Diet for a Small Planet

When it first came out in 1971, Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet was revolutionary, even a touch heretical. Americans had been 'going big or going home' in food production, institutionalizing the factory farm system, since the end of World War II. We were maximizing efficiency and exporting prosperity. Having plenty of meat was more American than apple pie.

How dare this woman come along and challenge our hard-earned standard of living? Accuse us of 'gross waste' and environmental destruction?  Not only suggest that we could enjoy a healthier, more sustainable way of eating, but explain why, and how, and provide recipes?

Apparently readers and eaters were hungry for the message, because the book became a best seller, now in its 20th edition. The newest version is available from Lappe's non-profit Small Planet Institute.

A dog-eared copy of the 1975 edition, and the companion book Recipes for a Small Planet, are available from me, for free, as part of my Healthy Food Books Giveaway. If you want them, speak up soon!

Healthy Food Books Giveaway

In preparation for the new year, we finally went through the cookbook shelves and picked a few that we just don't use anymore. All of them have worthwhile information; but these days we rely on the internet for recipes more than print books. And in our small home, every bit of space counts.

Rather just send the whole pile to the local Goodwill and hope they find good homes, I thought I'd offer them up to friends and other readers. First priority will go to anyone who responds quickly and can take an in-person handoff. After that, I'll use media mail to distribute; and what's left will be donated.

Over the coming weeks, I'll review/promote a few of my favorites. For today, here's the general list:

• Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappe (1975 ed)
• Recipes for a Small Planet, by Ellen Buchman Ewald (1973)
• Laurel's Kitchen, a Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition (1982)
• Crockpot Cooking (1975)
• Yeast Connection Handbook, by Wm Crook MD (1996) [about candida]
• Joyce Chen Cookbook (1976)
• Learn Chinese Cooking in Your Own Kitchen (1976)
• Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (1998)
• Free to Eat, by Bronwyn Schweigerdt (2010)
• Great American Writers' Cookbook (1986)