out into lifestyle. Imagine a neighborhood plagued by a gang of vandals who have no respect for residents or property. What a relief when the gang no longer comes around. When no longer threatened, the neighbors clean up their streets and houses, pick up litter and haul away the trash. Once the debris has been cleared, they begin to beautify the neighborhood by whitewashing fences, painting over graffiti, planting flowers and restoring buildings. This analogy reflects the process that often takes place when the body is no longer being overwhelmed with toxins, and starts to detox from transitioning to a plant-based diet.

Backed-up toxins in the body, which may have caused irritability, pain or dysfunction, are eliminated as pure foods flush out the system, increasing energy and immunity. How does this affect lifestyle? Simply put, feeling good translates to lighter and brighter everything. This is my snapshot overview.

TRANSITION REVISITED I have been a vegetarian since 1966 and a vegan since 1981. Having successfully completed these first two transitions years ago, the process of writing this book was to be based on history. The transition once again became fully alive for me, however, when I decided to experience the change from vegan to RAW vegan. This recent transition in my own life helped me review the initial vegan transition. The transition dance steps are similar no matter what tune the orchestra is playing; a meat-to-plant transition is basically the same as a vegan-to-raw-vegan transition. The first steps are based on research and trying it out from time to time. Then, at some point, the moment of truth arrives and you know you are ready for the transition.

STAGES — A BRIEF OVERVIEW The transition is divided into two stages just as a loose way of spelling it out. This is only a rough guideline and the reader is free to choose recipes from any stage at any time. There are no time requirements either; stay or move on at your own pace. This is your transition program, so make friends with it. Your body will naturally adjust according to various factors such as climate, how you feel and your personal taste preferences. Be patient; all will be refined with time. STAGE ONE: LOVE AT FIRST BITE In Stage One, the big leap is leaving all meats behind and looking ahead to meals without dairy or eggs. Just about anything else goes as we adjust to this change. Once this is mastered, we can refine the process and make further changes. As the palate and body adjust, it becomes easier to fold in more health-building choices and eliminate non-supportive elements.

STAGE TWO: GET THEE BEHIND ME, SEITAN! Whole foods become predominant in this stage and processed foods fall away. Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are more abundant. Add some more raw food recipes to your menus.

BEYOND THE BEGINNING Increasing the percentage of raw food is a healthy choice. Raw foods have an abundance of enzymes and health-supportive nutrients that are often destroyed or eliminated when the food is cooked and/or processed.

BACK TO THE GARDEN The emotional poisons of my childhood colored my consciousness and led me to rebellion, but the path back to Nature, to the promise of health was always there. Because I was raised on natural methods from birth, this “Garden of Eden” was my heritage, a path to walk in life. After the hypoglycemic collapse I began to recall it and travel that path. I knew that healing and transformation was in that garden and if I visited it and followed the laws of Nature, I would reap the benefits.

EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER Over the years, both in my own personal experience and through coaching others in their transition, I have found the best ways to help people start a new way of living and eating. I feel optimistic that people can renovate their diet/lifestyle with positive and lasting results.

INVESTMENT = HEALTHY PROFIT Yes, there is some study, research and learning that go into changing one’s dietary lifestyle. If it is going to give you a better quality of life, however, and act as preventative maintenance, it has its payoff. Anyone considering making an investment for the first time — in the stock market for example — will also want to invest time learning the different aspects of it so as to increase the chances of a profit. With this transition our efforts eventually pay off by showing a healthy profit.

UNBIASED RESEARCH I am going to be writing about the subjects of meat and dairy with a quantity of quotes from medical and scientific research sources. It’s one thing for me to tell you that meat and dairy are health destroying foods and quite another to back that up with some of the latest, most impressive and unbiased research that validates and supports the foundation of a vegan diet.

When I think of dairy today, my mind drifts toward Halloween. I don’t think of tricks or treats, I think of tricks and threats. The trick is that our conditioning has led us to believe that dairy is a healthy food, that it is valued as a good source of calcium. Although the treat of ice cream, whipped cream, butter, cheese and milk is so appealing, there is a threat within those treats that robs us of their pleasures. These comfort foods soon lead to discomfort!

“It isn’t about how long you live, it is about how you feel as long as you live!” —Swami Vegananda

Reviews for VEGAN BITE BY BITE

Wealth of information
By K. S. Lawrence
This is a fabulous book. I am a holistic MD and I am always looking for ways to educate and inspire my patients. There are lots of choices out there when it comes to reading about the vegan diet. But there is none that is so comprehensive or so much fun to read. This book includes scientific information from researchers and doctors. Great recipes. Personal stories from lots of interesting vegans and several doctors. The author's personal story, which will delight and inspire you. More practical information than I have seen in other books. From how to approach making changes in your diet, how to navigate shopping for ingredients and recipes to please your whole family. It is like having your own personal coach to walk you through the steps and encourage you along the way. The references are more extensive than I have seen anywhere. And the author is so witty, you will have fun reading. And this lady walks her talk. This is a one-stop shopping for all you need to know about eating healthfully, and saving the planet and the animals, to boot.

Vegan Bite By Bite
By P. M. Fisher
I highly recommend "Vegan Bite By Bite" to anyone struggling with the transition to a vegan or vegetarian diet. It is also an excellent resource for those who have already made the switch and are looking for delicious new cooking ideas or a quick answer to the age old question, "What's for dinner tonight?" As a practicing vegan, Ms. Peterson's book has been a blessing! It is my go-to reference for new recipes and ideas, shopping sources, and cooking techniques. "Vegan Bite By Bite" is easy to read and joyfully answers the who, what, where, why, and how to be vegan. The author's passion for food, health, and life come across in her writing. I anxiously await her next book packed with more delicious recipes!

Quick and delicious recipes and beautiful pictures!!!
By Learner
I am not a very creative person in the kitchen and I want to spend as little time as possible preparing food.. I have been a vegetarian for over 7 years, and tried to eat raw simple food as much as possible. But to try to make food interesting, tasty, and nutritious for me and my family I have taken a class, tried a lot of recipes from books and online.
Luckily I found this book online a few weeks ago, and have been making recipes from it few times a week. Truly, this book taught me a lot of easy recipes, and it made me feel comfortable in being creative and adventurous in coming up with new recipes as well. The book is easy to read and the color images are a great help! One of my favorite recipes from this book is the mock-(tempeh) tuna.. great to eat with Manna bread! My husband who is not a vegetarian loves this one, and my friends/coworkers who are not vegetarians have said it was delicious. Overall, very happy to have found this book! A must have for vegans or raw foodists!!!

THE BEST "HOW TO BE VEGAN" BOOK OUT THERE
By Christina
Buy this book - if you are thinking of switching to a vegan diet! I have been a vegetarian since 1970 and have always struggled (off and on) with eliminating dairy products. Since reading Marilyn Peterson's VEGAN BITE BY BITE, my husband and I have successfully transitioned to an all plant based diet. The recipes are so simple to prepare. Our favorite is: "Wendel's Other Love Chocolate Pudding". The book makes such practical sense. Plus her personal story was fascinating. It gave us that 'extra push' to convert to pure vegans SO easily. We are feeling much better as well! Kudos to Marilyn Peterson for her efforts.