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Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!
Not your typical boring diet book, this is a tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin. With such blunt advice as, "Soda is liquid Satan" and "You are a total moron if you think the Atkins Diet will make you thin," it's a rallying cry for all savvy women to start eating healthy and looking radiant. Unlike standard diet books, it actually makes the reader laugh out loud with its truthful, smart-mouthed revelations. Behind all the attitude, however, there's solid guidance. Skinny Bitch espouses a healthful lifestyle that promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and encourages women to get excited about feeling "clean and pure and energized."
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2005
993 people are currently reading
14215 people want to read
About the author
Rory Freedman
24 books97 followersRory Freedman is the co-author of "Skinny Bitch". She attended the University of Maryland, and used to not like writing, but has developed a passion for writing due to her passion for the subjects that she writes about. She wrote "Skinny Bitch" because she is passionate about not being skinny or being a bitch, but to educate everyone about becoming vegetarian and vegan. Rory Freedman was not always a vegan, or vegetarian. Growing up she ate meat every day. Her passion for becoming vegetarian and vegan developed about 15 years ago. Her passion developed due to reading an article about animals being slaughtered for food. She always saw herself as an animal lover and she was disgusted by what she saw in the article. One image was of baby chickens crammed into a garbage bag and thrown into a dumpster. The next picture she sees is a picture of a mother cow and a baby cow. The baby was taken away from the mother, and being upset that she baby was taken away from her, she started to ram the cage and broke her neck. The mother cow was left there to lay and die with a broken neck. The other picture she saw was of a downer cow, an injured cow, on the back of a truck being unloaded by a chain wrapped around the cows legs. She was devastated to know that animals were being treated this way due to her eating meat. After reading this article in the magazine, she made the decision to become vegetarian. She did not want to contribute to the torture and slaughter of animals. The sole reason she became a vegetarian was so that she did not have to be part of the pictures that she saw.
Since she became vegetarian, she was now interested in doing more research on nutrition. People always said that vegetarians lack protein and other things that your body needs, so therefore she conducted research and found that these statements and assumptions are not true. Rory found out that by becoming vegetarian, you do not lack protein, and that most Americans actually have too much protein in their diets. Becoming a vegetarian had a total change on Rory. She felt as though she became nicer, happy, had more energy, and overall a better person. She became an animal rights activist due to her passion for animals. After making these changes, she felt as though she had a purpose in life. Rory encourages people to try a 30 day Veg Pledge. This is trying to be vegetarian for 30 days to just try to and see if you like the changes that your body will go through.
*Rory Freedman, a former agent for Ford Models, is co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books.
She resides in Los Angeles.
Since she became vegetarian, she was now interested in doing more research on nutrition. People always said that vegetarians lack protein and other things that your body needs, so therefore she conducted research and found that these statements and assumptions are not true. Rory found out that by becoming vegetarian, you do not lack protein, and that most Americans actually have too much protein in their diets. Becoming a vegetarian had a total change on Rory. She felt as though she became nicer, happy, had more energy, and overall a better person. She became an animal rights activist due to her passion for animals. After making these changes, she felt as though she had a purpose in life. Rory encourages people to try a 30 day Veg Pledge. This is trying to be vegetarian for 30 days to just try to and see if you like the changes that your body will go through.
*Rory Freedman, a former agent for Ford Models, is co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books.
She resides in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,235 reviews
January 27, 2008
I only read this book(or tried to read this book) because my best friend said it was AMAZING! I can't even begin to tell you how wrong she was. This book represents all that is wrong in the world of food. These two authors aren't teaching you how to eat right, they are teaching you to be anorexic (If you look at the sample menus they equate to aprroximately 700 calories/day-that is ridiculous!). The only reason this book got so much press was because Posh was photographed carrying it. The self proclaimed expert authors of this book are a former agent of a modelling company(who says she is a self taught expert) and a former model (who says she got her masters degree in holistic nutrition-when I looked it up it is from an unaccreditted school-would you take advice from a doctor who went to an unacreditted university?) They further the stereotype that in order to be happy you have to be a size 0. It is sad to me that woman look to this kind of book, where they talk down to you(ex."Perhaps you have a lumpy ass because you are preserving your fat cells with diet soda." and "If you'd drag your cankles to a health food store...") in order to find inspiration. This type of mentality does not lead to healty eating or healthy body image. Eat moderately, exercise, and the rest falls in to place. Don't listen to these pyscho girls who don't even have to education to be talking about these things. You want to learn about nutrition and how to lose weight? Go to a dietician and they will help you in a healthy way without calling you a fat ass.
December 23, 2008
I began reading this for a bookgroup and stopped half-way through. It's complete crap. I've been vegetarian for years and know a lot about where my food comes from. These women's assertations are not only wrong in many instances but they are inconsistent and absurd. They are strongly against the eating of meat or processed foods. However, they strongly advocate the "fake meat" products available which ARE a highly processed food. This book is pop culture at its worst and has nothing to do with health and everything to do with "being skinny". They tell you that anything bought at a health food store, and drop many, many names, are the way to go. So it's not "don't eat junk food" but "eat health food junk food". This book makes anyone who ascribes to life as a vegetarian or vegan look like a hysterical idiot.
If you want to read a decent book on the subject read The Omnivore's Dilemna or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
If you want to read a decent book on the subject read The Omnivore's Dilemna or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
August 3, 2011
I have a weakness for bookstores. I like to judge a book by the cover and the first two pages. Had I judged one of my favorite books, Of Human Bondage, by the first 100 pages, I’d never have gotten through. It was the raving review of the friend who loaned it to me that helped me persevere.
In SFO airport, I stopped by the bookstore before heading to security check. I had an itch to spend $15 I suppose. I picked up this book Skinny Bitch and thought it had to be the most extreme attitude of weight loss I’d encountered and while I’m on my workout kick I was curious to read what they had to say. I read the first three pages easily while chuckling to myself. The co-authors are like drill sergeants, potty mouthed and serving their message with no frills attached. I looked at the back and there was a photo of two typically attractive Los Angeles girls; one a nutritionist and the other a former Ford modeling scout interested in everything.
I thought, well this book should be entertaining and justified the potentially pedestrian reading material with the guilty pleasure my girlfriends indulge in when they buy People Magazine for flights and road trips. I quickly pulled a copy of The Economist from the magazine rack to help disguise my shame and paid my $15 while laughing (defense mechanism) to myself.
As I read the book, I was surprised the content was actually very informative. The authors were surfacing issues relating to animal cruelty, hormones and toxins present in non-organic food, and how government institutions are in cahoots with big brand food and drug industries. I flipped to the back cover of the book again; these ladies give a dime about environment and politics? I was impressed. I had judged the book and the authors by their covers and ironically was very pleased with my purchase. Save the drill sergeant vernacular, the book was excellent and I finished it during my 13 hour flight back to Beijing.
{I’m a slow reader, so 200 pages in 13 hours to me deserves a gold star.}
At the end of the book, the authors reveal how titling the book was part of their marketing strategy and people should focus on the beauty from inside out. Brilliant marketing, especially because I believe the book’s content is truly food for the mind. A lot of people who focus primarily on their physique could use a few gems Skinny Bitch has to offer.
I’d go vegan if I didn’t just love a rack of lamb encrusted with herbs, salts and pepper! I will say that the book has helped me to read labels even more than before and to ignore the calories. I love vegetables, but now I’m eating more fruit. I’ll save the meat for when I dine out, but love cooking vegetables and tofu at home especially since cooking Chinese style makes it so easy! I love that the authors tell you to eat whatever you like just as long as you remember that you are what you eat, so inform yourself by learning more about what you put in your body. The ethics of eating meat are simply a judgment call we all have to make on our own.
In SFO airport, I stopped by the bookstore before heading to security check. I had an itch to spend $15 I suppose. I picked up this book Skinny Bitch and thought it had to be the most extreme attitude of weight loss I’d encountered and while I’m on my workout kick I was curious to read what they had to say. I read the first three pages easily while chuckling to myself. The co-authors are like drill sergeants, potty mouthed and serving their message with no frills attached. I looked at the back and there was a photo of two typically attractive Los Angeles girls; one a nutritionist and the other a former Ford modeling scout interested in everything.
I thought, well this book should be entertaining and justified the potentially pedestrian reading material with the guilty pleasure my girlfriends indulge in when they buy People Magazine for flights and road trips. I quickly pulled a copy of The Economist from the magazine rack to help disguise my shame and paid my $15 while laughing (defense mechanism) to myself.
As I read the book, I was surprised the content was actually very informative. The authors were surfacing issues relating to animal cruelty, hormones and toxins present in non-organic food, and how government institutions are in cahoots with big brand food and drug industries. I flipped to the back cover of the book again; these ladies give a dime about environment and politics? I was impressed. I had judged the book and the authors by their covers and ironically was very pleased with my purchase. Save the drill sergeant vernacular, the book was excellent and I finished it during my 13 hour flight back to Beijing.
{I’m a slow reader, so 200 pages in 13 hours to me deserves a gold star.}
At the end of the book, the authors reveal how titling the book was part of their marketing strategy and people should focus on the beauty from inside out. Brilliant marketing, especially because I believe the book’s content is truly food for the mind. A lot of people who focus primarily on their physique could use a few gems Skinny Bitch has to offer.
I’d go vegan if I didn’t just love a rack of lamb encrusted with herbs, salts and pepper! I will say that the book has helped me to read labels even more than before and to ignore the calories. I love vegetables, but now I’m eating more fruit. I’ll save the meat for when I dine out, but love cooking vegetables and tofu at home especially since cooking Chinese style makes it so easy! I love that the authors tell you to eat whatever you like just as long as you remember that you are what you eat, so inform yourself by learning more about what you put in your body. The ethics of eating meat are simply a judgment call we all have to make on our own.
Read
December 27, 2007my lovely, trim, glamorous little sister received this book as a Christmas gift this year. its suspicious cover and title got the better of me, and i tore through the text in no more than two hours and needing a paper bag to breathe into. it was almost exactly what i expected. the emotionally and mentally abusive text - replete with cussing and pejoratives at least 4x per page - is nothing more than an obvious promotion of veganism. while i haven't anything against choosing to eat however one would like, what alarms me is the seductive manner this book immediately fashions itself to be - the chick-lit looking cover with the starred "#1 New York Times Best Seller!" gives it off like some trendy book about health choices told through singleton-esque faux-witted tones. what the book actually contains is a violent script calling women "fat pigs" and "slobs" as well as "pussies" for eating meat products, drinking alcohol, milk, coffee, soda, and basically anything short of water and eating only what has naturally fallen off a tree limb. i would have been more impressed had the women hand-written it on dead bark.
an entire chapter was tugged from Eisnitz' "Slaughterhouse" - it includes excerpts from interviews with slaughterhouse workers describing in horrid detail the gravest of their sins. it claims, thusly, that eating meat is like eating anger, fear and terror.
tough-love this most certainly is not. if eating figs and berries is a call to love and saving the world one bite at a time, these women shouldn't be filled with such bile and spite.
an entire chapter was tugged from Eisnitz' "Slaughterhouse" - it includes excerpts from interviews with slaughterhouse workers describing in horrid detail the gravest of their sins. it claims, thusly, that eating meat is like eating anger, fear and terror.
tough-love this most certainly is not. if eating figs and berries is a call to love and saving the world one bite at a time, these women shouldn't be filled with such bile and spite.
December 5, 2013
This book provides an excellent representation of the problems with American culture convincing women to declare war on their bodies. Chapter 1: "Healthy =skinny. Unhealthy = fat." No, I don't think that obesity is acceptable, but at 5' 10" women should weigh more than 120 lbs if they want to be considered healthy. And one of these authors has a degree in Holistic Nutrition? Oh wait, they're both models.
There are a few valuable facts, but you have to dig them out from the vulgar, angry accusations. This book encourages an extremely unhealthy, unhappy, negative relationship with food. If you want to be healthy, cook-- don't microwave-- your meals, hit the gym or go for a walk, and adopt moderation into your lifestyle. Skinny Bitch does not encourage moderation; it encourages obsession.
There are a few valuable facts, but you have to dig them out from the vulgar, angry accusations. This book encourages an extremely unhealthy, unhappy, negative relationship with food. If you want to be healthy, cook-- don't microwave-- your meals, hit the gym or go for a walk, and adopt moderation into your lifestyle. Skinny Bitch does not encourage moderation; it encourages obsession.
May 25, 2008
This book changed my life. I was a vegetarian before I read it, and it made me understand my body and the vitamins and nutrients that I need to function. It is loaded with motivation and information. Anyone who wants to sit around bitching about the "language" ..is a complete moron. I mean, really? Why would you pick up a book titled "skinny bitch"...and then complain about the language?...
January 11, 2008
I think I liked French Women Don't Get Fat, better, simply because I'm not sure I would like either of these girls. Granted, I'm already not a meat-eater, and they do bring about some interesting points, etc. I would LOVE to stop wearing leather and drinking milk, eating butter and cheese, I even tried, inspired by this book (not to stop wearing leather, baby steps...)but to be vegan. Here's what I found: I'd rather not eat. Ie: I'd rather starve myself. I never felt full, and, unless I had an hour to devote to preparing pasta, sauteed veggies and bred with olive oil, I didn't eat. Try to be vegan and make a quick thirty minute snack...vegan cheese sucks and it is not alvacado season and the night I decided to throw in the towel I had macaroni and cheese, green beans with butter and corn bread. Know why? Because that's what I like.
My decision to read this book was largely based on watching No Country for Old Men. I saw the guy get shot in the head with a cow stunner and just really lost it. Yes, that's awful. That's why I don't eat meat, and yes, I believe these two ladies when they say there's puss in milk. I'd believe almost anything about mistreatmetn of animals because it's pretty gastly in those slaughter houses.
But, I do not believe restriction and deprication is a plausible means for weight loss. That's called annorexia and I think it's going to give millions of girls a little bit of brain muscle behind their anxieties so they can further mask their relunctance to put a calorie in their face.
Knowledge is always good, but this book is a real how to for food avoidance, which most thirteen year-old girls are pretty good out without help...so are some twenty-something year-old girls. Raise your hand if you don't like "carbs" or you're not a beer drinker? Or maybe you don't like chocolate, sweets? See people, that's the funny thing about food--it's diverse. Don't like chocolate? Fine, but what are the chances you don't like pie or creme brulee, either? Sweets are treats for a reason and no, I don't believe it when you tell me you don't like it.
Instead, I think the French approch is best: eat thoughtfully, use your head, but extremes are never good, nor are they likely to work long-term. If you really become a master of deprivation then you're always going to be that weird-o that eats of your friends plates, snagging fries and dipping them in in and out shakes when nobody is looking. Don't want to hurt animals? Me either. And, if you're really not wearing leather and in it to win it and that's your life, I wish you the best and actually respect that, but this is a very slippery slope. Ultimately I felt like these girls were playing the ends against the middle: "eating too much of anything is unhealthy," but then they're telling us to pig out on nuts, alvacado and the like...that's still eating "an abundance" of something...the best is to be a concious eater, not hungry, pissed off and, let's face it, poorly dressed. This should not be a diet, it should be a very thought-out, careful decision, not a new reason not to eat or heavily restrict what you do eat.
My decision to read this book was largely based on watching No Country for Old Men. I saw the guy get shot in the head with a cow stunner and just really lost it. Yes, that's awful. That's why I don't eat meat, and yes, I believe these two ladies when they say there's puss in milk. I'd believe almost anything about mistreatmetn of animals because it's pretty gastly in those slaughter houses.
But, I do not believe restriction and deprication is a plausible means for weight loss. That's called annorexia and I think it's going to give millions of girls a little bit of brain muscle behind their anxieties so they can further mask their relunctance to put a calorie in their face.
Knowledge is always good, but this book is a real how to for food avoidance, which most thirteen year-old girls are pretty good out without help...so are some twenty-something year-old girls. Raise your hand if you don't like "carbs" or you're not a beer drinker? Or maybe you don't like chocolate, sweets? See people, that's the funny thing about food--it's diverse. Don't like chocolate? Fine, but what are the chances you don't like pie or creme brulee, either? Sweets are treats for a reason and no, I don't believe it when you tell me you don't like it.
Instead, I think the French approch is best: eat thoughtfully, use your head, but extremes are never good, nor are they likely to work long-term. If you really become a master of deprivation then you're always going to be that weird-o that eats of your friends plates, snagging fries and dipping them in in and out shakes when nobody is looking. Don't want to hurt animals? Me either. And, if you're really not wearing leather and in it to win it and that's your life, I wish you the best and actually respect that, but this is a very slippery slope. Ultimately I felt like these girls were playing the ends against the middle: "eating too much of anything is unhealthy," but then they're telling us to pig out on nuts, alvacado and the like...that's still eating "an abundance" of something...the best is to be a concious eater, not hungry, pissed off and, let's face it, poorly dressed. This should not be a diet, it should be a very thought-out, careful decision, not a new reason not to eat or heavily restrict what you do eat.
July 1, 2017
EDIT:
Read one more page, and I found out that girls who wanna be "skinny bitches" can't drink coffee either. Plus, if you do drink it, you'll have a bad breath.
Oh, I'm sorry, does the thootpaste make you fat too?
---------------------------------
Had to make a special shelf for this book.
"Burn it" seemed good.
I only read the first few pages, and what I have to say that NO WOMAN EVER SHOULD READ THIS CRAP.
I myself am not a bigger girl, but I decided to pick this book up, hoping to learn how to be even healthier.
What I got is authors calling me a fat pig! I'm not even kidding.
They started off by saying that girls should stop smoking (okay), because that's for losers. Then girls shouldn't drink alcohol because, even though that might give them confidence with guys, no guy will ever talk to them cuz they're fat. And if we don't wanna listen to the author's advice, fineeee, have a good life being fat bloated pig.
Exact words.
I don't wanna live in this bookish world anymore.
Read one more page, and I found out that girls who wanna be "skinny bitches" can't drink coffee either. Plus, if you do drink it, you'll have a bad breath.
Oh, I'm sorry, does the thootpaste make you fat too?
---------------------------------
Had to make a special shelf for this book.
"Burn it" seemed good.
I only read the first few pages, and what I have to say that NO WOMAN EVER SHOULD READ THIS CRAP.
I myself am not a bigger girl, but I decided to pick this book up, hoping to learn how to be even healthier.
What I got is authors calling me a fat pig! I'm not even kidding.
They started off by saying that girls should stop smoking (okay), because that's for losers. Then girls shouldn't drink alcohol because, even though that might give them confidence with guys, no guy will ever talk to them cuz they're fat. And if we don't wanna listen to the author's advice, fineeee, have a good life being fat bloated pig.
Exact words.
I don't wanna live in this bookish world anymore.
October 18, 2009
Funny, at first. I took the crass method of delivery to be humorous, in-your-face, no-holds-barred satire. The writing style reminded me of the website "Smart Bitches Love Trashy Books." The authors' outline ingredients--approved by the FDA--in our food that are known (KNOWN!) to be bad for us. Case in point, Aspartame--the sweetener in some diet sodas--turns into formaldehyde inside our bodies. How gross is that? Did you know Aspartame was denied approval 8 times? Founder of Aspartame, G.D. Searle, continued to push it overlooking reports from neuroscientists and researchers that stated it was dangerous. In 1996 the corrupt FDA approved it for consumption--without restrictions--knowing there are 92 different symptoms that result from ingesting Aspartame. There are Aspartame Victim Support Groups because so many have been sickened from it. Here are a few of the effects: memory loss, nerve cell damage, migraines, reproductive disorders, mental confusion, brain lesions, blindness, joint pain, Alzheimer's, bloating, nervous system disorders, hair loss, food cravings and weight gain. Hold on! Aspartame is also in NutraSweet and Equal!
What about Splenda? The FDA says it is safe for us because it is 98% pure. The FDA acknowledges that the remaining 2% contain small amounts of heavy metals like methonal and arsenic, but what they heck, eat up!
This is all mentioned in Chapter 3, Sugar is the Devil. Frankly, I've read the same information in Suzanne Somers' "Breakthrough," Ray Kurzweil's "Fantastic Voyage" and a few other health books, but I had to read a whole lot of other data. I found Smart Bitches more direct, short and not "sugar" coated. The book is only 224 pages! I looked at it like a "cliff note" compared to other health books I've read, and this was done in a light-hearted (satirical) method.
Smart Bitches talks about the United States farming methods, slaughterhouses, milk industry and the widespread corruption within our government to include the EPA, FDA, USDA, and Congress. They lay it out there in plain, simple terms calling the reader a dumb ass if a a person is aware of the harmful affects and continues to ignore it then is baffled when they are sick, unhealthy, overweight. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....
The authors' mention the widespread corruption in our school lunch programs. Non-profit organizations, parents, and other groups have been trying to get healthier school meals inside our schools, but the USDA is heavily "supported" by the meat and dairy industries, so those attempts have been thwarted from all angles.
Did you know European countries won't accept our meat because of the crap we "allow" to go into it? We don't feed our cows ground up cows anymore, but it is okay to feed our calves the blood of dead cows, per the USDA. How messed up is that?
The book doesn't just beat up the meat and dairy industry. They go into the produce sections, too. Pesticides that have been banned for use INSIDE the U.S. are being sold for use OUTSIDE the U.S. (Mexico) and we are importing the results back into our stores, tables, and bodies. How messed up is that?
We've all heard that Americans are over becoming antibiotic resistant due to overuse, but what is not mentioned (because the meat industry has very deep pockets) is that the USDA allows antibiotics to be administered to meat that we eat. Our meat has become contaminated and--page 45--mentions a link to eating "doctored beef" and urinary tract infections in women. Page 45 also provides a listing of what has been allowed in our meat. Shocking: BHC, DDT, HCB, just to name a few. Just so you know, BHC is 19 times more carcinogenic than DDT, HCB is 23 times more, etc. How messed up is that?
Even the food pyramid was designed to get us to drink more milk and eat more beef that our bodies should be eating.
Did you know that dairy cows that our hooked to milking machines are given treatments for infections that ensue and that is in our milk supply, too?
Did you know that the Horizon (organic) milk is not as safe to drink as is labeled? It's inside this book.
The dairy and meat industry is trying to tap into the organic market. Just because something is labeled USDA Organic doesn't mean it is. The USDA has approved labeling foods organic with a lot of loop holes. Look for certified organic products from non-profit organizations. The book provides a list!
The authors' are not on a sanctimonious high horse. Later in the book, they acknowledged that they, too, drink a beer here and there or have moments of weakness and parts of their bodies are NOT perfect. They provided information to allow us (consumers, moms, wives, husbands, fathers) to be more informed consumers. They stress--repeatedly--to read ingredient labels, trust no one (the FDA, USDA, Congress). They provide a list of foods safe to consume, offer advice for substitutes for sugar and other products, etc. I skipped over their recommended meals because it seemed dumb. They have a section on vitamins, but the book needs to be updated because their data on Vitamin D is obsolete (15 minutes of sunshine is all they say!), they talk about the Bush Administration, so yeah, the book is getting "dated," but there is still a lot of good information packed between these pages.
Finally, Chapter 6, You Are What You Eat, the humor stopped and the book broke open the doors inside slaughterhouses, chicken and dairy farms. It was heartbreaking. In the United States, Congress implemented the "Humane Slaughter Act" but it excluded chickens and turkeys. Why?
Clearly, there is evidence that people need to be held accountable for their actions. The authors' quote a book Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz, the chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association, who interviewed workers in the U.S. Here are a few quotes that begin on page 69 in Smart Bitches :
"I seen them take those stunners--they're about as long as a yard stick--and shove it up the hog's ass...they do it with cows, too...And their ear, their eyes, down their throat...They'll be squealing and they'll just shove it right down there."
"Hogs get stressed out pretty easy. If you prod them too much they have heart attacks. If you get a hog in a chute that's had the shit prodded out of him and has a heart attack or refuses to move, you take a meat hook and hook it into his bunghole (anus). You're dragging these hogs alive, and a lot of times the meat hook rips out of the bunghole. I've seen hams--thighs--completely ripped open. I've also seen intestines come out. If the hog collapses near the front of the chute, you shove the meat hook into his cheek and drag him forward."
"Or in their mouth. The roof of their mouth. And they're still alive."
"Pigs on the kill floor have come up and nuzzled me like a puppy. Two minutes later I had to kill them--beat them to death with a pipe."
"These hogs get up to the scalding tank, hit the water and start screaming and kicking. Sometimes they thrash so much they kick water out of the tank....Sooner or later they drown. There's a rotating arm that pushes them under, no chance for them to get out. I'm not sure if they burn to death before they drown, but it takes them a couple of minutes to stop thrashing."
"Sometimes I grab it (a hog) by the ear and stick it right through they eye. I'm not just taking its eye out, I'll go all the way to the hilt, right up through the brain, and wiggle the knife."
"Only you don't just kill it, you go in hard, push hard, blow the windpipe, make it drown in its own blood. Split its nose. A live hog would be running around the pit. It would just be looking up at me and I'd be sticking, and I would just take my knife and--cut its eye out while it was just sitting there. And this hog would just scream."
"I could tell you horror stories...about cattle getting their heads stuck under the gate guards, and the only way you can get it out is to cut their heads off while they're still alive."
"He'll kick them (hogs), fork them, use anything he can get his hands on. He's already broken three pitchforks so far this year, just jabbing them. He doesn't care if he hits the eyes, head, butt. He jabs them so hard he busts the wooden handles. And he clubs them over and the back."
"I've seen live animals shackled, hoisted, stuck, and skinned. Too many to count, too many to remember,. It's just a process that's continually there. I've seen shackled beef looking around before they've been stuck. I've seen hogs (that are supposed to be lying down) on the bleeding conveyor get up after they've been stuck. I've seen hogs in the scalding tub trying to swim."
"I seen guys take broomsticks and stick it up the cow's behind, screwing them with a broom."
"I've drug cows till their bones start breaking, while they were still alive. Bringing them around the corner and they get stuck up in the doorway, just pull them till their hide be ripped, till the blood just drip on the steel and concrete. Breaking their legs....And the cow be crying with its tongue stuck out. They pull him till his neck just pop."
"One time I took my knife--it's sharp enough--and I sliced off the end of a hog's nose, just like a piece of bologna. The hog went crazy for a few seconds. Then it just sat there looking kind of stupid. So I took a handful of salt brine and ground it into his nose. Now that hog really went nuts, pushing its nose all over the place. I still had a bunch of salt left in my hand--I was wearing a rubber glove--and I stuck the salt right up the hog's ass. The poor hog didn't know whether to shit or go blind."
"Nobody knows who's responsible for correcting animal abuse at the plant. The USDA does zilch."
What about Splenda? The FDA says it is safe for us because it is 98% pure. The FDA acknowledges that the remaining 2% contain small amounts of heavy metals like methonal and arsenic, but what they heck, eat up!
This is all mentioned in Chapter 3, Sugar is the Devil. Frankly, I've read the same information in Suzanne Somers' "Breakthrough," Ray Kurzweil's "Fantastic Voyage" and a few other health books, but I had to read a whole lot of other data. I found Smart Bitches more direct, short and not "sugar" coated. The book is only 224 pages! I looked at it like a "cliff note" compared to other health books I've read, and this was done in a light-hearted (satirical) method.
Smart Bitches talks about the United States farming methods, slaughterhouses, milk industry and the widespread corruption within our government to include the EPA, FDA, USDA, and Congress. They lay it out there in plain, simple terms calling the reader a dumb ass if a a person is aware of the harmful affects and continues to ignore it then is baffled when they are sick, unhealthy, overweight. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....
The authors' mention the widespread corruption in our school lunch programs. Non-profit organizations, parents, and other groups have been trying to get healthier school meals inside our schools, but the USDA is heavily "supported" by the meat and dairy industries, so those attempts have been thwarted from all angles.
Did you know European countries won't accept our meat because of the crap we "allow" to go into it? We don't feed our cows ground up cows anymore, but it is okay to feed our calves the blood of dead cows, per the USDA. How messed up is that?
The book doesn't just beat up the meat and dairy industry. They go into the produce sections, too. Pesticides that have been banned for use INSIDE the U.S. are being sold for use OUTSIDE the U.S. (Mexico) and we are importing the results back into our stores, tables, and bodies. How messed up is that?
We've all heard that Americans are over becoming antibiotic resistant due to overuse, but what is not mentioned (because the meat industry has very deep pockets) is that the USDA allows antibiotics to be administered to meat that we eat. Our meat has become contaminated and--page 45--mentions a link to eating "doctored beef" and urinary tract infections in women. Page 45 also provides a listing of what has been allowed in our meat. Shocking: BHC, DDT, HCB, just to name a few. Just so you know, BHC is 19 times more carcinogenic than DDT, HCB is 23 times more, etc. How messed up is that?
Even the food pyramid was designed to get us to drink more milk and eat more beef that our bodies should be eating.
Did you know that dairy cows that our hooked to milking machines are given treatments for infections that ensue and that is in our milk supply, too?
Did you know that the Horizon (organic) milk is not as safe to drink as is labeled? It's inside this book.
The dairy and meat industry is trying to tap into the organic market. Just because something is labeled USDA Organic doesn't mean it is. The USDA has approved labeling foods organic with a lot of loop holes. Look for certified organic products from non-profit organizations. The book provides a list!
The authors' are not on a sanctimonious high horse. Later in the book, they acknowledged that they, too, drink a beer here and there or have moments of weakness and parts of their bodies are NOT perfect. They provided information to allow us (consumers, moms, wives, husbands, fathers) to be more informed consumers. They stress--repeatedly--to read ingredient labels, trust no one (the FDA, USDA, Congress). They provide a list of foods safe to consume, offer advice for substitutes for sugar and other products, etc. I skipped over their recommended meals because it seemed dumb. They have a section on vitamins, but the book needs to be updated because their data on Vitamin D is obsolete (15 minutes of sunshine is all they say!), they talk about the Bush Administration, so yeah, the book is getting "dated," but there is still a lot of good information packed between these pages.
Finally, Chapter 6, You Are What You Eat, the humor stopped and the book broke open the doors inside slaughterhouses, chicken and dairy farms. It was heartbreaking. In the United States, Congress implemented the "Humane Slaughter Act" but it excluded chickens and turkeys. Why?
Clearly, there is evidence that people need to be held accountable for their actions. The authors' quote a book Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz, the chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association, who interviewed workers in the U.S. Here are a few quotes that begin on page 69 in Smart Bitches :
"I seen them take those stunners--they're about as long as a yard stick--and shove it up the hog's ass...they do it with cows, too...And their ear, their eyes, down their throat...They'll be squealing and they'll just shove it right down there."
"Hogs get stressed out pretty easy. If you prod them too much they have heart attacks. If you get a hog in a chute that's had the shit prodded out of him and has a heart attack or refuses to move, you take a meat hook and hook it into his bunghole (anus). You're dragging these hogs alive, and a lot of times the meat hook rips out of the bunghole. I've seen hams--thighs--completely ripped open. I've also seen intestines come out. If the hog collapses near the front of the chute, you shove the meat hook into his cheek and drag him forward."
"Or in their mouth. The roof of their mouth. And they're still alive."
"Pigs on the kill floor have come up and nuzzled me like a puppy. Two minutes later I had to kill them--beat them to death with a pipe."
"These hogs get up to the scalding tank, hit the water and start screaming and kicking. Sometimes they thrash so much they kick water out of the tank....Sooner or later they drown. There's a rotating arm that pushes them under, no chance for them to get out. I'm not sure if they burn to death before they drown, but it takes them a couple of minutes to stop thrashing."
"Sometimes I grab it (a hog) by the ear and stick it right through they eye. I'm not just taking its eye out, I'll go all the way to the hilt, right up through the brain, and wiggle the knife."
"Only you don't just kill it, you go in hard, push hard, blow the windpipe, make it drown in its own blood. Split its nose. A live hog would be running around the pit. It would just be looking up at me and I'd be sticking, and I would just take my knife and--cut its eye out while it was just sitting there. And this hog would just scream."
"I could tell you horror stories...about cattle getting their heads stuck under the gate guards, and the only way you can get it out is to cut their heads off while they're still alive."
"He'll kick them (hogs), fork them, use anything he can get his hands on. He's already broken three pitchforks so far this year, just jabbing them. He doesn't care if he hits the eyes, head, butt. He jabs them so hard he busts the wooden handles. And he clubs them over and the back."
"I've seen live animals shackled, hoisted, stuck, and skinned. Too many to count, too many to remember,. It's just a process that's continually there. I've seen shackled beef looking around before they've been stuck. I've seen hogs (that are supposed to be lying down) on the bleeding conveyor get up after they've been stuck. I've seen hogs in the scalding tub trying to swim."
"I seen guys take broomsticks and stick it up the cow's behind, screwing them with a broom."
"I've drug cows till their bones start breaking, while they were still alive. Bringing them around the corner and they get stuck up in the doorway, just pull them till their hide be ripped, till the blood just drip on the steel and concrete. Breaking their legs....And the cow be crying with its tongue stuck out. They pull him till his neck just pop."
"One time I took my knife--it's sharp enough--and I sliced off the end of a hog's nose, just like a piece of bologna. The hog went crazy for a few seconds. Then it just sat there looking kind of stupid. So I took a handful of salt brine and ground it into his nose. Now that hog really went nuts, pushing its nose all over the place. I still had a bunch of salt left in my hand--I was wearing a rubber glove--and I stuck the salt right up the hog's ass. The poor hog didn't know whether to shit or go blind."
"Nobody knows who's responsible for correcting animal abuse at the plant. The USDA does zilch."
January 3, 2009
These girls are potty mouths. I'm only barely through Chapter 3 and so far I am very intrigued. These girls know their stuff--it does definitely make you think about what you're eating.
And I LOVE cursing. Here are a few of the sentences I picked up within the first couple of chapters that really caught my attention:
1. Coffee is for pussies.
2. Say goodbye to soda and hello to a sweet ass.
3. In Chapter 11, we provide an "acceptable junk food" list that will make your nipples hard.
4. You need to exercise, you lazy shit.
Four stars for now. Right now I'm laughing at the vulgarity, but after an entire bookful of it, it may get old.
**
Halfway through--upped to five stars. Another great line from this book:
5. So before you say "I could never give up meat", realize that nearly every single vegetarian on the planet has said those same words. Then shut the fuck up.
And I LOVE cursing. Here are a few of the sentences I picked up within the first couple of chapters that really caught my attention:
1. Coffee is for pussies.
2. Say goodbye to soda and hello to a sweet ass.
3. In Chapter 11, we provide an "acceptable junk food" list that will make your nipples hard.
4. You need to exercise, you lazy shit.
Four stars for now. Right now I'm laughing at the vulgarity, but after an entire bookful of it, it may get old.
**
Halfway through--upped to five stars. Another great line from this book:
5. So before you say "I could never give up meat", realize that nearly every single vegetarian on the planet has said those same words. Then shut the fuck up.
September 15, 2007
"Perhaps you have a lumpy ass because you are preserving your fat cells with diet soda."
"So coffee equals fat cells. P.S. It also makes your breath smell like ass."
"If you'd drag your cankles to a health food store..."
"You want to be a Skinny Bitch, not a scrawny bitch."
What not to love?????
The book sounds brainless (and, let's admit, that's part of what got me to pick it up). On the final pages the authors even admit such- that they titled it knowing it would make people pick it up.
But... it's *actually* an intro into becoming a vegan. I would NEVER have expected a book with this whimsical cover to contain such an empassioned call for vegetarianism. The girls are funny writers and total smartasses, but they also know what they're talking about. I learned about the aspartame lawsuits and research that blew my mind.
I was working out (haha) while reading it and then I got to the chapter about how animals are treated and exactly how meat gets from the farm to my table. I wanted to vomit when I read what they do to animals and how mentally sick some of the factory workers at slaughterhouses are (I would recap, but it makes me gag just thinking about it). I can't look at meat the same. The authors quote from another (more serious) book called "Slaughterhouse" which they know their readers (read:me) would never pick up. These girls are *good*.
I wish this book had a different cover (and title), because then I could get every person I know to read it. Next up: Fast Food Nation.
"So coffee equals fat cells. P.S. It also makes your breath smell like ass."
"If you'd drag your cankles to a health food store..."
"You want to be a Skinny Bitch, not a scrawny bitch."
What not to love?????
The book sounds brainless (and, let's admit, that's part of what got me to pick it up). On the final pages the authors even admit such- that they titled it knowing it would make people pick it up.
But... it's *actually* an intro into becoming a vegan. I would NEVER have expected a book with this whimsical cover to contain such an empassioned call for vegetarianism. The girls are funny writers and total smartasses, but they also know what they're talking about. I learned about the aspartame lawsuits and research that blew my mind.
I was working out (haha) while reading it and then I got to the chapter about how animals are treated and exactly how meat gets from the farm to my table. I wanted to vomit when I read what they do to animals and how mentally sick some of the factory workers at slaughterhouses are (I would recap, but it makes me gag just thinking about it). I can't look at meat the same. The authors quote from another (more serious) book called "Slaughterhouse" which they know their readers (read:me) would never pick up. These girls are *good*.
I wish this book had a different cover (and title), because then I could get every person I know to read it. Next up: Fast Food Nation.
January 31, 2009
The popularity of this heinous piece of garbage sickens and disheartens me. The fact that the vulgar languange was contrived for shock value to generate sales makes it no less vile. I will say this without any qualification: If you consider yourself a "smart" woman and think this book is funny, helpful, and intelligent, the entire world needs to re-think "smart". It's about as "smart" as a fart in the face.
And their expose of slaughterhouses? Read Temple Grandin if you want to know more. There have been gains in the interests of humane slaughtering. I bet these two c-bombs wear fur, anyway.
Someone wrote this and got paid for it. Repeat 800 times, then please, pull your own writing out of the trash and keep trying.
They spout idiocy like "Coffee is for pussies". Ok, you two dumb shits (the authors): Women can't BE pussies. Then they say, about giving up coffee, "it's not heroin, girls, and you'll learn to live without it". Um, it IS TOO heroin! Only better. Heard enough? Instead of coffee, they suggest you drink decaffeinated green tea. NOW who's a pussy? This is poorly written, to say the least. It's like someone wrote down and combined all the goofy things my sister-in-law Peggy and my former co-worker Erika used to randomly come up with. Only not as funny, believe me. And skinny bitches? I wouldn't exactly call the authors "bitches". I'll See You Next Tuesday instead.
And their expose of slaughterhouses? Read Temple Grandin if you want to know more. There have been gains in the interests of humane slaughtering. I bet these two c-bombs wear fur, anyway.
Someone wrote this and got paid for it. Repeat 800 times, then please, pull your own writing out of the trash and keep trying.
They spout idiocy like "Coffee is for pussies". Ok, you two dumb shits (the authors): Women can't BE pussies. Then they say, about giving up coffee, "it's not heroin, girls, and you'll learn to live without it". Um, it IS TOO heroin! Only better. Heard enough? Instead of coffee, they suggest you drink decaffeinated green tea. NOW who's a pussy? This is poorly written, to say the least. It's like someone wrote down and combined all the goofy things my sister-in-law Peggy and my former co-worker Erika used to randomly come up with. Only not as funny, believe me. And skinny bitches? I wouldn't exactly call the authors "bitches". I'll See You Next Tuesday instead.
July 2, 2008
I want to give this book 2.5 stars because I had an equal love/hate relationship with it. Let me start by saying that I was VERY resistant to reading this book. For one thing, I found (and still find) the title to be really offensive. Since I am interested in health and wellness and so many people in my family and workplace recommended it, I gave it a try.
I'll start with what I liked about it:
1) It's a really quick read and the info is easy to grasp.
2) The authors explain the evils of the USDA, slaughterhouses, and the typical American diet. I had learned this through other books like Fast Food Nation, What to Eat, The Omnivore's Dilemma, etc. Those books are a thousand times better than this one, but Skinny Bitch will attract many more readers and I am grateful that this info is reaching a wider audience.
3) The book includes a list of recommended healthy foods, many of which I have tried in the past and actually taste good. Therefore, aspects of their eating plan are more viable than I expected.
4) They also provide a glossary of ingredients to avoid and ones that sound scary, but really aren't. This is helpful when reading labels.
Here's what I hated about this book:
1) The title!! The authors admit that they chose the title to market the book, but feeding into sexism by using the word "bitch", emphasizing skinniness over health, and putting women's appearances in the forefront is tiresome. I think if they had worked a little harder, they could have come up with a better marketing plan. Instead, they chose the lazy and non-thinking path which is detrimental for women.
2) The subtitle says that this is a "tough-love" book, but these women are just plain mean. They talk directly to the reader, calling her a "lazy shit" and a "fat pig". I know some people need a major wake-up call about their eating habits, but this went too far to the point of alienating me at times.
3) This book is all about veganism. You would never know this from the title, but after reading it, you would think that PETA gave these writers an advance. I actually don't mind incorporating some vegan meals into my diet, but I don't like the false advertising.
4) I think the vegan eating plan they aggressively mandate would be hard to fully adopt. In addition to eliminating all animal products (this includes dairy), they also discourage drinking coffee and wine, which would be impossible for me to give up. I don't respond well to any dietary recommendations that involve eliminating whole food groups and occasional "vices". I also think it's important to incorporate some joy into eating and that doesn't seem possible if one followed the SB diet to the letter.
5) Like my critique of In Defense of Food, I think everyone would love to eat all organic food and even some of the vegan foods recommended in Skinny Bitch, but this costs a lot of money. The authors in Skinny Bitch tell the reader to get over it and spend the money, but there are a lot of people living in poverty or are part of the working poor who can't afford to follow this diet. At the very least, this should be acknowledged and if the SB authors really believe in promoting this diet, they should walk their talk and start using the profits from this book to help everyone adopt a healthy diet.
I'll start with what I liked about it:
1) It's a really quick read and the info is easy to grasp.
2) The authors explain the evils of the USDA, slaughterhouses, and the typical American diet. I had learned this through other books like Fast Food Nation, What to Eat, The Omnivore's Dilemma, etc. Those books are a thousand times better than this one, but Skinny Bitch will attract many more readers and I am grateful that this info is reaching a wider audience.
3) The book includes a list of recommended healthy foods, many of which I have tried in the past and actually taste good. Therefore, aspects of their eating plan are more viable than I expected.
4) They also provide a glossary of ingredients to avoid and ones that sound scary, but really aren't. This is helpful when reading labels.
Here's what I hated about this book:
1) The title!! The authors admit that they chose the title to market the book, but feeding into sexism by using the word "bitch", emphasizing skinniness over health, and putting women's appearances in the forefront is tiresome. I think if they had worked a little harder, they could have come up with a better marketing plan. Instead, they chose the lazy and non-thinking path which is detrimental for women.
2) The subtitle says that this is a "tough-love" book, but these women are just plain mean. They talk directly to the reader, calling her a "lazy shit" and a "fat pig". I know some people need a major wake-up call about their eating habits, but this went too far to the point of alienating me at times.
3) This book is all about veganism. You would never know this from the title, but after reading it, you would think that PETA gave these writers an advance. I actually don't mind incorporating some vegan meals into my diet, but I don't like the false advertising.
4) I think the vegan eating plan they aggressively mandate would be hard to fully adopt. In addition to eliminating all animal products (this includes dairy), they also discourage drinking coffee and wine, which would be impossible for me to give up. I don't respond well to any dietary recommendations that involve eliminating whole food groups and occasional "vices". I also think it's important to incorporate some joy into eating and that doesn't seem possible if one followed the SB diet to the letter.
5) Like my critique of In Defense of Food, I think everyone would love to eat all organic food and even some of the vegan foods recommended in Skinny Bitch, but this costs a lot of money. The authors in Skinny Bitch tell the reader to get over it and spend the money, but there are a lot of people living in poverty or are part of the working poor who can't afford to follow this diet. At the very least, this should be acknowledged and if the SB authors really believe in promoting this diet, they should walk their talk and start using the profits from this book to help everyone adopt a healthy diet.
November 25, 2007
Brilliant marketing. I don't exactly know what compelled me to buy this book, since I don't diet and I don't read chick lit. (Some reviewers surmise from the book's cover and sassy tone that Skinny Bitch is targeted to a chick lit market.) I kept seeing the book on forays to Borders, where I seek periodic respite from my high-decibel children and ideas for coping more gracefully when I'm back in the fray. When I picked it up one evening and opened it to a section on aspartame (a vice I have since found it easier to avoid), I was intrigued. The book is more an expose of the food industry than a diet book, but it's more accessible than many books that approach this agenda directly. I'm not sure how I feel about the bait-and-hook tactic; apparently some readers have demanded refunds because they expected straightforward weight-loss advice and felt duped by the appeal for veganism. I'm all for honest labels (and it strikes me as hypocritical that Barnouin and Freedman call for honest food labels when their book's packaging is intentionally misleading). But as a lapsed vegan, I welcome a book designed to motivate readers who aren't already embracing a vegan lifestyle.
My biggest criticism of this book is that it details ad nauseum (literally) what not to eat and offers only a general list of what to eat instead (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans). Yes, they offer a list of approved convenience foods and a menu for a month of vegan eating. But that only goes so far in helping readers implement changes in their own lives, particularly when they have spouses and children who won't happily adapt to a diet without meat, dairy, or refined sugar. Having a family is the primary reason I'm a lapsed vegan--and a compelling reason to resume that lifestyle. So I enjoyed this book as an appetizer and look forward to reading and revisiting more substantial pro-vegan fare that will help my whole family adopt a healthier diet.
My biggest criticism of this book is that it details ad nauseum (literally) what not to eat and offers only a general list of what to eat instead (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans). Yes, they offer a list of approved convenience foods and a menu for a month of vegan eating. But that only goes so far in helping readers implement changes in their own lives, particularly when they have spouses and children who won't happily adapt to a diet without meat, dairy, or refined sugar. Having a family is the primary reason I'm a lapsed vegan--and a compelling reason to resume that lifestyle. So I enjoyed this book as an appetizer and look forward to reading and revisiting more substantial pro-vegan fare that will help my whole family adopt a healthier diet.
September 8, 2007
I picked this up while hanging out at B&N... I was intrigued by the cover and what new crazy "diet plan" these sassy girls had to offer. I figured it would be stupid.
aside from the bad language, this was A GREAT BOOK! I read the whole thing in about 2 hours. I recommend this to anyone trying to get healthier - whether they are looking to be skinny or not!
the chapter on MEAT & treatment of animals made me cry & I am going to be a vegetarian from now on. WHAT?! I know. I don't think the book was "pushy" or offering any quick-fix easy solution to becoming skinny/healthy. most of it is stuff we already know but don't want to do: eat more fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc. they talk about sugar - why refined & artificial is bad & what choices are better. they go in depth on why meat and dairy aren't good for our bodies & why organic IS really better.
I was also happy that for ONCE a book on nutrition also included giving up caffeine! and smoking! and doing a FAST every month or so. mmmm, sounded a little "familiar" already.
seriously a good book that everyone should read.
aside from the bad language, this was A GREAT BOOK! I read the whole thing in about 2 hours. I recommend this to anyone trying to get healthier - whether they are looking to be skinny or not!
the chapter on MEAT & treatment of animals made me cry & I am going to be a vegetarian from now on. WHAT?! I know. I don't think the book was "pushy" or offering any quick-fix easy solution to becoming skinny/healthy. most of it is stuff we already know but don't want to do: eat more fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc. they talk about sugar - why refined & artificial is bad & what choices are better. they go in depth on why meat and dairy aren't good for our bodies & why organic IS really better.
I was also happy that for ONCE a book on nutrition also included giving up caffeine! and smoking! and doing a FAST every month or so. mmmm, sounded a little "familiar" already.
seriously a good book that everyone should read.
July 1, 2008
I read this book while sitting at Barnes and Noble (I refuse to buy it because I secretly hate it.) But I went ahead and read it because I had heard a bit about it and I was curious. Then I thought, huh, that's not worth writing a review about. But then I read a bunch of OTHER people's reviews about it, and now I feel like I kind of get it. All these other reviews were like (read in a high-pitched whiny voice): "Wahh, these authors are sneaky because they didn't tellll me it was a book about being vegan." And, while I am not a vegan, nor do I think the authors are people I would get along with, I'm pretty sure that's the point. Because if they wrote, "Hey, man, this is a book about becoming vegan" on the cover, none of those whiners who read it would have even picked it up. And now that they did, they know things that they wish they didn't know, and they have to feel responsible for things that they don't "waaannna" feel responsible for. For that, I congratulate the writers. But I guess I hate it for the same reason. It had to be disguised as a "get skinny, you jerks" book. And it's a little funny, but it kind of reminded me of the Matrix (the crucial message "we are slaves to The Man" hidden in the context of dreamy dreamy Keanu Reeves and lots of guns and special effects), and it reminds me of why important messages need to be disguised in order to appeal to the masses, and frankly, it makes me sad.
October 13, 2007
Shut-up!
Okay there are some interesting and helpful facts, and the tone is sometimes witty, and quite humurous, but their soapboxes are in a height competition with their horses.
And the brash comments... UHHH, a little brashness can be clever and quite amusing, but these skinny bitches are drowning in it.
When I finshed the book I was basically determined never to eat again, and convinced that everything I was doing was ridiculous. (and I am a healthy, thin, conscious vegetarian). Can you imagine the affect on the overweight, flesh-eating Starbuck's customers out there... Lighten up ladies --- skinny or not, you bitches or a little on the heavy side. Please.
I will give them this: they have some great points, interesting facts, and good intentions, but finding and holding on to these tid-bits is a little like sifting through fuzzy blueberries to find a few ripe ones. Not worth it - just throw them out.
( jumping down off my soapbox now...)
Okay there are some interesting and helpful facts, and the tone is sometimes witty, and quite humurous, but their soapboxes are in a height competition with their horses.
And the brash comments... UHHH, a little brashness can be clever and quite amusing, but these skinny bitches are drowning in it.
When I finshed the book I was basically determined never to eat again, and convinced that everything I was doing was ridiculous. (and I am a healthy, thin, conscious vegetarian). Can you imagine the affect on the overweight, flesh-eating Starbuck's customers out there... Lighten up ladies --- skinny or not, you bitches or a little on the heavy side. Please.
I will give them this: they have some great points, interesting facts, and good intentions, but finding and holding on to these tid-bits is a little like sifting through fuzzy blueberries to find a few ripe ones. Not worth it - just throw them out.
( jumping down off my soapbox now...)
November 10, 2008
Well! I bought this book based on the reviews at amazon.com about a year ago. I wanted to preview it and possibly pass it along to my non-vegan friends if it turned out to be any good. Well, I flipped through it when it got here and was unimpressed and never read it.
Then I saw an article in the PCRM (Physician's Commmittee for Responsible Medicine) magazine, saying that one of the Skinny Bitches was giving talks to White House staffers in Washington, and it really put a favorable spin on the book.
So I decided to give it another try. This time instead of flipping through, I started at the first page and read the book cover to cover! It was great! I loved the drill-sargeant attitude! I'm already vegan, but you know what, it totally motivated me to eat better. I've got 10 to 15 pounds I'd like to kick to the curb. The Skinny Bitches gave me the ammo I need to tell those extra pounds where to shove it!
I think this is a great book for anybody, whether you're vegan or not. It's aimed at women, so they talk about PMS and cramps, etc., but other than that, it's great advice for anybody ... I wonder if I can get my boyfriend to read it. Oh, I forgot, it wouldn't be good if you are offended by "cuss words." I'm not into a lot of swearing in real life, but somehow the way it was written here it seemed very appropriate. In fact, I got a real kick out of the way they tried to cuss and swear us into shape. I loved it.
Also, this was a SUPER-FAST read. I started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday, and I was just reading it in between all my other activities.
And for those who think it's too expensive to eat vegan?
I don't buy it.
As an example:
$4.79 - 2 pounds Organic Brown Rice
(19 servings)
$3.50 - 2 pounds Organic Black-Eyed Peas
$10.00 - 2 pounds organic green salad from Farmer's Market
$5.00 - Ingredients for homemade cornbread
For about $25 you can serve 19 people, which is about $1.30 per meal.
Organic, vegan, delicious!
Then I saw an article in the PCRM (Physician's Commmittee for Responsible Medicine) magazine, saying that one of the Skinny Bitches was giving talks to White House staffers in Washington, and it really put a favorable spin on the book.
So I decided to give it another try. This time instead of flipping through, I started at the first page and read the book cover to cover! It was great! I loved the drill-sargeant attitude! I'm already vegan, but you know what, it totally motivated me to eat better. I've got 10 to 15 pounds I'd like to kick to the curb. The Skinny Bitches gave me the ammo I need to tell those extra pounds where to shove it!
I think this is a great book for anybody, whether you're vegan or not. It's aimed at women, so they talk about PMS and cramps, etc., but other than that, it's great advice for anybody ... I wonder if I can get my boyfriend to read it. Oh, I forgot, it wouldn't be good if you are offended by "cuss words." I'm not into a lot of swearing in real life, but somehow the way it was written here it seemed very appropriate. In fact, I got a real kick out of the way they tried to cuss and swear us into shape. I loved it.
Also, this was a SUPER-FAST read. I started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday, and I was just reading it in between all my other activities.
And for those who think it's too expensive to eat vegan?
I don't buy it.
As an example:
$4.79 - 2 pounds Organic Brown Rice
(19 servings)
$3.50 - 2 pounds Organic Black-Eyed Peas
$10.00 - 2 pounds organic green salad from Farmer's Market
$5.00 - Ingredients for homemade cornbread
For about $25 you can serve 19 people, which is about $1.30 per meal.
Organic, vegan, delicious!
Read
March 12, 2008back away from the ice cream! Drop your hands and move away from the "moose knuckle bear fudge" !! I repeat, BACK THE HELL OFF!
HEY! Put down that second bag of chips! You don't need it! Hell, you didn't need the first bag, either. Let's go for a nice brisk walk, eh?
Do NOT stop at the drive thru! All Ronald McDonald wants to give you is a huge crapper and maybe a nice "Cardiac Surprise"! Step on the gas, bitch! Be gone!
I imagine this book to be full of these little bits o' wisdom.
R.I.P. common sense. I will miss you!
HEY! Put down that second bag of chips! You don't need it! Hell, you didn't need the first bag, either. Let's go for a nice brisk walk, eh?
Do NOT stop at the drive thru! All Ronald McDonald wants to give you is a huge crapper and maybe a nice "Cardiac Surprise"! Step on the gas, bitch! Be gone!
I imagine this book to be full of these little bits o' wisdom.
R.I.P. common sense. I will miss you!
May 23, 2015
Sentence: This book is bad and you should feel bad
"You are eating high blood pressure, stress, and adrenaline. You are eating fear, grief, and rage. You are eating suffering, horror, and murder. You are eating cruelty. You are what you eat. You cannot be thin, beautiful with a glowing complexion when you eat fear, grief and rage"
*I'm mentally slapping the shallow, selfish author so hard*
Ok, I took a break from my crazy life to read this annoying piece of shit. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for vegan diets. It's an interesting concept and I'll gladly learn something about it. If you like that too, do yourself a favour and stay the fuck away from the 'skinny bitch'. Stick with Dr. Neal Barnard or Dr John McDougall or whoever tickles your noodle.
See something interesting about those guys? Yes, they're actual doctors who have spend decades on research. Who's Rory Freedman? Fuck me if I know. She's not even on wikipedia (that's low). That's just the tip of the iceberg. A small, inconsequential thing. After all, one can possess knowledge without having a degree, so I won't write you off just yet. But having no qualifications on top of, well, EVERYTHING makes me even more pissed. It made me so pissed I've felt the need to review a book even though I barely have time to sleep and eat.
What's the phenomenon of this little atrocity? I'll never understand.
In short:
- it's annoying
- the science is wrong (or incomplete) far too often
- there's little substantial content (half a book is a filler, really. Just a list of vegan products. Half. A. Book.)
There, if you don't feel like reading my long-ass rant, that's all you have to know.
THE TONE:
Rory, "your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!". Fuck you!
This book tries to be sassy and bad-ass. Instead it comes off assy and just bad. It's insulting, boring and enraging at the same time. Congratulations!
I guess the bitch wanted to be cool, like Larry Winget cool. She failed. Miserably. Do you know why, Rory? Because he was careless, aloof, sarcastic but generally laid-back. Whereas you are prissy, pestering, whiny, overconfident, disrespectful, 'superior' and ignorant.
It's the combination of superiority and disregard for others combined with ignorance that gives you that special 'dumb, self absorbed bimbo at the mall' effect. It doesn't make you sound cool and sassy. It makes you sound obnoxious.
When you speak with such sense of superiority and self-righteousness AND manage to get the facts wrong... I've almost quit on the first few pages. Insufferable.
THE FACTS:
I'm not an expert. I poses 'an approximate knowledge of many things'. However, sometimes I go a bit nutty and start digging.
Some of the facts were just... wrong. Or only half right. Now, I've noticed it at parts concerning topics I'm more familiar with. The rest seemed to make some sense, BUT (!) this is what scares me. Cause if I knew less I might have just bought into some of this... this shit. There's no other way to put it.
She knows nothing, she quotes nothing (no studies, no authorities), and she says things even I know to be incorrect.
THE CONTENT:
Is nothing. Half of the book is some shitty product list. HALF. Like I can't go to a store and have a looksie. You've made me pay for shitty content. And I know why you've done it. You got paid for every single worthless word. Yes, why not list a product, a brand, a particular name and a store. Now repeat 400 times? With all the respect, go fuck yourself with a sharp stick.
THE ETHICS:
This I think she gets quite right. Not totally, but hey. History and morality and politics part is decent. It's even interesting.
However, even that is spoiled with inappropriate remarks. You just can't go from describing inhumanities of a slaughterhouse, diseased animals, cannibalism, mutilation, torture, puss, hormones and pesticides to something as shallow as 'your skinny ass'. There's time and place for everything. And this bitch misses the mark so hard she could be a stormtrooper.
How can you write about the transport conditions, about how (apparently) US has no regulations, so animals travel in trucks full of their own shit and piss. And when it's cold their feet freeze to the floor and then they are just violently ripped off, often resulting in injury. Sometimes even a leg will be torn off. And after something like that you speak about glowing complexion?! WTF is wrong with you?!
No, it doesn't make you sassy and cool. It makes you a self-obsessed piece of shit. I read this, and in my mind I see a blond, bleached woman with fake tan, fake nails, fake boobs, heavy make up, wearing a slutty outfit, chewing gum and rolling her eyes as she proceeds to ponder complexities of life. Such as 'OMG, I don't care my boyfriend's mother had an accident. I mean, she's not dead! And we were supposed to go to this expensive restaurant. How can he be so selfish and, like, not take me! We've been waiting for 2 months!'
*Bonus round! Factual fallacies I've noticed and still remember!
essential amino-acids (aka protein)
This is so basic I can't even... EVERY SINGLE PLANT CONTAINS ALL ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS! There. I've said it. Don't believe me? Go to wikipedia, check the 9 acids. Go to any site about nutrition and start checking. Any plants. I've spend hours looking for a plan that wouldn't have them all and couldn't do it. Even fucking lettuce, damn it.
So, variety is covered. Quantity? Bitch, there's no such thing as protein deficiency. It just doesn't fucking exist (apart from people who are starving) If you eat enough calories, you get enough protein. We need very little. Think about it, have you EVER heard a bout someone getting sick or being taken to a hospital upon which they were diagnosed with a protein deficiency? Eating vegan you will, by default, consume more than you need.
If you don't know that, you're not qualified to talk about nutrition. EVER. Not even with your friends during brunch. Much less write a book about food and eating. Fuck off.
*Read a story about where currently popular standards for protein consumption came. You'll be amazed by the power of bullshit.
Sugar = fat.
No, it doesn't. Fat = fat. Have you EVER read a paper on how fat, sugar and protein are dealt with in our bodies? What differences there are?
Let me tell you, your body does NOT readily turn sugar into fat. The process is not efficient. The loss of energy is about 40% if I remember correctly. And that's a last resort, because first it's simply stored as glycogen in liver and muscles (yes, you can carry a few pounds of sugar on you before your body starts to turn excess into fat)
Fat to fat conversion, on the other hand, is unbelievably easy. And since sugar is the preferred fuel of cells... It gets used up and fat gets stored. This is why high-carb low-fat vegan diet is a thing. Low-fat being a pretty important factor.
Unlike the author I'm willing to link one article (McDougall is solid) and one study.
http://fanaticcook.com/2014/03/24/exc...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10...
(Yes, I actually do read research itself. Not just articles written by unqualified, pathetic, confused 'health experts' on some silly website or in a stupid magazine)
The thing is what sugar?
So
- natural sugar in food (fruit etc.) is good.
- refined, processed sugar (the word processed should be enough) is bad
What does the author do? Put fruit in the same category as white sugar! Now, how can ANYONE with a shrivel of knowledge take this bitch seriously.
The rest of shit she had to say about sugar was also inaccurate (not completely wrong, unfortunately. If you know little about nutrition you may even believe it. Do NOT!)
There's no point in explaining all of that here, just believe me she has very little fucking factual knowledge. She says 'sugar is the devil'. Personally, I thing self absorbed, ignorant bitches writing about nutrition are.
whole wheat is good
Die in fire! This one is less obvious, but trust me. No, it's not better for you. No, you actually can't absorb the minerals from it any more than you can get iron by licking a car door. Your body just doesn't utilize it.
The kind of flour doesn't matter. What does is if it was made with SOUR DOUGH (or however the fuck you call it in English).
Have you ever wondered why humans through the history never simply ate grains, but instead had those complex processes of utilizing it? Fermentation, brewing alcohol... Nobody eats it straight.
Oh, wait, a cow does....
Because cow has 4 fucking stomachs! We have one, and grain contain something I can't name in English. It's bad for us. We don't digest it well (no, I'm not talking bout gluten). We have one stomach so we have to destroy it before ingesting food. This is what sour-dough does.
No, yeast is not the same. No, you can't speed up the process. Properly made bread is healthy. Most of what you get in stores is shit. But white/whole wheat makes no difference. Well, whole wheat puts more strain on your stomach, so there's that.
I could go on, and on, and on. Just trust me, don't use this book as a source of reliable information. Go, read something else.
"You are eating high blood pressure, stress, and adrenaline. You are eating fear, grief, and rage. You are eating suffering, horror, and murder. You are eating cruelty. You are what you eat. You cannot be thin, beautiful with a glowing complexion when you eat fear, grief and rage"
*I'm mentally slapping the shallow, selfish author so hard*
Ok, I took a break from my crazy life to read this annoying piece of shit. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for vegan diets. It's an interesting concept and I'll gladly learn something about it. If you like that too, do yourself a favour and stay the fuck away from the 'skinny bitch'. Stick with Dr. Neal Barnard or Dr John McDougall or whoever tickles your noodle.
See something interesting about those guys? Yes, they're actual doctors who have spend decades on research. Who's Rory Freedman? Fuck me if I know. She's not even on wikipedia (that's low). That's just the tip of the iceberg. A small, inconsequential thing. After all, one can possess knowledge without having a degree, so I won't write you off just yet. But having no qualifications on top of, well, EVERYTHING makes me even more pissed. It made me so pissed I've felt the need to review a book even though I barely have time to sleep and eat.
What's the phenomenon of this little atrocity? I'll never understand.
In short:
- it's annoying
- the science is wrong (or incomplete) far too often
- there's little substantial content (half a book is a filler, really. Just a list of vegan products. Half. A. Book.)
There, if you don't feel like reading my long-ass rant, that's all you have to know.
THE TONE:
Rory, "your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!". Fuck you!
This book tries to be sassy and bad-ass. Instead it comes off assy and just bad. It's insulting, boring and enraging at the same time. Congratulations!
I guess the bitch wanted to be cool, like Larry Winget cool. She failed. Miserably. Do you know why, Rory? Because he was careless, aloof, sarcastic but generally laid-back. Whereas you are prissy, pestering, whiny, overconfident, disrespectful, 'superior' and ignorant.
It's the combination of superiority and disregard for others combined with ignorance that gives you that special 'dumb, self absorbed bimbo at the mall' effect. It doesn't make you sound cool and sassy. It makes you sound obnoxious.
When you speak with such sense of superiority and self-righteousness AND manage to get the facts wrong... I've almost quit on the first few pages. Insufferable.
THE FACTS:
I'm not an expert. I poses 'an approximate knowledge of many things'. However, sometimes I go a bit nutty and start digging.
Some of the facts were just... wrong. Or only half right. Now, I've noticed it at parts concerning topics I'm more familiar with. The rest seemed to make some sense, BUT (!) this is what scares me. Cause if I knew less I might have just bought into some of this... this shit. There's no other way to put it.
She knows nothing, she quotes nothing (no studies, no authorities), and she says things even I know to be incorrect.
THE CONTENT:
Is nothing. Half of the book is some shitty product list. HALF. Like I can't go to a store and have a looksie. You've made me pay for shitty content. And I know why you've done it. You got paid for every single worthless word. Yes, why not list a product, a brand, a particular name and a store. Now repeat 400 times? With all the respect, go fuck yourself with a sharp stick.
THE ETHICS:
This I think she gets quite right. Not totally, but hey. History and morality and politics part is decent. It's even interesting.
However, even that is spoiled with inappropriate remarks. You just can't go from describing inhumanities of a slaughterhouse, diseased animals, cannibalism, mutilation, torture, puss, hormones and pesticides to something as shallow as 'your skinny ass'. There's time and place for everything. And this bitch misses the mark so hard she could be a stormtrooper.
How can you write about the transport conditions, about how (apparently) US has no regulations, so animals travel in trucks full of their own shit and piss. And when it's cold their feet freeze to the floor and then they are just violently ripped off, often resulting in injury. Sometimes even a leg will be torn off. And after something like that you speak about glowing complexion?! WTF is wrong with you?!
No, it doesn't make you sassy and cool. It makes you a self-obsessed piece of shit. I read this, and in my mind I see a blond, bleached woman with fake tan, fake nails, fake boobs, heavy make up, wearing a slutty outfit, chewing gum and rolling her eyes as she proceeds to ponder complexities of life. Such as 'OMG, I don't care my boyfriend's mother had an accident. I mean, she's not dead! And we were supposed to go to this expensive restaurant. How can he be so selfish and, like, not take me! We've been waiting for 2 months!'
*Bonus round! Factual fallacies I've noticed and still remember!
essential amino-acids (aka protein)
This is so basic I can't even... EVERY SINGLE PLANT CONTAINS ALL ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS! There. I've said it. Don't believe me? Go to wikipedia, check the 9 acids. Go to any site about nutrition and start checking. Any plants. I've spend hours looking for a plan that wouldn't have them all and couldn't do it. Even fucking lettuce, damn it.
So, variety is covered. Quantity? Bitch, there's no such thing as protein deficiency. It just doesn't fucking exist (apart from people who are starving) If you eat enough calories, you get enough protein. We need very little. Think about it, have you EVER heard a bout someone getting sick or being taken to a hospital upon which they were diagnosed with a protein deficiency? Eating vegan you will, by default, consume more than you need.
If you don't know that, you're not qualified to talk about nutrition. EVER. Not even with your friends during brunch. Much less write a book about food and eating. Fuck off.
*Read a story about where currently popular standards for protein consumption came. You'll be amazed by the power of bullshit.
Sugar = fat.
No, it doesn't. Fat = fat. Have you EVER read a paper on how fat, sugar and protein are dealt with in our bodies? What differences there are?
Let me tell you, your body does NOT readily turn sugar into fat. The process is not efficient. The loss of energy is about 40% if I remember correctly. And that's a last resort, because first it's simply stored as glycogen in liver and muscles (yes, you can carry a few pounds of sugar on you before your body starts to turn excess into fat)
Fat to fat conversion, on the other hand, is unbelievably easy. And since sugar is the preferred fuel of cells... It gets used up and fat gets stored. This is why high-carb low-fat vegan diet is a thing. Low-fat being a pretty important factor.
Unlike the author I'm willing to link one article (McDougall is solid) and one study.
http://fanaticcook.com/2014/03/24/exc...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10...
(Yes, I actually do read research itself. Not just articles written by unqualified, pathetic, confused 'health experts' on some silly website or in a stupid magazine)
The thing is what sugar?
So
- natural sugar in food (fruit etc.) is good.
- refined, processed sugar (the word processed should be enough) is bad
What does the author do? Put fruit in the same category as white sugar! Now, how can ANYONE with a shrivel of knowledge take this bitch seriously.
The rest of shit she had to say about sugar was also inaccurate (not completely wrong, unfortunately. If you know little about nutrition you may even believe it. Do NOT!)
There's no point in explaining all of that here, just believe me she has very little fucking factual knowledge. She says 'sugar is the devil'. Personally, I thing self absorbed, ignorant bitches writing about nutrition are.
whole wheat is good
Die in fire! This one is less obvious, but trust me. No, it's not better for you. No, you actually can't absorb the minerals from it any more than you can get iron by licking a car door. Your body just doesn't utilize it.
The kind of flour doesn't matter. What does is if it was made with SOUR DOUGH (or however the fuck you call it in English).
Have you ever wondered why humans through the history never simply ate grains, but instead had those complex processes of utilizing it? Fermentation, brewing alcohol... Nobody eats it straight.
Oh, wait, a cow does....
Because cow has 4 fucking stomachs! We have one, and grain contain something I can't name in English. It's bad for us. We don't digest it well (no, I'm not talking bout gluten). We have one stomach so we have to destroy it before ingesting food. This is what sour-dough does.
No, yeast is not the same. No, you can't speed up the process. Properly made bread is healthy. Most of what you get in stores is shit. But white/whole wheat makes no difference. Well, whole wheat puts more strain on your stomach, so there's that.
I could go on, and on, and on. Just trust me, don't use this book as a source of reliable information. Go, read something else.
April 9, 2011
This book was full of fatphobic, slut shaming, name calling, women hating, hypocritical and terrible ideas. I knew I was in trouble when the first page simply states that "Healthy = skinny. Unhealthy = fat." and really should have just burned the whole book once I hit paragraph 2 and came upon the "tough-love" advice that "being a fat pig will hinder you". Hiding your aversion to fat people under the guise of advice doesn't count as "tough-love". Telling me not to eat processed crap and then listing pages of fake meat products and fake cheeses (all chemicals!) doesn't exactly lend to creditability.
I wouldn't recommend this book to a single female (or male) I've ever met. In fact, I'd be terrified of my (non-existant) daughter/neice/any young girl stumbling upon this book and taking any of its advice. Cutting down women for being "fat pigs" doesn't make the authors look cute or funny and certainly doesn't make them edgy, it just ends up being another demeaning and damaging thing that women have to deal with.
This book was horrible. If I never heard another thing from both these women it would still be too soon.
I wouldn't recommend this book to a single female (or male) I've ever met. In fact, I'd be terrified of my (non-existant) daughter/neice/any young girl stumbling upon this book and taking any of its advice. Cutting down women for being "fat pigs" doesn't make the authors look cute or funny and certainly doesn't make them edgy, it just ends up being another demeaning and damaging thing that women have to deal with.
This book was horrible. If I never heard another thing from both these women it would still be too soon.
June 25, 2010
Uh, I don't think so. There is some really great information in this book, but I just cannot endorse a book that tells me that fasting for up to 10 days is a great idea (!), waiting until you are RAVENOUS - not to mention nauseous- is the way to go, and that processed vegan foods are just great. There are a few factual oddities too.
Also, let us not overlook the authors' assumption that if you are overweight, you must have a crappy life, dead-end job, and no man. Ridiculous. The authors urge readers to use their heads- you should too if you read this.
Also, let us not overlook the authors' assumption that if you are overweight, you must have a crappy life, dead-end job, and no man. Ridiculous. The authors urge readers to use their heads- you should too if you read this.
April 24, 2017
I read a couple of mad reviews about how this pressures you to be vegetarian and was like "yeah ok so maybe it's a legit health guide" and shit, I was right. It's fun and daring, honest and straightforward. Yes, chickens are treated like shit and factory farms ruin the environment. Yes, aspartame is poison and yes we are what we eat. This is no frou frou pansy ass self help book to joy and self esteem, it's an authentic look at health and well being! Five stars.
February 1, 2011
About ten years ago, when I was vegan, I remember thinking "why doesn't somebody market veganism as the greatest weight-loss program ever?" Well, these ladies have done it. This book is a 200-page argument for veganism dressed up like a diet book. In a lot of ways, it was just preaching to the choir for me. I already don't eat meat, and I already feel guilty about eating eggs and dairy. I actually had to skip a few pages (which I never do) of heinous slaughter house testimonials that were so painful to read and not worth it; I don't need to be converted to the cause.
But Animal Rights isn't the only reason you should do what the authors say- it's the CHEMICALS! They're going to kill you. And before they do, they'll give you a bunch of diseases AND make you fat. Oh, and the government wants everyone to get diseases and die. What, you don't believe this? Check out the multitude of sources cited at the end of the text!
But wait a second. Not all sources are created equal. The list here includes a bunch of inflammatory pseudoscience-y stuff, and the authors try to pass it off as fact. Almost every page has a perfect example of that powerful manipulator: the confusion of correlation and causation. And general fear-mongering runs amok throughout.
The authors address the reader with many swears, and then in the last few pages they try to erase all the berating with a bunch of feel-good "believe in the power of positive thinking. You rock!"-type material. I HATE that kind of stuff anyway, but it was particularly irksome in light of the drill sergeant tone of the rest of the book.
So why am I even giving this book two stars, you ask? I guess it's because I really do agree that sugar (but, oh, I love it so) and coffee and alcohol and meat are bad for you. And, deep down, I think it'd probably be right to avoid dairy and eggs as well. And the situation with nasty chemicals in our food is seriously messed up. So even though I think this book is a trashy, condescending oversimplification, I do believe that there are some important facts deeply buried under all that nonsense.
But Animal Rights isn't the only reason you should do what the authors say- it's the CHEMICALS! They're going to kill you. And before they do, they'll give you a bunch of diseases AND make you fat. Oh, and the government wants everyone to get diseases and die. What, you don't believe this? Check out the multitude of sources cited at the end of the text!
But wait a second. Not all sources are created equal. The list here includes a bunch of inflammatory pseudoscience-y stuff, and the authors try to pass it off as fact. Almost every page has a perfect example of that powerful manipulator: the confusion of correlation and causation. And general fear-mongering runs amok throughout.
The authors address the reader with many swears, and then in the last few pages they try to erase all the berating with a bunch of feel-good "believe in the power of positive thinking. You rock!"-type material. I HATE that kind of stuff anyway, but it was particularly irksome in light of the drill sergeant tone of the rest of the book.
So why am I even giving this book two stars, you ask? I guess it's because I really do agree that sugar (but, oh, I love it so) and coffee and alcohol and meat are bad for you. And, deep down, I think it'd probably be right to avoid dairy and eggs as well. And the situation with nasty chemicals in our food is seriously messed up. So even though I think this book is a trashy, condescending oversimplification, I do believe that there are some important facts deeply buried under all that nonsense.
January 30, 2008
I thought this was going to be a funny satire on how to starve yourself skinny by subsisting on cigarettes and caffeine, a good technique I've used in the past. ha ha. It's actually made me think twice about the food I eat, where it comes from, and the industries that promote those foods. If I had known from the start that it was about vegans, I never would have read this book but I'm glad that I have.
January 29, 2019
I'm all for eating healthy (vegan if that suits you), but this book reads like it was written by two exceedingly miserable people obsessed with their diet and the appearances of themselves and other people as a way of distracting themselves from how miserable they are. I know that sounds harsh, but it's not half as harsh as they are in the book. It's not encouraging. It's not inspirational. It's just mean. And extreme. CICO, baby.
April 17, 2019
2.5 stars
June 1, 2012
God was this book awful... Just pointless on so many levels...
It is a self described book about losing weigh--promising that it's authors will be helping to guide you through make "educated and intellgent decisions" about food. It comes off as selling itself as a diet book of sorts that will help change your body and life.
It's not that at all...
First off there is a fine line between smart mouthed, straight talking authors and shallow foul mothed bitches and this book is heavy on the insults, name calling and blaming its readers. I have never actually wanted to throw a drink on someone as much as I did while reading this book. Just a pair of shreking harpies--possibly pro anorexia as well.
Now before I get called out for "not getting it"--I do understand the books view points on veganism, animal cruelty and the various problems with government offices such as the FDA. I grew up vegie with two parents very into the holestic movement--and while I did eat meat and diary for quite a few of my adult years--I have recently returned to a mostly meat free way of life... But the condesending tone, the self righteous vibe through the book as well as the lack of any recipes, coping skills for the real changes that come with giving various foods and caffiene, the lack of workout tips or vitamin information just makes this book useless...
It boils down to mean spirited propaganda from two cranky women who seem hellbent on thinking they can change the word by being bitches... There is a lot of great things to be gained by changing your diet--how you feel, learning what you body wants, delicious and simple new ways to cook and dine but this does NOT cover any of that. A list of brands of food thrown in randomly without much explaintion is useless...
I cannot imagine anyone benefitting from this
It is a self described book about losing weigh--promising that it's authors will be helping to guide you through make "educated and intellgent decisions" about food. It comes off as selling itself as a diet book of sorts that will help change your body and life.
It's not that at all...
First off there is a fine line between smart mouthed, straight talking authors and shallow foul mothed bitches and this book is heavy on the insults, name calling and blaming its readers. I have never actually wanted to throw a drink on someone as much as I did while reading this book. Just a pair of shreking harpies--possibly pro anorexia as well.
Now before I get called out for "not getting it"--I do understand the books view points on veganism, animal cruelty and the various problems with government offices such as the FDA. I grew up vegie with two parents very into the holestic movement--and while I did eat meat and diary for quite a few of my adult years--I have recently returned to a mostly meat free way of life... But the condesending tone, the self righteous vibe through the book as well as the lack of any recipes, coping skills for the real changes that come with giving various foods and caffiene, the lack of workout tips or vitamin information just makes this book useless...
It boils down to mean spirited propaganda from two cranky women who seem hellbent on thinking they can change the word by being bitches... There is a lot of great things to be gained by changing your diet--how you feel, learning what you body wants, delicious and simple new ways to cook and dine but this does NOT cover any of that. A list of brands of food thrown in randomly without much explaintion is useless...
I cannot imagine anyone benefitting from this
March 8, 2022
If I were to write a nutrition book, I would be encouraging without offending. But we all know with diet if you get an inch, you take the excuse and run. We want people to tell us it's ok to be unhealthy. These girls don't excuse anything. They are tough and mean, like drill sergeants ripping away all unhealthy vices, getting you to conform to their health code with fear. And like all good sergeants, they do it with offensive language. They even admit they picked the catchy title to sell books. The roughness is a technique to get you to change your life.
The book is left-winged propaganda for a vegan lifestyle. But they don't advertise it that way. They get you in on the promise of a skinny diet. If I didn't agree with much of it, I would have been more bothered by their twisting of facts and words to win you over. There is plenty of evidence for proponents of a meatless lifestyle without blaming government agencies and farming companies. Sometimes when you argue beyond reason, you loose the ground you could have won by sticking to an unbiased view. But I was glad someone was saying many of the things I read. I disagree with some points and I wish they were cheerleaders for 6 meals a day instead of 3 and waiting until you're starving. It's better for your metabolism to eat more often.
This book reached me at an opportune time. I'm already turned off by meat (although not a strict vegetarian) and eat fairly healthy. But I'm waning. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy and I never thought to convince him to the lifestyle. So I struggle with what to serve for dinner. We're rounding on that time of year when my sweet tooth takes control with holiday treats. And in the rush of last month, I was appalled the other day to not find any fresh fruits or vegetables in my poorly stocked fridge. The book fortified my conviction (especially for organic) and left me much to consider in the jump to vegan.
Will I do it? Probably not. I am a firm believer in moderation in all things. Vegans are not moderates. If your diet requires you to take a vitamin B12 supplement not found in your food choices, isn't there something wrong with it too? I was left more with a sense that everything is unhealthy, even vegans (they just aren't telling you). But after reading the book, I read much of it to my husband in an attempt to convert him to a less meat-heavy lifestyle. And I was glad to find recipes and brand suggestions. So you don't have to endure the foul language, I'll summarize the arguments:
Vices: Cigarettes kill your taste buds. Beer (and most alcohol) makes you bloated and messes your blood-sugar levels. "Soda is liquid Satan" causing osteoporosis. Aspartame is blamed on a "slew of scary maladies"; it turns into formaldehyde when you drink it; and it screws with your serotonin making you unhappy. Sugar is acidic causing your body to produce fat cells to keep the acid away from your organs. The scary chemicals in junk food mess with your well being and therefore our weight (including low-fat options). Plus the sugar makes it addictive. Coffee is an acidic addiction with lots of side effects. Drink water (and they recommend green tea and freshly squeezed juice). Stay away from drugs. Masking the symptoms makes it harder for your body to fight disease and chemicals cause side effects. "Suck it up. Stop interfering with Mother Nature." And of course you can't be healthy or skinny without exercise (cardio and strength).
Carbs: Carbohydrates are vital for providing energy to our bodies. Stay away from the simple trash carbs in food that has been processed causing highs and crashes. The additives manufactures put in to re-add the nutrients in the food they took it out of (enriched, fortified) are not natural and our body don't know what to do with them. Stick to complex carbs and get your vitamins, minerals, and fiber. You need fiber to protect against many diseases and of course it helps detoxify your body by keeping it regular. Eat lots of fruit: it tasks great and is loaded with nutrients. It's best to eat fruit alone because with other foods it rots in our stomach before we get the nutrients out of it. They recommend eating fruit for the first meal of the day and waiting 30 minutes to eat.
Sugar: It's addictive and it hides in unexpected places. Sugar cane plant once it's been processed and destroyed causes a list of side effects and makes you fat. High fructose corn syrup is even more processed and sweeter, is more dangerous, but it's cheaper and used more often. They recommend agave nectar (I love it! It takes similar to honey) because it absorbs slowly into the bloodstream so it doesn't impact blood sugar levels the same. They like Stevia too as an herbal sweetener with no calories and no glycemic index, but it is not a recognized sweetener in the US (I hear it can be somewhat bitter). They also recommend evaporated cane juice, sucanat (pure sugar cane), brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, molasses, maple syrup, etc. Still go easy on the sweeteners, but use a better option. They go into the history of aspartame (denied by the FDA 8x and only passed through manipulated test results and conflict of interest). I'm glad someone's saying it. If you like artificial sweeteners (very acidic which cause weight gain and nasty side effects) you should read these pages and maybe they'll scare you into stopping.
Meat: According to them, anyone who believes the Atkins diet just wants an excuse to eat unhealthy. The weight you lose is water because your body has to work extra hard to metabolize protein and get rid of the toxic urea from meat in your urine. You need fiber to rid your body of the toxins so you're hurting your kidneys, liver, and colon. Meat is acidic and we can't break it down as easily as carnivore animals. Meat rots, decomposes, and ferments in our stomach until fiber moves it through. Half of the antibiotics in the US are used on farm animals to keep them alive in their unhealthy living conditions. Not only are they sick and diseased, they're given hormones to grow, exposed to toxic herbicides and pesticides, and other toxic chemicals and all of that ends up in our food supply. White meat is just as bad and in some cases worse (more carcinogens in chicken than beef and mercury and other toxins in seafood). They get a little crazy with the vegan sell, but have some good points too.
Dairy: I personally disagree with the argument that whole milk is the way milk was intended to be consumed. I agree with the authors: yeah for baby cows who double their birth weight in 47 days. By the age of 4 we lose the enzyme lactase that is needed to digest lactose, and milk can actually leach calcium from your bones. Milk is full of natural narcotics meant to encourage newborns to nurse. So it's addictive, but personally I don't like milk. And the highest concentration of casein (one of these chemicals) is in cheese so it's highly addictive (and fattening). Those hormones and chemicals making their way into meat, find their way into byproducts like dairy and eggs too. Dairy is bad for digestion and good for disease. I worry about overuse and non-organic dairy than no dairy. Their sell against eggs didn't convince me.
Slaughterhouses: Living conditions are deplorable. All slaughterhouse workers abuse or witness abuse without informing (and conditions are filthy). Because mass production, animals are often alive when their necks are slit, dunked in scalding water, and hair/feathers removed. Contaminated meat/animals are processed and mixed with good meat. "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarians." I won't go into the disgusting details, but if you read it, you'll be turned off by meat too. As they say, closing your eyes to the problem, won't make it go away, but flaunting it in our face with biased hatred isn't the answer either.
Protein: We need 20 amino acids (building blocks of protein), 11 of which we produce naturally, and 9 of which we get from food, but we don't need as much protein as we are told. People of other cultures consume half the protein and live longer. American are more in danger of too much protein. They claim there is plenty of protein in a "vegetarian" diet (one of the many times the interchanging of vegan with the milder term bothered me) such as lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, whole grains, and soy. Of the essential fatty acids, our bodies don't make 2: omega-3 and omega-6 found in oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados (and of course dairy and meat). Hydrogenated oils are oils with their molecular makeup altered which is scary; they degenerate cells, accelerate aging and weaken your immune system. But even good oils at high temperatures cause free radicals.
Government: I'm not going to go into all their anti-government and Bush administration propaganda. They go over the history of the FDA, EPA, and USDA (most notably fabricated studies to get MSG approved and they rip on the school lunch program). But what I will comment on, is that they recommend looking for organic seals other than the USDA's (because the government is out to protect the agriculture and farming industry not health). You go organic to avoid pesticides, hormones, chemically altered food, etc. (they also promote natural beauty products). Their point is, don't rely on the government to make you healthy.
Etc: They discuss food as addiction and tips for your new lifestyle. I love that they recommend fasting once a month to detoxify, get rid of cravings, and give a new perspective. They list what vitamins and minerals do for us and which foods are rich in them. There's a list of harmful ingredients that we don't understand and ones that sound harmful but aren't. Don't count calories or read fat percentages, just read the ingredients to everything. Organic is more expensive, but it's cheaper than the medical costs for bad nutrition.
The book is left-winged propaganda for a vegan lifestyle. But they don't advertise it that way. They get you in on the promise of a skinny diet. If I didn't agree with much of it, I would have been more bothered by their twisting of facts and words to win you over. There is plenty of evidence for proponents of a meatless lifestyle without blaming government agencies and farming companies. Sometimes when you argue beyond reason, you loose the ground you could have won by sticking to an unbiased view. But I was glad someone was saying many of the things I read. I disagree with some points and I wish they were cheerleaders for 6 meals a day instead of 3 and waiting until you're starving. It's better for your metabolism to eat more often.
This book reached me at an opportune time. I'm already turned off by meat (although not a strict vegetarian) and eat fairly healthy. But I'm waning. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy and I never thought to convince him to the lifestyle. So I struggle with what to serve for dinner. We're rounding on that time of year when my sweet tooth takes control with holiday treats. And in the rush of last month, I was appalled the other day to not find any fresh fruits or vegetables in my poorly stocked fridge. The book fortified my conviction (especially for organic) and left me much to consider in the jump to vegan.
Will I do it? Probably not. I am a firm believer in moderation in all things. Vegans are not moderates. If your diet requires you to take a vitamin B12 supplement not found in your food choices, isn't there something wrong with it too? I was left more with a sense that everything is unhealthy, even vegans (they just aren't telling you). But after reading the book, I read much of it to my husband in an attempt to convert him to a less meat-heavy lifestyle. And I was glad to find recipes and brand suggestions. So you don't have to endure the foul language, I'll summarize the arguments:
Vices: Cigarettes kill your taste buds. Beer (and most alcohol) makes you bloated and messes your blood-sugar levels. "Soda is liquid Satan" causing osteoporosis. Aspartame is blamed on a "slew of scary maladies"; it turns into formaldehyde when you drink it; and it screws with your serotonin making you unhappy. Sugar is acidic causing your body to produce fat cells to keep the acid away from your organs. The scary chemicals in junk food mess with your well being and therefore our weight (including low-fat options). Plus the sugar makes it addictive. Coffee is an acidic addiction with lots of side effects. Drink water (and they recommend green tea and freshly squeezed juice). Stay away from drugs. Masking the symptoms makes it harder for your body to fight disease and chemicals cause side effects. "Suck it up. Stop interfering with Mother Nature." And of course you can't be healthy or skinny without exercise (cardio and strength).
Carbs: Carbohydrates are vital for providing energy to our bodies. Stay away from the simple trash carbs in food that has been processed causing highs and crashes. The additives manufactures put in to re-add the nutrients in the food they took it out of (enriched, fortified) are not natural and our body don't know what to do with them. Stick to complex carbs and get your vitamins, minerals, and fiber. You need fiber to protect against many diseases and of course it helps detoxify your body by keeping it regular. Eat lots of fruit: it tasks great and is loaded with nutrients. It's best to eat fruit alone because with other foods it rots in our stomach before we get the nutrients out of it. They recommend eating fruit for the first meal of the day and waiting 30 minutes to eat.
Sugar: It's addictive and it hides in unexpected places. Sugar cane plant once it's been processed and destroyed causes a list of side effects and makes you fat. High fructose corn syrup is even more processed and sweeter, is more dangerous, but it's cheaper and used more often. They recommend agave nectar (I love it! It takes similar to honey) because it absorbs slowly into the bloodstream so it doesn't impact blood sugar levels the same. They like Stevia too as an herbal sweetener with no calories and no glycemic index, but it is not a recognized sweetener in the US (I hear it can be somewhat bitter). They also recommend evaporated cane juice, sucanat (pure sugar cane), brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, molasses, maple syrup, etc. Still go easy on the sweeteners, but use a better option. They go into the history of aspartame (denied by the FDA 8x and only passed through manipulated test results and conflict of interest). I'm glad someone's saying it. If you like artificial sweeteners (very acidic which cause weight gain and nasty side effects) you should read these pages and maybe they'll scare you into stopping.
Meat: According to them, anyone who believes the Atkins diet just wants an excuse to eat unhealthy. The weight you lose is water because your body has to work extra hard to metabolize protein and get rid of the toxic urea from meat in your urine. You need fiber to rid your body of the toxins so you're hurting your kidneys, liver, and colon. Meat is acidic and we can't break it down as easily as carnivore animals. Meat rots, decomposes, and ferments in our stomach until fiber moves it through. Half of the antibiotics in the US are used on farm animals to keep them alive in their unhealthy living conditions. Not only are they sick and diseased, they're given hormones to grow, exposed to toxic herbicides and pesticides, and other toxic chemicals and all of that ends up in our food supply. White meat is just as bad and in some cases worse (more carcinogens in chicken than beef and mercury and other toxins in seafood). They get a little crazy with the vegan sell, but have some good points too.
Dairy: I personally disagree with the argument that whole milk is the way milk was intended to be consumed. I agree with the authors: yeah for baby cows who double their birth weight in 47 days. By the age of 4 we lose the enzyme lactase that is needed to digest lactose, and milk can actually leach calcium from your bones. Milk is full of natural narcotics meant to encourage newborns to nurse. So it's addictive, but personally I don't like milk. And the highest concentration of casein (one of these chemicals) is in cheese so it's highly addictive (and fattening). Those hormones and chemicals making their way into meat, find their way into byproducts like dairy and eggs too. Dairy is bad for digestion and good for disease. I worry about overuse and non-organic dairy than no dairy. Their sell against eggs didn't convince me.
Slaughterhouses: Living conditions are deplorable. All slaughterhouse workers abuse or witness abuse without informing (and conditions are filthy). Because mass production, animals are often alive when their necks are slit, dunked in scalding water, and hair/feathers removed. Contaminated meat/animals are processed and mixed with good meat. "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarians." I won't go into the disgusting details, but if you read it, you'll be turned off by meat too. As they say, closing your eyes to the problem, won't make it go away, but flaunting it in our face with biased hatred isn't the answer either.
Protein: We need 20 amino acids (building blocks of protein), 11 of which we produce naturally, and 9 of which we get from food, but we don't need as much protein as we are told. People of other cultures consume half the protein and live longer. American are more in danger of too much protein. They claim there is plenty of protein in a "vegetarian" diet (one of the many times the interchanging of vegan with the milder term bothered me) such as lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, whole grains, and soy. Of the essential fatty acids, our bodies don't make 2: omega-3 and omega-6 found in oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados (and of course dairy and meat). Hydrogenated oils are oils with their molecular makeup altered which is scary; they degenerate cells, accelerate aging and weaken your immune system. But even good oils at high temperatures cause free radicals.
Government: I'm not going to go into all their anti-government and Bush administration propaganda. They go over the history of the FDA, EPA, and USDA (most notably fabricated studies to get MSG approved and they rip on the school lunch program). But what I will comment on, is that they recommend looking for organic seals other than the USDA's (because the government is out to protect the agriculture and farming industry not health). You go organic to avoid pesticides, hormones, chemically altered food, etc. (they also promote natural beauty products). Their point is, don't rely on the government to make you healthy.
Etc: They discuss food as addiction and tips for your new lifestyle. I love that they recommend fasting once a month to detoxify, get rid of cravings, and give a new perspective. They list what vitamins and minerals do for us and which foods are rich in them. There's a list of harmful ingredients that we don't understand and ones that sound harmful but aren't. Don't count calories or read fat percentages, just read the ingredients to everything. Organic is more expensive, but it's cheaper than the medical costs for bad nutrition.
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June 23, 2023I’m not rating this 😂 I read this for laughs.
The tough love aspect of this is SO toxic and cringy. If you want to be called a fat pig then definitely read this book.
The bottom line, this book tells you to eat vegan and organic. No refined or artificial sugars, meats, dairy etc. nothing we don’t already know but with an added dose of “don’t be a fat pos”. Many with food and weight issues will find this highly triggering.
The tough love aspect of this is SO toxic and cringy. If you want to be called a fat pig then definitely read this book.
The bottom line, this book tells you to eat vegan and organic. No refined or artificial sugars, meats, dairy etc. nothing we don’t already know but with an added dose of “don’t be a fat pos”. Many with food and weight issues will find this highly triggering.
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