Thrive Energy Cookbook: 150 Plant-Based Whole Food Recipes

Here we have a highly specialized vegan cookbook specifically aimed for athletes. Thrive Energy Cookbook by athlete Brendan Brazier is different from standard cookbooks. Brazier stresses nutrition and energy on a plant-based diet, particularly for the requirements of serious athletes. In the head notes of recipes you will find terms like anti-inflammation, alkalizing properties, clean-burning carbohydrates, electrolyte-rich, sustained energy, immune boosting and phytochemical-rich. If these are of interest in your cooking, you will profit having this cookbook. Brazier has a long introduction to explain all these with plenty of dietary and scientific facts but nowhere do we find on what he based these explanations. Traditional vs. vegan diets are mostly black or white. Next is a list of what you need in a Thrive Energy pantry. The recipes are good but not simple. In many you need several prior preparations (given elsewhere in the book). In each recipe preparation times (much underestimated as cutting up, dicing, etc are not included). Some ingredients will be tough to find (e.g. cocoa nibs, kelp noodles). He uses five different symbols with each recipe (like gluten-free, protein-rich). Layout and illustrations are excellent but the many author’s photos are embarrassing. Index is not well cross-referenced.