Facebook Pixel
Searching...
English
EnglishEnglish
EspañolSpanish
简体中文Chinese
FrançaisFrench
DeutschGerman
日本語Japanese
PortuguêsPortuguese
ItalianoItalian
한국어Korean
РусскийRussian
NederlandsDutch
العربيةArabic
PolskiPolish
हिन्दीHindi
Tiếng ViệtVietnamese
SvenskaSwedish
ΕλληνικάGreek
TürkçeTurkish
ไทยThai
ČeštinaCzech
RomânăRomanian
MagyarHungarian
УкраїнськаUkrainian
Bahasa IndonesiaIndonesian
DanskDanish
SuomiFinnish
БългарскиBulgarian
עבריתHebrew
NorskNorwegian
HrvatskiCroatian
CatalàCatalan
SlovenčinaSlovak
LietuviųLithuanian
SlovenščinaSlovenian
СрпскиSerbian
EestiEstonian
LatviešuLatvian
فارسیPersian
മലയാളംMalayalam
தமிழ்Tamil
اردوUrdu
The Food Revolution

The Food Revolution

How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World
by John Robbins 2010 453 pages
4.28
3k+ ratings
Listen

Key Takeaways

1. Our food choices have profound impacts on our health, animals, and the planet

"I believe there is within every human being a desire to make choices that help create a healthier future for ourselves, for our children, and for our beleaguered planet and all the life it holds."

Our food choices matter. Every time we eat, we are making a decision that affects not only our own health, but also the lives of animals and the health of our planet. The standard American diet, high in animal products and processed foods, has devastating consequences. By shifting towards a plant-based diet, we can dramatically improve our own wellbeing while also reducing animal suffering and environmental destruction.

  • Health impacts: Increased risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity
  • Animal welfare: Factory farming causes immense suffering to billions of animals
  • Environmental effects: Major contributor to deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions

2. The standard American diet contributes to heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses

"To me, there is no point in giving up something that I enjoy unless I get something back that's even better-and not thirty years from now, but after only a few weeks."

The Western diet is killing us. Despite advances in medical technology, rates of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes continue to rise. This is largely due to the standard American diet, which is high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and processed foods. By shifting to a whole foods, plant-based diet, we can dramatically reduce our risk of these diseases and improve our overall health and quality of life.

  • Heart disease: #1 killer in the US, largely preventable through diet
  • Cancer: Up to 70% of cancers may be preventable through lifestyle changes
  • Diabetes: Rates have doubled in the past 20 years, strongly linked to diet and obesity

3. Factory farming causes immense animal suffering and environmental damage

"In the end, of course, however they've been raised and whatever they've been called, the animals are killed."

Factory farms are cruel and unsustainable. The vast majority of meat, dairy, and eggs come from industrial factory farms where animals are treated as mere commodities. These operations confine animals in cramped, filthy conditions where they are unable to engage in natural behaviors. Beyond the immense animal suffering, factory farms also cause severe environmental damage through pollution and resource depletion.

  • Animal cruelty: Extreme confinement, mutilations, separation of mothers and babies
  • Environmental impacts: Water and air pollution, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions
  • Public health risks: Antibiotic resistance, foodborne illness, zoonotic diseases

4. A plant-based diet can dramatically improve health outcomes

"When you change your diet, practice stress management techniques such as yoga and meditation, exercise, and quit smoking, the blood flow to your brain may improve. You may think more clearly, feel better, have more energy."

Plants are powerful medicine. Numerous studies have shown that adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet can prevent, treat, and even reverse many chronic diseases. This way of eating is high in fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients while being low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The benefits often begin within weeks of changing one's diet.

  • Heart disease: Plant-based diets can reverse arterial plaque buildup
  • Cancer: Lower rates of most types of cancer among those eating plant-based
  • Diabetes: Improved insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control
  • Weight loss: Easier to maintain healthy weight on plant-based diet

5. Animal agriculture is a major contributor to environmental degradation

"Raising cattle in huge feedlots, consolidating dairy farms into confinement units with 1,000-10,000 cows, consolidating swine and poultry production into huge confinement units as the trend is now ... [is] a frontal assault on the environment, with massive groundwater and air pollution problems."

Our diet is destroying the planet. Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of environmental destruction, including deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. It is a highly inefficient use of resources, requiring far more land, water, and energy than plant-based food production. By shifting towards a plant-based diet, we can dramatically reduce our environmental footprint.

  • Climate change: Animal agriculture responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions
  • Deforestation: Primary driver of Amazon rainforest destruction
  • Water pollution: Factory farm runoff major source of water contamination
  • Resource use: Takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef

6. Our current food system exacerbates global hunger and inequality

"In a world where a child dies of hunger-caused disease every two seconds, only our own ignorance allows us to continue to view meat as a status symbol."

Feeding animals instead of people. While nearly a billion people go hungry, we feed a third of the world's grain to livestock. This inefficient use of resources drives up food prices and reduces food availability for the world's poor. By shifting towards a plant-based diet, we could free up enormous amounts of land, water, and grain to feed hungry people directly.

  • Resource inefficiency: Takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef
  • Land use: 70% of agricultural land used for livestock
  • Global inequality: Meat consumption in wealthy countries drives food insecurity elsewhere
  • Potential impact: A global shift to plant-based diets could feed an additional 4 billion people

7. Shifting to a plant-based diet is one of the most impactful choices we can make

"There is no other single action that is as effective at saving water as eating a plant-based diet."

Diet change is powerful change. Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the most significant ways an individual can reduce their environmental impact, improve their health, and reduce animal suffering. It requires no special skills or equipment, just a shift in our daily food choices. The collective impact of many people making this change could be transformative for our world.

  • Environmental impact: Reduce carbon footprint by up to 73%
  • Health benefits: Lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity
  • Animal welfare: Spare hundreds of animals from suffering over a lifetime
  • Global food security: Free up resources to feed millions more people

8. Positive change is possible when we align our actions with our values

"I believe we are bigger than that. We are not just physical beings with a need for so many grams of iron a day. I believe we are also spiritual beings, with a need for respect and compassion, with a need to make our caring visible, with a need to love and to honor life."

We can create a better world. While the problems we face are daunting, there is reason for hope. When we align our actions with our deepest values of compassion, justice, and sustainability, positive change becomes possible. By making conscious choices about what we eat, we can create a ripple effect that transforms our health, our communities, and our world.

  • Personal empowerment: Every meal is an opportunity to vote for the world we want
  • Cultural shift: Growing awareness and popularity of plant-based diets
  • Systemic change: Increasing pressure on food industry and policymakers
  • Collective impact: Small individual changes add up to transformative societal shifts

</rewrite>

Last updated:

Review Summary

4.28 out of 5
Average of 3k+ ratings from Goodreads and Amazon.

The Food Revolution receives overwhelmingly positive reviews, with readers praising its eye-opening content on diet, health, and environmental issues. Many describe it as life-changing, inspiring them to adopt plant-based diets. Reviewers appreciate Robbins' well-researched arguments, clear writing style, and compassionate approach. The book's coverage of factory farming, GMOs, and the meat and dairy industries' impact on health and the environment resonates strongly with readers. Some critics find it biased or alarmist, but most consider it an important, thought-provoking read that challenges conventional beliefs about food and nutrition.

Your rating:

About the Author

John Robbins is an American author known for his influential work on nutrition, environmentalism, and animal rights. Born into the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, he chose to forgo his inheritance and pursue a simpler life dedicated to promoting plant-based diets. Robbins' 1987 book "Diet for a New America" gained widespread attention for exposing links between diet, health, animal welfare, and environmental issues. He has continued to write on these topics, including "The Food Revolution" and "Healthy at 100." Robbins' work has contributed significantly to public awareness of the ethical, health, and environmental implications of food choices, particularly advocating for vegan and vegetarian lifestyles.

Other books by John Robbins

Download PDF

To save this The Food Revolution summary for later, download the free PDF. You can print it out, or read offline at your convenience.
Download PDF
File size: 0.22 MB     Pages: 10

Download EPUB

To read this The Food Revolution summary on your e-reader device or app, download the free EPUB. The .epub digital book format is ideal for reading ebooks on phones, tablets, and e-readers.
Download EPUB
File size: 2.98 MB     Pages: 8
0:00
-0:00
1x
Dan
Andrew
Michelle
Lauren
Select Speed
1.0×
+
200 words per minute
Create a free account to unlock:
Bookmarks – save your favorite books
History – revisit books later
Ratings – rate books & see your ratings
Unlock unlimited listening
Your first week's on us!
Today: Get Instant Access
Listen to full summaries of 73,530 books. That's 12,000+ hours of audio!
Day 4: Trial Reminder
We'll send you a notification that your trial is ending soon.
Day 7: Your subscription begins
You'll be charged on Nov 30,
cancel anytime before.
Compare Features Free Pro
Read full text summaries
Summaries are free to read for everyone
Listen to summaries
12,000+ hours of audio
Unlimited Bookmarks
Free users are limited to 10
Unlimited History
Free users are limited to 10
What our users say
30,000+ readers
“...I can 10x the number of books I can read...”
“...exceptionally accurate, engaging, and beautifully presented...”
“...better than any amazon review when I'm making a book-buying decision...”
Save 62%
Yearly
$119.88 $44.99/yr
$3.75/mo
Monthly
$9.99/mo
Try Free & Unlock
7 days free, then $44.99/year. Cancel anytime.
Settings
Appearance