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!

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.

This gorgeous cookbook is filled what are sure to be new family favorites, for plant based and omnivores alike. Sectioned into Soups, Salads, Sides, and Sweets, there’s a great balance of the simple vs the decadent, and includes incredibly helpful templates for creating your own new masterpieces. But don’t be fooled, with Healthspan Solution you get so much more than beautiful crafted recipes. The first half of the book is devoted to the story and the science behind Julieanna and Ray’s dietary approach, teaching not only the HOWs of an increased healthspan, but the WHYs. Be prepared to pull out a highlighter, take notes in the margin, and dogear not only the recipes but the informational content as well. This is a book I will come back to regularly on so many levels - it’s the beginning of lifestyle revolution. It’s clear that Julieanna and Ray have poured their hearts and minds into this book, and I am grateful to be able to reap the benefits of their labors.

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.

The kindle version was unreadable, and a horrible user experience. I returned it, and purchased the hardcover book. A star off for that! Buy the hardcover book! The eggplant rollatini recipe made it all worth it. There are some great recipes in this book. I like that the food is not categorized by breakfast/lunch/dinner, which has changed the way I think about food. I learned something new that other plant based books haven't touched upon.

Have this on Kindle but want it in hardback.worth it for the sauces and spice mix which you can use on your own creations.

Brilliant book full of helpful information for those who are transitioning to a whole food plant based diet. The recipes are inspiring, nutritious and delicious.

I’m really excited about this cookbook! I preordered The Healthspan Solution because I knew I’d enjoy it, but it’s honestly even better than I anticipated! It’s so much more than the very delicious and nutritious recipes it contains because it does an incredible job of distilling a vast amount of information about nutrition, metabolism, gut health and more and making it accessible and appealing. It’s so beautiful it’s like a coffee table book for food nerds! :) The first 4 chapters are packed with nutrition science and history presented in an easy to read article-style format to feed your mind along with the diverse, nutrient dense recipes that follow - most of which have drool-worthy photos to get your salivary glands ready to start digesting all those phytonutrients!! And while I’ve only had my copy for a week, I have been following the daily habits and dietary pattern recommended by Julieanna and Ray in The Healthspan Solution for a couple of years now, and at 41 have never enjoyed better health. Also my loved ones who have made subtler changes than I have still experienced positive results by shifting their diets towards whole plant foods, so no matter where you’re at with your health, if you’re interested in improving it, empower yourself with The Healthspan Solution. The authors cite their sources so you can even read the research for yourself and make up your own mind! How cool is that!? I love it! 10/10

Ad a person who as just turned vegan this is brilliant

it is an all-around good book.