Alicia Silverstone Promises Energy, Weight Loss & Clear Skin in “The Kind Diet”

By Amanda Pendolino on January 26th, 2010

kind-diet-1 Alicia Silverstone is clueless no more. In her new book The Kind Diet, the actress-turned-activist explains how she’s 33 and looking better than ever: a strict (but delicious) vegan diet. She shares the insights that encouraged her to swear off meat and dairy forever, and outlines the spectacular benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin, off-the-chart energy, and smooth digestion. Alicia also explains how meat, fish, milk, and cheese—the very foods we’ve been taught to regard as the cornerstone of good nutrition—are actually the culprits behind escalating rates of disease and the cause of dire, potentially permanent damage to our ecology.

Alicia insists that going vegan doesn’t mean depriving yourself. The Kind Diet also introduces delicious and satisfying foods (even desserts!). She also addresses the nutritional concerns faced by many who are new to a plant-based diet, and shows how to cover every nutritional base, from protein to calcium and beyond.

It all sounds great, but how realistic is it to follow this diet and lifestyle? Am I never supposed to go to a restaurant ever again? Luckily, Alicia does acknowledge how hard it is to change your life, and offers three levels of dedication: Flirts reduce their meat-eating and swapping out a few key foods for plant-based substitutes. Vegans get to experience the life-altering effects of forgoing animal-products entirely, while still enjoying many convenience foods and meat substitutes. The Superhero completely goes for it, following all the principles of macrobiotics.