These 8 plant-based books are perfect for learning the ins and outs of plant-based and vegan living. In this post, I’ll be separating the book recommendations into two sections: plant-based diet books (aka, nutrition), and general vegan books with topics ranging from activism to lab-grown meat. So you’re sure to find some books that will strike your fancy.

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Vegan and Plant-Based Diet Books

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell

The China Study is not only one of the most popular books about the plant-based diet, but it is also one of the most popular nutrition books just in general.

This book covers Cornell researcher, T. Colin Campbell’s, findings on diet and longevity in China vs the West, and how adopting a plant-based diet, often common in parts of Asia, can improve your overall health.

Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet by Virginia Messina and Jack Norris

Written by two nutritionists and long-term vegans, Vegan for Life offers a great guide to vegan nutrition done right.

A lot of people want to go vegan, but many fall off the wagon after awhile. So, it’s great to hear not only from medical professionals, but also from long-term vegans on how to start and stay vegan.

(P.S. The author, Virginia Messina is also the creator of the widely acclaimed food science blog, The Vegan RD))

Related: Why Some Vegans Fail: Thoughts From a Vegan of 8 Years

In Defence of Food: The Myth Of Nutrition And The Pleasures Of Eating by Michael Pollan

While not out right advocating for veganism, In Defence of Food does highlight the immense health benefits of a plant-based diet. The author, Michael Pollan, a science journalist, has a simple eating philosophy, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”, which you can find throughout his various nutrition books. And this sentiment is very much in-line with veganism.

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating by Walter Willett

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy offers simplistic, yet educational nutrition information straight from Harvard, and debunks harmful diet culture myths. I found this to be a great refresher on nutrition amongst all the pseudo-science found in the nutrition community.

Like In Defence of Food, this book is not explicitly a vegan book. However, the author shares, in-depth, about how harmful and carcinogenic animal foods can be, and how the animal agricultural industry falsely influences the U.S. government.

General Vegan and Plant-Based Books

Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat by Larissa Zimberoff

Taken straight out of a sci-fi novel, lab-grown meat has been a big topic amongst vegans and scientists alike. If you’re wanting to learn about how meat can be made from animals without it actually being animals, or dairy made without cow’s milk, then Technically Food is a great introductory into our possibly near utopian future.

Even Vegans Die: A Practical Guide to Caregiving, Acceptance, and Protecting Your Legacy of Compassion by Carol J. Adams

This book first starts off with the much-needed conversation on being chronically ill and vegan. And how, oftentimes, many chronically or terminally ill vegans feel ostracized from the vegan community for not being the perfect “face” of veganism.

In following chapters, you’ll then dive into vegan caregiving, and how to create a death plan for when that time comes, that aligns with your ethics and beliefs.

It’s a hard subject, but very well worth the read.

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy

This book explores the theory of Carnism. If you’ve ever wondered why people see certain animals as food, and others as beloved pets, then Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows helps break down the psychology and cognitive dissonance of this mindset.

Related: 6 Books to Combat Speciesism

How to Create a Vegan World: A Pragmatic Approach by Tobias Leenaert

There is only an estimated 1% of the global population that is vegan. But wouldn’t it be amazing if we lived in a world where vegan was the norm? That is what How to Create a Vegan World is trying to tackle.

In this book, you will learn how to strategically and pragmatically organize your activism to get the most people on board with our mission of making the world a better place for the animals, the earth, and ourselves.

A Final Note on These Vegan and Plant-Based Books

There are a plethora of vegan and plant-based books to choose from. Whether you’re looking to switch to a plant-based diet, become a better vegan activist, or to learn about the utopian future of lab-grown meat, these books offer a wide range of topics and ideas to expand your vegan bookshelf.