veganissimo: review and giveway contest

I often think of going vegan as unpeeling layers of an [organic, non-GMO] onion,  First, you decide to pimp your vegetarianism by eschewing eggs and dairy. Then you realize – ugh! – that most sugar is clarified using animal bone char, so you cut that from your diet. Then, holy moly – one day, someone tells you about carmine, the red dye made from crushed red bugs [I'm pretty sure even omnivores might easily give up that one]. And then you realize the collagen in your shampoo might have come from poor Bessie [RIP], so you find a kind and gentler alternative. Et cetera, et cetera.

"Veganissimo." It's a fun, new Italian-esque word that means someone who is as "vegan as possible," and the book of the same name can help you get there. Veganissimo A to Z: A Comprehensive Guide to Identifying and Avoiding Ingredients of Animal Origin in Everyday Products details every possible and impossible animal product. Written by Reuben Proctor and Lars Thomsen, it was originally researched and written for German-speaking countries. But now English speakers [and animals they care about] can reap the bennies.

Veganissimo is an important, incredibly well researched resource. Clean layout. Easy to read - using my readers [I guess their target audience is not middle-aged women]. Helpful icons allow you to quickly scan and access the info you need. Plus, the size is small enough to tuck in your backpack to bring along on shopping excursions.

What struck me as I scanned through this book is how impossible it is to be a pure vegan right now, unless you can somehow exist totally off the grid [Hopefully one day in the this will not be the case]. Sadly, they really do use everything but the "moo." At best, this book will raise awareness and help us on our journeys to Veganissimo-hood. And as an added extra bonus, if the vegan police come knocking on your door and criticize you for [insert ridiculous "offense" here], I'm sure you can scan their food/outfits/apartment and find the some snappy comeback referencing this handy little number.

I personally have no interest in debating veganism. I think that any step you make toward a more vegan lifestyle is a good one, and this book will definitely help you take it. Whether you are a 20-year vegan veteran, learning to keep your eyes peeled for animal sources of potassium tallowate in your make up, or you are a newbie herbivore who is just only learning the hows and whys of casein and whey, this book is an indispensable resource.

Contest!

The nice folks at The Experiment, publishers of Veganissimo, have offered to give away a copy to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment mentioning the most annoying hidden animal product [Personally, I have an issue with Trideth-3 Carboxamide MEA.....kidding. For me, it's honey.].

Earn brownie points by liking any or all of the following pages:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Veganissimo.A.to.Z
• Twitter: @experimentbooks
• Facebook: https://twitter.com/theurbanvegan
• Twitter: @theurbanvegan

I'll choose a winner midweek next week. Good luck. And read those labels.