Vegetarians, like most people, eat lots of things: grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and eggs—but not meat, poultry, or fish. Some vegetarians, however, called "pure vegetarians" or "vegans," go further and refrain from eating dairy, eggs, and honey.

And most vegetarians, "pure" or not, refrain from the flesh of living creatures because of health reasons. Overwhelming evidence links the consumption of animal products with heart disease, cancers, diabetes, obesity, and a number of other serious conditions.

This book follows the pure vegetarian life-style I have led for many years. Why do I pursue a diet that eliminates animal products and includes a wide variety of plant-based foods? Because, it’s the diet most conducive to vibrant health and increased longevity. It’s also the diet kindest to animals and least demanding of our planet’s limited resources.

The recipes in this book are original and have come about through my life experience as a vegetarian of over 20 years, and from the kitchens of the many cooking classes I have taught. The dishes are low-fat and cholesterol-free and use only whole grains and other unrefined foods. But, of course, they’re quick to fix and taste good, too!

A pure vegetarian diet is naturally low in fat and sodium, high in complex carbohydrates, free of cholesterol, full of fiber and nutrients, endowed with protein, and brimming with vitamins and minerals. There’s no need for the pure vegetarian to feel any hesitation about enjoying each bite with a zest and gusto unknown to those who consume dishes heavily laden with unwholesome animal products and overly refined foods.

For those who love to eat and consider each meal a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, a pure vegetarian diet is just the meal ticket. Such a diet is rich in wholesome, life-giving nutrients, bursting with taste and color, devoid of environmental destruction and economic waste, and untainted by animal misery and slaughter.

A pure vegetarian diet is also fiber-rich and low-fat. It means that you can eat to your heart’s content without getting fat. You get full from all the fiber before overloading on calories. Thus, you can eat more often and eat greater amounts of food while maintaining a lean, trim figure.

For anyone struggling with a weight problem, a pure vegetarian diet couldn’t be more perfect. Avoiding all animal products makes it possible for excess weight to melt away and to experience a feeling of wellness and calm, high-energy, lightness, and increased clarity.

As more and more people are discovering, there are not many things one can do that will have a more positive and profound effect on one’s life than adopting a pure vegetarian diet. May this cookbook serve as an inspiration and road map to all who strive for unparalleled well-being.

David Gabbe