Cooking With Mother Nature… AND… a GIVEaway!

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Switching it up today folks. In honor of vegetable month, I am sharing a review of a book by one of the most prolific activists and under-recognized pioneers of healthy eating of our time–Dick Gregory. I read the book awhile ago, but now–Como Water‘s vegetable month and a time when so many folks are trying to be mindful of how they treat their bodies–seemed like the perfect time to share the review with all of you.

And Gregory’s perspectives rocked my world so much that I’ve decided to host a giveaway of one of his books: Callous on My Soul, which is part memoir, part food. The giveaway is open to all readers (a.k.a. not just those in the US). To enter, leave a comment sharing your impression of this review. For extra entries, become a fan of Como Water on Facebook and follow Como Water on Twitter (leave comments letting me know that you did so for to ensure that you receive your extra entries).

Happy Sunday and back to vegan veggie-centric recipes on Tuesday!

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While doing research for an essay I’m working on regarding culture and eating, I came across a book, Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cooking with Mother Nature. The fact that this out-of-print text kept popping up time and time again meant only one thing—if I was going to write an informed essay, I would definitely have to read it. I found it online, ahem, for $50, but since it was a classic and I wanted to be thorough in my research, I forked the cash over and opened to page 1. Within a few hours, I had read the entire book and I’ve been figuring out ways to weave it into daily conversations ever since. I immediately knew that I had to write a review for Como Water readers… so, here it goes…

One word comes to mind when I think of Natural Diettimeless. Although it was published in the 1970s, the book could have easily been written yesterday. The concepts of vegetarianism, veganism, going raw, and the slow movement all still seem very “new agey” to me at times, yet Gregory contextualizes such eating choices as culturally and temporally universal. In other words, such eating patterns are not ‘new’ at all; instead, they are quite traditional. Unfortunately for us, our mounting ailments, and our rising health care costs, we have become disconnected from such traditions.

Natural Diet also dispels the misconception that these types of diets are (or ought to be) reserved for a privileged few. Through what I would describe as a brilliant analysis, Gregory connects a plant-based diet to the universality of the human condition and for that, his book breaks down barriers and opens doors. What’s more, the pages are laced with humor, wit, and irony that leave you knowledgeable and cracking up.

The basic premise of the book: “you are what you eat,” so “be mindful” and “eat plants” pervades the text, and is quite reminiscent of the many popular food/eating books that have been published in the past few years. Unique from more contemporary books however, is Gregory’s voice—a comedian, an activist, a Black man, a man who grew up in extreme poverty, a man with firsthand experiences of the very real barriers to healthy eating and the systemic obstacles inhibiting many individuals from making better food/eating choices. The rawness and realness of his voice resonated with me in a way that allowed for a deep connection to the text, a connection that I haven’t been able to make with the many contemporary books on eating/food I’ve read to date.

Natural Diet begins with a declaration that not reading Gregory’s book is harmful to your health. In this first chapter, Gregory connects our eating practices to psychological and social realities that have changed little since the 70s. The second chapter has the feel of a memoir as Gregory explains the consumption continuum (from omnivorism to fruitarianism) through his own personal journey of eating. Linking eating to poverty, addiction, and protest, this account is as candid, as it is riveting, but most of all, it is encouraging.

No matter where you are on the continuum, Gregory asserts, “…Mother Nature is always waiting for your return!

The third chapter discusses how Gregory and his wife introduced healthier eating in their own family (of nine children) and the fourth chapter—one of my favorites—likens the body to a car and describes, in detail, the trip a piece of food takes from the bite to excretion. I thought this was especially cool because most folks—including myself before reading this chapter, haven’t the faintest idea of what actually happens—physiologically—when we eat. Read chapter four and you’ll soon know!

Chapter 5 makes a conceptual distinction between diet and nutrition and offers suggestions for how to stock your kitchen if you want to “cook with Mother Nature.” In this chapter, Gregory mentions a number of foods I have only heard of in the past few years. I, who have eaten a plant-based diet for many years have only recently heard of foods like dulse, dandelion ‘coffee,’ sorrel, black mission figs, and huckleberries, but here was Dick Gregory writing about them—in the 1970s! Chapter 6 clears up a number of misconceptions—including those around culture—about cooking with Mother Nature and consuming meat (especially related to how meat consumption has changed over time). Chapter 7 is dedicated to fasting and chapter 8 offers natural cures for everyday (and not so everyday) ailments. The end of the book deals with dieting, being pregnant/feeding babies, feeding plants and pets, and Q & A.

Comprehensive, hilarious, and insightful, Gregory states simply, but profoundly, “I believe diet is at the root of all of our problems.” I believe he is right and I think it’s a shame that Natural Diet is out of print. I wish that Natural Diet was available to the masses (potentially updated with a section on strategies for ‘cooking with Mother Nature’ in our current climate of astronomical food prices and increasing income inequality…), yet until that time, I encourage you to try to get a copy of Natural Diet, if you can. I guarantee that you will laugh and learn as you read each chapter.

Written by

Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

Comments

  1. This book sounds wonderful! It’s a real shame that it’s out of print. If I don’t win I am definitely adding it to my “want” list. Your review is wonderful. And I’d love to read your essay as well 🙂

  2. I am very interested in seeing this book now. I wonder if my public library has it? Will have to check!

  3. The amazing thing is it sounds like he could have published this last week. Not like some of those fad diets you see now where 10 years from now people will be saying what were they thinking when they wrote this.

  4. This sounds like a really interesting book – I tend not to enjoy current healthy diet related books because they are either preachy or just fluffy. From your review, it sounds like the tone of this work would be much more enjoyable, and like current day authors could learn something!

  5. This book sounds like my kind of read!

  6. Great recap of this book – it sound like an interesting read.

  7. From your review, it sure is a great book with nice write-ups.

  8. You gave us just enough in your reveiw to pique our curiosity and whet our appetite. Until you mentioned it I’d almost forgotten about Dick Gregory’s healthy eating views. It’s a shame that he’s been off the radar for so long. I will check with my library to see if they have it or can get it for me.

  9. I’m very interested in learning more about the plant-based diet. A friend of mine recently vowed to go vegan after viewing “Forks Over Knives.” It’s very thought provoking and it’s something I’m very interested in. The benefits seem amazing. One of the things I feel I might struggle with is finding inspiration with new recipes. This book would really help in that area. Thanks!

    • And I hope Como Water helps in that area! 😀

  10. Sounds like a wonderful resource…there was quite a health phase in the 70’s…my parents got on board a bit, but the 4 children were already set in their ways!!! I only knew Dick Gregory as a comedian…how interesting that he was also known for his natural diet~

  11. You know one think I have realized since I started blogging is that there is such a vast array of veggies and fruits out there that I have never even tried. So now, when someone says they hate veggies-I think, until you prove that you have eaten all that nature has to offer you don’t know what you are talking about.
    Plants are the answer to better health, but the pharmaceutical companies beg to differ. The way you explained how the chapters are laid out does make this book seem like a very helpful tool. Thanks for the info on this item.

  12. It does sound very interesting. Shame that its out of print! 🙁

  13. I actually gasped when I saw an image of Dick Gregory’s book on your blog. It brought back a fond memory. On my first visit to my husband’s apartment (when we were dating), I saw Dick Gregory’s book on the shelf and I knew I had found the man for me!

    I can tell from your review of this book that you are passionate about veganism. Wonderful, insightful review Tiffany!

    Alaiyo

  14. Sounds like a very interesting book. It’s amazing how some ideas can truly stand the test of time – even though they’re not necessarily well received at first.

  15. This sounds like a very interesting book. We are far from vegetarians, but one of the things I enjoy most about living here is how connected people are to where their food comes from (for example, in the grocery store, every fresh product, from meat to produce lists its country of orgin.) I really like that he discusses that healthy eating isn’t just for priviledged people, as it seems that in the States poverty and poor eating habits go hand in hand. Great book review, it seems very interesting!

  16. Laugh and learn at the same time? This is my kind of book, Tiffany. I want to read it – you have convinced me, no problem! Eating plants is definitely something we should all recommend for budding chefs (sorry!)

  17. What a well-written review! It sounds like this book is a must read. As someone who is currently fighting a cold, I’d really be interested in Chapter 8, but the whole book sounds wonderful. Thanks for writing such a great review!

  18. Thanks for the comments everyone! I’ll be announcing the giveaway winner manana!

  19. Fantastic review Tiffany…sounds like a wonderful book 🙂

  20. As a lover of books, cooking AND book reviews, I really appreciated your review. I like when readers break down books chapter-by-chapter, especially when it involves recipes or is a memoir. When I don’t have the luxury of flipping through a book before purchasing, I appreciate as much information up front as possible. Thank you!

  21. I agree! The diet is the root of all problems!!! Sounds like a great book!

  22. Yes! I read this book back in 1980, and it WAS life changing! It’s funny that so much NEW research coming out these days is hardly new, it’s just that no one listened to Mr Gregory… glad I did!

    • Glad I did too! I absolutely LOVE this book and find myself going back to it again and again! 😀