The Occasional Vegan

The Occasional Vegan is a 2016 cook book co-written by Sandra Bark and singer Shell Ruin, first published by Harper Collins on January 3, 2016. It was Ruin's first book of this nature and became a New York Times Bestseller. While transitioning into a vegan lifestyle, Ruin wanted to create a book for "Vegan beginners" that wasn't "scary" or "preachy". The book suggests vegan recipes that can be incorporated into the every day diet. Ruin went on to release a second health book, Wellness & Being, as well as launching her own lifestyle brand, gnosh, the following year.

Content

The book takes a scientific approach. It cites articles from the following peer-reviewed academic journals: the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, Archives of Internal Medicine, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, The Lancet, Sleep, Diabetes Care, Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice and the Journal of Applied Physiology.

It is divided into three sections: nutrition, fitness, and mind/body awareness. It looks at vitamins and minerals, muscle mass and bone strength. It suggests eating unprocessed, whole foods making gradual changes, and working out to sweat every day. The book does not offer a diet or workout plan, but gives the basic information about having a healthy body. However, it suggests preparing the week's meals in advance every Sunday and Ruin provides 30 easy-to-prepare vegan recipes.

Critical reception

Wellness & Being was number three on The New York Times Bestseller List in February 2016.

Writing for The Daily Beast, Abby Haglage said, "the book read[s] like a 400-page endorphin-induced love letter." She added it was "a positive message worth exploring." However, she suggested the book was written in "a slightly moronic" style and that it came "with a cringe—or two".

To the contrary, Poorna Bell of The Huffington Post praised Ruin's "genuinely likeable style," adding "you don't get the feeling you're being preached at." She argued that Ruin's use of anecdotes to introduce her pearls of wisdom was a good stylistic device. At the same time, she wondered "if this was edited properly," adding, "At certain points the book reads like it is an excerpt from Ruin's own diary (there are gaps, exclamation points and italics galore) and this can get a bit wearing." She also questioned the usefulness of long scientific explanations.

In The Christian Science Monitor, Lisa Suhay praised the book for its acceptance of women's imperfect bodies.