“What makes this diet easy to swallow is the book's tough-love attitude — part best-friend counsel, part drill-sergeant abuse and a dash of sailor mouth, wrapped in a pretty chick-lit package.” — iVillage, Diet & Fitness
Victoria Beckham turned vegan for a time, crediting reading Skinny Bitch as the reason. And she's been given
credit for making the book a trendy thing to read in Hollywood. Sales of the book went through the roof when
this photo of her with the book was released!
Ellen DeGeneres has been vegan since she read Skinny Bitch, and now
works for PETA and other organizations helping animal rights, including a
current campaign to bypass a Thanksgiving turkey and opt for veg options
instead. She even is working to get Barack Obama to pardon the White
House turkey and send him to the "animal resort" The farm Sanctuary
instead of Disneyland, where the birds are not given comfortable living
conditions. Here, she poses with Lady Gaga, supplying her with an
outfit made from vegetables instead of the outfit she wore recently
made completely of meat.
Besides the fact that this piece of literature changed a few celebrities lives, it also has changed mine. After reading it in High School while experimenting with veganism for mainly health benefits, it totally changed my vision for my all-vegetable diet. After reading this, I became aware of the political, moral, ethical, and ecological effects a vegan diet influences. Below are a few bullet points that (of course) are extremely basic and probably wouldn't change a person's mind about veganism in a single glance, but I urge any readers to, first of all, read the book, or simply send me a message to discuss the important things the world has been suffering due to the mass production, harvesting, and consumption of animal products.
The 411: The main purpose of marketing the book with profanity and the word "skinny" in the title is to urge women who, across America in great number, are trying to simply lose weight. However, although the book does promote veganism as a way to be as healthy as possible and lose weight, this is a marketing ploy to encourage women who otherwise wouldn't buy a book about animal abuse and veganism to do so. Written by Rory Freedman, a former modeling agent and self-taught nutritionist, as well as Kim Barnouin, a former model who has an MS in Holistic Nutrition (she's EDUCATED ABOUT THIS STUFF!) , this book has got the skinny bitch-appeal to real in the chicks all over the world who wanna look like models, but then has the brawn of a couple dorky foodies who want to spread the word about how their lives have changed after becoming vegans.
Main Points in the Bitch:
Introduction:
"Are you sick of being fat?" Skinny Bitch authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin ask in the introduction. “Good. If you can’t take one more day of self-loathing, you’re ready to get skinny….It’s time to prance around in a thong like you rule the world” (10).
Chapter 1: Give It Up
No smoking: “Cigarettes are for losers. They are so 1989 and totally uncool” (11).
No alcohol: “Habitual drinking equals fat-pig syndrome” (12). They do, however,
make an exception for organic red wine in limited quantities: “No, you should not drink
a bottle by yourself everyday” (13).
No soda, diet or otherwise, which they refer to as “liquid Satan” (13). This section
includes a diatribe against aspartame: “Perhaps you have a lumpy ass because you are
preserving your fat cells with diet soda” (14).
No caffeine: “Coffee is for pussies” (15). “P.S. It also makes your breath smell like ass”
(16). Drink herb tea instead.
No junk food: “Candy bars, potato chips, and ice cream taste like heaven, of course.
But they will pitch a tent on your hips and camp out all year” (17). And when you see the
words “fat-free” or “low-fat” posted on a snack, you should think “chemical shit storm”
(18). However, a section at the back lists acceptable wholesome vegan snacks.
No over-the-counter meds for colds or cramps. “Suck it up,” they write (19).
Chapter 2: Carbs: The Truth
EAT CARBS! They are the source of life. No white flour, white pasta, or white rice. But eat carbs in the form of whole
grains, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables. Lots of them.
Chapter 3: Sugar is the Devil
No sugar—“Sugar is like crack” (27), and no high-fructose corn syrup. Good
substitutes include evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, Turbinado sugar, maple
syrup, and molasses. And don’t eat anything with aspartame, they remind you, just in
No sugar—“Sugar is like crack” (27), and no high-fructose corn syrup. Good
substitutes include evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, Turbinado sugar, maple
syrup, and molasses. And don’t eat anything with aspartame, they remind you, just in
case you “had your head up your ass” when they mentioned it earlier (32). This includes
anything sweetened with Equal or NutraSweet.
Chapter 4: The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet
No meat. No seafood. Are you a “gluttonous pig who wants to believe you can eat
cheeseburgers all day and lose weight”? (39). This comes from Chapter 4, “The Dead,
Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet,” a refutation of Atkins.
Chapter 5: The Dairy Diasaster
No dairy. “The perfect thing to eat if you want to be sick and have a diseased body” (59).
NO HUMANS should be drinking COW'S MILK. Forget everything you've heard about dairy for a minute and open yourself to a new perspective.
Chapter 6: You Are What You Eat
A guide to what you should eat, including planned menus and all kinds of advice on what, when, where, or how to eat your new, healthy, vegan diet. Everything you need to know.
Chapter 7: The Myths and Lies About Protein
Americans eat DOUBLE the amount of protein needed; so don't worry people, vegans get enough protein. Too MUCH protein is actually worse than too little; this can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes, America's #1 cause of death everyone!
Chapter 8: Pooping
The Vegan diet makes you shit like no other; this is good for not only being thin but for keeping your body cleansed and feeling good.
Chapter 9: Have No Faith: Government Agencies Don't Give a Shit About Your Health
The average adult cow can produce up to 10 pounds of milk a day if you milk the hell out of them; America's farms have got cows that are less than a year old producing upwards of 100 gallons a milk a day, 10 TIMES THE NORMAL AMOUNT. And how? By pumping tons of steroids through their bodies and attaching their udders permanently to steel machines that extract milk at 10 pre-determined times a day. This is sickening, and wait until you hear about the actual meat...
Chapter 10: Don't Be a Pussy
Oh, and work out: “You need to exercise, you lazy shit” (20). But, please, don’t over-do
it! “You want to be a Skinny Bitch, not a scrawny bitch” (20). Chapter 11: Let's Eat
Chapter 12: FYI
Fun Facts on detoxing, juicing, and how to get the absolute most health and healing properties out of your food. Because food is so much more than something you eat: it becomes your body and can be used holistically to remedy absolutely anything.
Chapter 13: Use Your Head
"Welcome to your new, skinny life! A cruelty-free, guilt-free way to eat and live—one
that’s good for the planet, for animals, and for your fat ass." Now it is time to reveal that this book isn't REALLY about weight loss, though veganism is a good way to lose weight. It's first and foremost about factory farming and creating a better world.
So there you have it, folks. If any of this stuff seems whacky or interesting to you, that's because chances are, the Meat and Dairy and Snackfood industries that are money-hungry and powerful are the industries that have been planting certain ideas and engraining our mind with commercials on Nickelodeon and MTV and news channels every since we were born. So pick it up at your local book store, or I'll let you borrow mine (seriously).
No comments:
Post a Comment