The World Peace Way
Middletown, Calif.: Karuna, 2024. 182 pp., paper, $15.
Food for Freedom: Reclaiming Our Health and Rescuing the World
Karuna, 2024. 361 pp., paper. $18.
WILL TUTTLE
These two recent books by TSA member Will Tuttle make a passionate and convincing case for veganism, a way of plant-based living that is free from meat, dairy, and other animal products. An accomplished musician who has produced ten albums of original piano music, he has lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad. A well-known advocate of veganism and ahimsa—dynamic harmlessness—Tuttle has received the Courage of Conscience Award and the Empty Cages Prize.
The World Peace Way is a practical workbook emphasizing that world peace begins with peace within and showing how we can integrate freedom, vitality, and joy into our daily lives. The author ably accomplishes these goals through describing six essential “keys”: healthy diet; meditation and spiritual practice; healthy relationships and communication; the healing power of movement; the healing power of nature; and the healing power of creativity.
Emphasis on a natural vegan diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, pulses, and grains is a common theme throughout this book, along with questioning the prevailing cultural narratives about food, health, and humanity’s role in today’s world. Tuttle encourages the reader to discern truth and make one’s own personal decisions in a world where social conditioning from the media, government, and big business influences our lives more than ever.
Each section is clearly written and well-organized and is filled with practical suggestions as well as personal anecdotes and clear “how to” examples. The book includes a section of culinary guidance from Tuttle’s wife, Madeleine; a shopping list of healthy plant-based foods; and an extensive list of resources, including literature, online connections, and suggested sources of foods, household goods, and personal care products. There is even a list of animal sanctuaries.
This book is a joy to read and is recommended not only for readers who are considering a vegan lifestyle but for those who want to bring more health and harmony into their lives.
While The World Peace Way focuses on the “how” involved in achieving peace in the world, Food for Freedom focuses on the “why.” According to the author, “This book is an exploration into the underlying cultural food narratives in this society, and how they have eroded our freedom, health, spirituality and awareness.”
Food for Freedom is a complex, passionate, wide-ranging, and powerful book that is often controversial and not always a comfortable read. The author documents the numerous benefits of a plant-based diet of natural, unprocessed foods, while challenging the reader to become aware of the forces in our society that inhibit independent thinking and limit our freedom to make personal life choices, especially regarding food and health.
In addition to presenting convincing arguments for adopting a vegan lifestyle, the author offers an in-depth analysis on the path of technology versus the path of spirituality. He explores issues such as the worship of materialism; the marriage of science, money, and narrative control; the evils of medical corruption and vaccination; and the forced mandates of lockdown and the wearing of masks during the recent Covid epidemic.
Tuttle takes aim at “herdism,” which originally stems from human control of animals used for food through “superiority, force, reductionism, disconnectedness from nature, and the routine domination of the sacred feminine.” He criticizes mainstream institutions in our society that manipulate us to accept the status quo and conform to prevailing narratives. In his view, these include mainstream and social media, government institutions, large food conglomerates, big pharma, the agrichemical industry, and other global institutions. The author takes aim at vegans’ use of heavily processed plant-based foods, which are often loaded with pesticide residues as well as sodium, sugar, fats, and other unhealthy ingredients. He also chastises the double standard of ethical vegans who were vaccinated during the recent Covid pandemic even though the vaccines had been tested on animals.
Food for Freedom is an important book, with a wealth of valuable insights into the human condition. The book challenges many accepted beliefs about diet, health, and the role of government and the media in our lives.
At the same time, some of the arguments presented in this book may be questioned as well, such as the claim on page 182ff. that “the COVID pandemic event was initiated and organized as a military operation in the USA by the CIA, the Pentagon, the Biodefense Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with the World Health Organization” and that wearing protective masks not only increases criminal activity but reduces intelligence levels. Although protective masks have been routinely worn in classrooms and on public transportation in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan for many years, these countries enjoy the world’s lowest crime rates, and their students boast the highest IQ scores in the world.
When I read a book, I do not expect to agree with everything the author has written, and I welcome the opportunity to consider ideas that do not initially align with my own. Food for Freedom is a sincere, well-written, and complex book that promotes a way of life based on compassion for other animals, protecting the planet, and advancing health, happiness, and personal freedom. It also inspires independent thinking. Like The World Peace Way, this book contains numerous resources for future study and activity, including a booklist, food ideas, and online connections.
Nathaniel Altman
Nathaniel Altman has been a member of the TSA since 1970. He is the author of many books, including Eating for Life: A Book about Vegetarianism and Ahimsa: Dynamic Compassion, both published by Quest Books.