The Ultimate Guide to Eating Mindfully - and Feeling Better Every Day

Living the Farm Sanctuary Life is all about living compassionately and provides the information and tools you need to do so. Through this book, Gene Bauer and Gene Stone have done an excellent job presenting important information in a compelling, non-preachy way. Plus, the recipes are wonderful! I had the opportunity to test one of them before the book was published and the dish received rave reviews from family and friends. I can't wait to test them all!

I highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about how to live a healthier, more compassionate life!

I returned it because the recipes required too many obscure ingredients. Im new to this vegan lifestyle, so I need simplicity right now. The story behind the farm was interesting, but that wasnt the primary reason why I bought the book.

Thank you Gene for underscoring that a healthy, happy life means living in harmony with our highest ideals. And that when we consider something bigger than ourselves, we find our most right place amidst it all.

Living fully means living consciously, as much as we can, with awareness and compassion for our fellow inhabitants of planet Earth - the human and the non-human animals. It means having the courage to be aware of how the choices with things that we do every day - such as eat - affect our environment, along with our health. Living The Farm Sanctuary Life does all of this.

It's also a gorgeous book to look at - a Farm Sanctuary feast for the eyes. Let's never forget that the food must be delicious, and the recipes in this book delivers.

I returned it because the recipes required too many obscure ingredients. Im new to this vegan lifestyle, so I need simplicity right now. The story behind the farm was interesting, but that wasnt the primary reason why I bought the book.

Thank you Gene for underscoring that a healthy, happy life means living in harmony with our highest ideals. And that when we consider something bigger than ourselves, we find our most right place amidst it all.

Living fully means living consciously, as much as we can, with awareness and compassion for our fellow inhabitants of planet Earth - the human and the non-human animals. It means having the courage to be aware of how the choices with things that we do every day - such as eat - affect our environment, along with our health. Living The Farm Sanctuary Life does all of this.

It's also a gorgeous book to look at - a Farm Sanctuary feast for the eyes. Let's never forget that the food must be delicious, and the recipes in this book delivers.

Everyone should live the compassionate, healthy life that Gene Baur and Gene Stone recommend! This was a surprisingly lush book - filled with beautiful full-color pictures of adorable animals and mouth-watering recipes. Definitely a great read for anyone (including friends and family) who might be open to considering a kinder and more sustainable way of living and eating.

Farm Sanctuary began with the rescue of one sheep, Hilda, who was presumed dead and thrown on a heap of other sheep cadavers at a stockyard. Giving Hilda another chance at life, this time one that was free and filled with love and care, was the start of a mission that has grown beyond anyone's expectation and touched hearts and influenced lifestyles around the world. This book covers the philosophy and values that are the foundation of Farm Sanctuary and that inform and inspire their many supporters. The gorgeous photographs of some of the countless animals Farm Sanctuary has rescued since Hilda drive home the message that animals bred for food have the same emotions and desire to live as any domesticated animals considered "pets." In fact, our own range of emotions is visible in these images, which is why they're so powerful. The face of our humanity is reflected in the faces of these diverse, beautiful creatures.

In addition to laying out the premise for Farm Sanctuary and demonstrating visually and verbally why this mission is such an urgent, passionate, and all-encompassing one, the book offers delectable recipes and encouragement to take the message beyond just the philosophical. The practical, well-written, positive guidance that's provided, combined with spectacular full-color photographs, makes this book a real treasure. It's coffee-table worthy but the information it contains will make you want an additional copy for your nightstand and another for your kitchen.

You, like just about everyone else, certainly abhor cruelty to animals. But like most, you probably view veganism as impossible, and vegans as annoying (to put it kindly). Gene’s genius - in both “Living the Farm Sanctuary Life” and in life - is that his views aren’t driven by dogma. Nor is his perspective defined by the vegan bubble.
Rather, he knows we can all contribute to making a better world - each and every one of us.
You will find that Gene’s approach compassionate, constructive, and realistic. This is because so much of his life over the past 30 years has been shared with the amazing individuals rescued by Farm Sanctuary.
This book, like Gene’s talks and other writings, isn’t negative or angry. Rather, everything Gene does is driven by both his deep respect and affection for farmed animals, as well as his unyielding belief in the fundamental goodness and decency of his fellow human beings.
If you have ever wondered about the lives of farmed animals, or been even slightly interested in leading a more compassionate, mindful life, you should read this book. It isn’t at all what you might fear. Indeed, it is more than you could hope for!

The book has two parts: (1) The thinking behind the 5 tenets of Farm Sanctuary living, along with a history of the organization (about 75 pages total), and (2) Vegan cooking basics and recipes (about 90 pages).
Part I is what I wish I could have read as a child so I wouldn’t have lived the intervening years thinking of animals as factors of production. It is a wide-ranging introduction to the vegan, or Farm Sanctuary (“FS”), way of life, and the FS history dovetails nicely with this narrative. A story on page 18 shows just how far FS was resetting the boundaries of even a vet’s expectations (I’m tempted, but won’t give away the punchline). More than one tale struck home.
The authors also make the point that “we are not against farmers but against cruelty”– a message that all animal activists could heed. Baur has won many hearts and minds by showing better ways of living and of making a living than by screaming angry invectives. The authors explain how a cartoonist (Dan Piraro), a co-founder of Twitter (Biz Stone) and others became truly aware of the implications of their lifestyle choices when they connected with animals at the farm.
As a long-time animal advocate, I was already familiar with the arguments in Part I, but I was regularly surprised with details that I didn’t know (e.g., fallingfruit.org, wwoofusa.org, a German Shepherd kept a woman from intentionally shooting herself with her rifle, that a co-founder of Twitter is vegan,…). For those new to veganism, this is as wide-ranging an intro as you’ll get anywhere, with tips on fashion, animal rights, nutrition, benefits of human-animal interaction, conversions to veganism, sociology, and animal companionship, to name a few. And there are some stirring stories of animals who found happiness at FS after lifetimes of misery.
But Part II is, for me, the real joy of this book. Rather than asking one chef to stretch his repertoire to 100 recipes to fill the pages, the authors asked their large network of friends for their best. And they delivered. The book contains one hundred never-before-published vegan favorites from the likes of Chef AJ; Alicia Silverstone; Nava Atlas; Ellen Degeneres, Portia De Rossi and Roberto Martin; Caryn Hartglass and Gary De Mattei; Tal Ronnen; Joshua Katcher; Adam Sobel; Biz and Livia Stone; Moby; Julieanna Hever, and more. Go to your average vegan restaurant and ask them for a recipe and they’ll likely say “No”, but here are the favorite recipes from a wide range of top vegan chefs, authors and celebrities. Want to show someone how wonderful vegan food can taste? Whip up Tal Ronnen’s Agave-Lime Grilled Tofu with Asian Slaw and Mashed Sweet Potatoes. For a potluck, try Jill Ryther's Twice-Baked Potatoes.
I do have two nits to pick:
Some varieties of Soy Kaas, a cheese replacement listed on p. 97, contain milk, and bean burritos are often made with refried beans, which are generally not vegan.
Vegan recipes generally target either taste or health. Most of these target taste. While they are no doubt healthier than the animal-based alternatives, try sautéing in water, not oil, and go light on added oil and salt.
I won't let these nits ruin my appetite when I’m making Baur’s tofu scramble, nor should you. This book is for people who live—and eat—deliberately.

I wholeheartedly support veganism for all the reasons those of us who choose this life already know: compassion for animals; environmental well-being; health; the destructive politics and policies behind agribusiness. Compassion seems to be the primary purpose behind the establishment of Farm Sanctuary, and that is most commendable. Clearly, Gene Bauer has committed himself to the compassionate-life movement. In the first part of the book, his many stories and suggestions are moving and helpful. There is a lot of information on how to re-examine habits and practices we take for granted: if possible, walk or ride your bike; join a CSA; grow your own food. Unfortunately, many recipes feel wrong and misplaced. What is the point of encouraging mindful eating and compassion in our food choices if the authors and their contributing chefs feel the need to use animal-like substitutes and less-than-natural ingredients? I find this so strange: Let's eat pretend animals, spend too much money on cheese and flesh substitutes, and title many of the recipes by their former "meat" names: "Gardein Bolognese"; "Waldorf Style 'Chicken' Salad"; "Brandy BBQ Chick'n Apple Sausage Sauté"; "Queso Dip with Chips." No matter how many non-meat eaters defend these products, they are manufactured and about as far away from real food as one can get. Maybe the non-meat purveyors featured in these recipes contributed in some way to this book, and maybe there is an argument for non-meat substitutes to be used as one transitions from meat-eating to veganism. But I was disappointed that this was a message in Living the Farm Sanctuary Life. It seems off the mark if one has committed to veganism for health, environmental, and political reasons. Why would one even want to feel the texture of a meat substitute in one's mouth? Or buy factory-made, boxed, and frozen food that contributes to pollution and uses energy to keep cool? The picture of "Osso Vita" was a shock, followed as it was on the following page by a photograph of a calf and its mother. Such a mixed message is offensive to many vegans. I counted more than a dozen recipes that relied on meat or cheese substitutes, sometimes more than one in the same dish. And for anyone truly interested in environmental issues, Earth Balance is made with palm oil. The demand for this fat is behind considerable rain forest destruction. Vegan margarines, also called for in some recipes, are based on palm oil as well. And these are not healthy foods. I know my position is more radical than most people's, but we are at a threshold on this earth, and every bit of well-meant information needs to be true to the cause and promote conscious decisions on all levels. Recommending artificial foods and products based on environmentally destructive practices is not the right message. Encouraging people to eat high fat foods and to recreate their favorite meat-based dishes rather than embrace the true benefits of healthy veganism seems to undermine the initial intention of this book. There are so many very good recipes here ("Roasted Root Salad," "Tacos with Salted Grilled Plantains, Salsa Verde, and Pepitas," "Faki Soup," "Provençal Stuffed Zucchini," "Aloo Mattar"), and the underlying message is honorable. Use this book for all the good it has to offer but recognize that the message could have gone quite a bit farther, and the authors and contributors could have been much better advocates for the radical rethinking of all that needs to change.

Farm Sanctuary is an organization that changed my life when I visited their sanctuary and rescued animals in Watkins Glen, NY. This handsome book provides inspiring images, recipes that range from easy to expert, and a vision for solutions to some of the most pressing problems we face as a civilization. Thankfully, those solutions highlight some of the most exciting innovations in food and culture. Veganism now epitomizes innovation and visionary thinking. Living the Farm Sanctuary Life is about celebrating life, eating superior foods, attaining superior athletic performance and health, and living in consistency and honesty with the values that we already share.

Gene Baur and Gene Stone do a great job explaining that helping prevent animal cruelty and saving the planet need not be an all-or-nothing endeavor. Whether it's starting with Meatless Mondays, enjoying a "Vegan Before 6pm" plan, or going whole-hog (or no-hog?) and being a full-time vegan like the authors, we should praise ourselves for each step we take to build a kind world. Highly recommend this valuable book.

Wonderfully written book, fantastic photographs. Soundly lays out the arguments for plant-based eating. I thought going vegan would be difficult, but these recipes are simple, fun, and delicious. It doesn't take money to make the world a better place--just a fork.

Absolutely love this book! I became vegan 8 months ago. My experience as a vegan has changed my life. I really want to share my experience as vegan with friends and family. I feel this book is the perfect book in doing just that. I love they way it lays out all the important aspect of being vegan for our health, for the animals and for the planet!

Lovely book with touching stories and beautiful pictures but it seems to sponsored by corporations. A lot of the recipes use commercial fake meat or dairy products. I would have liked to see more recipes that use plants that are supposed to be plants rather than trying to make things taste like meat or dairy.

A beautiful book - with plant-based recipes that are mostly easy to make. The pictures are stunning, the text inspiring. I am a life long vegetarian, and eat plant-based only since a few years. If you love animals, buy this book for the pictures. If you are looking for recipes, buy this book. If you are looking for great articles about animals, health and environment, buy this book. It's a joy to read. Gene Bauer is an amazing person.

A terrific book filled with guidance on how to live a compassionate life (and some great recipes, of course). I highly recommend this book for anybody looking to transition to veganism. Gene is an inspiration!

This book is beautiful- from the pictures, to the stories, to the recipes. Living 'The Five Tenets of Farm Sanctuary Living' will ensure a healthier, happier, kinder, more mindful existence. Gene Baur never preaches, he encourages. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about how/why to live your life 'in alignment with your values.'

This is a VERY important read. Especially in a day and age where our home (Earth) is in peril, we have two choices: either to ignore all the damage that human kind has caused or to embrace a compassionate lifestyle that can elevate our awareness and hopefully save the planet.

The mistreatment of farm animals is cruel and immoral and should be stopped - clearly, without question. One possible solution to this problem would be to stop eating other animals altogether (yes, we too are animals), something we have been doing since the emergence of our species ca. 180,000 years ago (and which also allowed us to become the species we are biologically). Another solution would be for all humans alive today to chop off our hands, making the mistreatment of farm animals nearly impossible. Both of these "solutions" are - of course - alarmist and ridiculous. The author raises awareness of a genuine problem - one that has been given scant attention in our society; for this we should be grateful. He does have a master's degree in agribusiness (which provides important insights, in that the "industry" contributes in no small way to the problem), but since he lacks any background in biology or human nutrition, he ultimately suggests that we cut off our nose to spite our face. The problems he addresses are real and complex - more complex than oversimplified, ideologically driven "solutions" recognize (is not the problem of obesity, e.g., closely related to modified corn starch - a plant product?). Vegetarianism and veganism represent rather unimaginative and naïve "solutions" that fail to account for the broader history of the evolution of life and the place of humans among life on this planet (including plants - which are indeed alive - as well as other animals). There are, of course, models to be found in human history that bear no similarity to certain atrocious forms of "farming" today (if one can call it that). It is to these that we should turn. Or, as has often been done before, we should use our ingenuity - and marry it to our compassion. Our human values and morality, our connection with nature, and our psychological health are built upon millions of years of evolution - as is our use of other life, both plant and animal, for food. We must, as a species, reconcile *all* of these aspects of who we are. Unfortunately, this book offers little way forward in this regard.