Alicia Silverstone’s “The Kind Diet” is the actress’s own version of the plant-based diet that is rich in whole grains. As an environmental and animal activist, she is hoping to use this plan – and her book which contains its details – to spread awareness about plant-based diets and how they can remain appealing to the taste buds.
The Kind Diet Started with a Book
In her book “The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet” is available in both hardcover and paperback and includes an introduction to the lifestyle weight loss program as well as 75 recipes that are both meat-free and dairy-free.
Within the book, Alicia Silverstone claims that the Kind Diet, and its whole grain rich, plant-based foods, are the key to losing weight, looking younger, and feeling healthier overall. Whether or not this is true is one thing, but as the celebrity representative for this diet, this actress’s youthful appearance and slim and fit body certainly make it look as though the claims might be true.
Silverstone’s Healthy Lifestyle
Silverstone has been following this type of lifestyle for the last eleven years as an alternative to actually “dieting” to lose weight. Though the primary reason that she chose a vegan lifestyle was for the animals, any excess weight that she had automatically came off as a result of her new food choices. She says that with the Kind Diet, she never counts calories and is always eating food that is flavorful and uplifting.
Equally, Alicia Silverstone acknowledges that giving up dairy and meat entirely is not meant for everyone. She does, however, say that the Kind Diet in her book can still teach someone to make a difference to their weight, their lives, and the environment simply by making a few changes, as opposed to an entire lifestyle. She suggests adding more whole grains (such as wild rice, couscous, and quinoa) every day, and then cut down the amount of meat that is eaten in a week. For example, if a person typically eats meat three times per week, then it can be trimmed back to once per week. Even these choices, according to the celebrity, can make a notable difference.
Three Stages of the Kind Diet
The book offers three levels so that dieters can follow the Kind Diet at their own pace. They are:
- Flirts (where some meats are gradually replaced with foods that are plant-based)
- Vegans (where all animal products are eliminated, but substitutes are permitted)
- Superheroes (where only produce and whole grains are consumed)
Though the cost of this book does differ from one bookstore to the next, it seems to retail for about $15 or more.
Closing Thoughts
Though this diet is a very healthy one and its recipes have received very positive reviews in terms of nutrition and flavor, and there are a large number of them to ensure variety and ease of adoption of this lifestyle, many dieters do struggle with the concept of going completely vegan as this may be too much of a dramatic lifestyle change.
The body-positive mindset of the Kind Diet book and the recommendations are focused on wellness both in an individual person and in the way it views food production. That said, the book hasn’t necessarily aged well in that there is much to say about the way plants are grown and transported that is not taken into account.
This doesn’t suggest that someone following this book is being led astray from personal and ecological health. However, this book should be considered a jumping off point as opposed to a solid guide. Much more valuable information is out there to help healthy and responsible food choices, and that information continues to develop with each passing year.
