Mark Bittman, Author of “Vegan Before 6:” Vegan Friend or Foe? heartburn disappeared when he went milkfree. But Bittman is neither vegan nor vegetarian, which frustrates many animal-free foodies who’d love to count the outspoken straight-shooter as one of our own.
The Compromise With his new book, “VB6” (Clarkson Potter), Bittman pumps up that jam by suggesting that readers eat completely plantbased — until 6 p.m., when they can eat literally anything. The book’s full subtitle, “Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good,” marks its straightforward focus on health. But there’s enough consideration of wider concerns to keep ethical vegans cheering — and grumbling. When his doctor said to him, after some troubling blood work, “You should probably become a vegan,” Bittman searched for a regimen that could improve his numbers and his weight while still allowing him to indulge in the foods he enjoyed most. His only-after-6 approach isn’t quite that simple, of course. The book could be called “VUB6,” because he also emphasizes unprocessed foods. It’s not as though he’s suggesting you eat Tofurky sausage for breakfast and Tofutti pizza for lunch, then fall “back” into an eat-everything dinner.
Hate Him or Love Him, he may be on to Something… “VB6” indicts the high-fat, high-processed, high-meat standard American diet as a junk habit we need to break. In an email interview VegWorld Magazine
In “VB6,” Bittman advocates for a whole-food vegan diet - that is, until 6 p.m., when you can eat anything you want.
with me, Bittman said: “The science tells us we should be eating more vegetables and other unprocessed plant foods, and less of everything else. That is pretty much established. If you eat less junk and fewer animal products, and in place of those you eat plants, you’re better off.” Bittman said he is presenting one strategy for doing that. “You can do it religiously, you can do it casually, or you can figure out another strategy: vegan except weekends, vegan after 9 a.m., vegan except Tuesday and Thursday - whatever. The idea is to shift the percentage of calories you get from unprocessed plants to as high a percentage as you can. Bearing in mind, again, that vegans eat junk food, too.”
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Mark Bittman, Author of “Vegan Before 6:” Vegan Friend or Foe?
“To the extent I’m really strict about it, my weight stays down. When I cheat, it creeps up — which to me is a pretty good indication that it’s sensible.”
Bittman says he’s in it for the health reasons, although he adds: “Ethics enters into it, of course.”
This positive-feedback loop helps make a plan like VB6 easier to adopt. Plus, many people find eating mostly whole, plant-based foods and less salt, sugar and dairy turns up your taste buds. Fair enough. But couldn’t similar results be achieved with an all-vegan plan that’s unprocessed before 6, then pig out on vegan junk food after? Sure, Bittman said.
When you eat only unprocessed veggie foods - even for most of your day - you begin to feel and see the difference when you return to processed animal foods.
A little bit pregnant? So, if VB6 is good as far as it goes, why not go all the way? I was going to ask him, but Bittman had already answered that question in a blog post, “Why I’m Not a Vegan.” Some fans, he noted, had been grumbling, “Isn’t being a part-time vegan like being a little bit pregnant?” “Obviously not,” he responded. “VB6 is about changing your diet,” he told me. “It’s permanent and it’s huge. Ethics enters into it, of course . . . we should not be torturing animals or treating them like widgets.” And then there’s the planet: “Animal production as it stands now is probably the biggest agricultural threat to the environment,” he noted. VB6’s health-motivation strategy could help people address these other issues by changing to more positive habits. “I’m more focused on real food than on pure veganism,” Bittman said.
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FAMILY
AND LIFESTYLE
Kids Hate Kale! (Or Do They?): Getting Kids To Love Their Greens
RECIPES
FOR FOODIES
Low-Glycemic Strawberry Mesquite Macadamia Shortcake with Coconut Cream Da Kine No Bake Chocolate Bonbons Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas Simple Walnut Crust
Low-Glycemic Strawberry Mesquite Macadamia Shortcake with Coconut Cream Topping | Cherie Soria
Low-Glycemic Strawberry Mesquite Macadamia Shortcake with Coconut Cream TOPPING Biscuit Ingredients:
Coconut Cream Topping Ingredients:
• ¾ cup macadamia nuts (or substitute other favorite nuts)
• 1 cup young coconut meat
• ¾ cup mesquite powder
• 1 tablespoon Lakanto (or Thai coconut sugar paste)
• 2 tablespoons Thai coconut sugar paste
• 1 – 2 tablespoons water, as needed
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter (or other nut butter)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • Pinch of salt
VegWorld Magazine
• 4 cups strawberries, sliced or chopped • 2 tablespoons Lakanto
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