I’m sure many of you know that I’m a big fan of Brendan Brazier, and I had the pleasure of meeting him a few months ago during a lecture. He recently wrote another book called “Thrive Foods”. I was asked to be a part of the campaign to launch his newly released book, and I couldn’t wait to jump into the book!

This one discusses different points compared to his other book I’ve read, “Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performnace in Sports and Life”. This book seems to focus more on how our diet has an affect on the environment. How the conditions of the foods grow in greatly changes their nutritional density, and other interesting points. For instance, when plants grow in depleted soil, the minerals aren’t as abundant. It made me think of a pregnant woman and how what she eats greatly affects the health of her child. That was my best understanding of the phrase “Mother Nature.” What I really enjoyed about this book was that there were lots of footnotes, and I could look in the back to see the sources listed. I’m the kind of person who is curious to know where the basis of certain ideas come from. Especially when mentioning statics and studies. Maybe I should make my mom disclose footnotes when she tells me her crazy elaborate stories!

On top of all the abundant information Brendan shares in this book, he’s compiled over 200 recipes in the book as well! He also features some well-known contributors to share their recipes, such as Chef Tal Ronnen and award-winning restaurants. There are a few beautiful pictures included as well (granted there could be more, but I just love pictures), to give you an idea of how vibrant these dishes can be. I perused through them and bookmarked so many! I’ve made three so far, and all were delicious indeed.

The recipe calls for avocado, which I added each time I served it. No one likes brown opened avocados that have been sitting out for awhile. This salad was great though! Summertime in every crunchy, fresh bite. This was like a yummy farewell to the warm weather for me, and all those ingredients that taste so wonderful when they’re at their peak.

This was thick and not overly sweet. There is an option to add a medjool date for sweetness, but I liked it just fine without it. This is great for mornings when I’m not feeling too hungry, or I need to run out the door and get my day started. The ginger added a little zing to it as well. It just tasted so refreshing. Next on my list is the smoothie that calls for lemon grass and coconut water.

“Wild Rice with Kabocha and Sage Butter”, but I opted to use quinoa instead of rice. It Since the other ingredients are already coming into season I went over to the farmer’s market and picked them out.

Usually it’s a stringy, slimy mess.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It got me thinking about various things, but not overthinking at the same time. I’m naturally the kind of person who believes in living in true harmony with the the things that stand the test of time or material things like money. This book speaks to a lot of those notions, and I greatly appreciate that. If you want to pick up a book that’s informative about food and the environment, and has great recipes then I recommend this book. It got me thinking about how I fit into the equation, and how I, as a person, can contribute. I thought about the wonderful garden my parents have been cultivating, all the farmers who we can help, how the earth is so nurturing and the sun so energizing. It left me in awe of all the things that are much larger than I am… respect and mindfulness towards it all.

Do you consider the way the natural ecosystem works when you go about your life?

Other fun things involving Thrive!

• Thrive with Vega during Emmy Week Facebook contest for a chance to win a trip for two to Los Angeles to meet Brendan at the Alive! Green Expo Lounge surrounding the 63^rd Annual Emmy’s.
• Visit Brendan’s Facebook fan page and receive a free PDF download of the intro and of three recipes
• Learn more about the Vega line here.