☀TheDailyBlah☀

Thursday, July 10, 2008

The best part of winter break, or any break for that matter, is that I can read what I want.

I just finished the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Skinny Bitch is a "no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous". Authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin write in a bold and frank manner about the foods we eat on a daily basis. They make it easy to make informed choices by providing information on a variety of subjects.

I pick the book up for the tagline, even though I'm not actively losing weight, and because I know there are parts of my dietary regimen where I'm lacking and could use a good kick in the ass. Sure enough, the authors wasted no time pointing out that I still eat a lot of crap.

Whether you are concerned about the disturbing trend of chemically altering foods (including the surprising use of arsenic), the devastating occurrences in slaughterhouses around the world, the addictive qualities of dairy products or the countless other subjects that are explored, the authors present much food for thought and do it in a way that everyone can understand.

Some are ones that I would agree strongly with them about ("Soda is liquid Satan") and others I obviously disagree strongly with them on (the whole "Meat is evil" thing).

But for Barnouin and Freedman, none of that matter to them because they are radical members of the minority in this world who chooses to eat a vegan-only diet. No meat, no eggs, no dairy, no coffee, not even diet soda because they oppose to artificial sweeteners too. And NOTHING that even touches or comes close to meat! They're even boycotting "beets" because they sound too much like meats! LOL!

I don't eat fake anything. I think it's immoral. If god had wanted us to eat fake meat, he would have made us fake animals to hunt. Now how about those semi-vegetarians that will eat anything without eyes? Do they eat potatoes? They have "eyes".

There is another big issue I had with this book and before I share it with you, I ask that you keep in mind that this book was worth the read, and that despite my irritation that will soon become obvious, I still believe this is a book that should be read by all.

As a promoter of thoughtful eating and a call-to-arms against blind consumerism, Skinny Bitch is a well-sourced academic paper written in a nasty trucker slang. My issue was the disproportionate use of bad language. While I can swear better than any sailor and don't usually care about the use of expletives in books I read, I found that the language was irritating, excessively used, and distracting.

Worrisome is the chapter that follows the tirade against the average diet titled "Let's Eat". The chapter title is ironic; it offers the reader the ideal eating pattern of starving herself on a piece of fruit for breakfast, a green salad for lunch and a veggie dog for dinner. It insists that the reader will "...grow to love that empty feeling in your stomach and know that the initial headaches, nausea and hunger were just your body's cleaning crew".

The average person could not keep this kind of diet going for long before they find themselves madly eating through the entire kitchen's contents, including the old box of Jell-O powder at the back of the pantry. It's a sad situation we're in when a book needs to add a restrictive menu and promises of "skinny" to sell, and can't stand alone as a guide to eat thoughtfully and respectfully, or yourself and the earth.

Another problem I have with the book is that there is a lot of information about specific foods to eat. This would be great, if I lived in America. But I don't. The brands mentioned are only available in the United States (and maybe in Canada). The section devoted to delicious vegan treats is a complete waste of paper for anyone who doesn't live in those two countries.

I also don't think that people realize that it's entirely possible to be vegan and still be overweight. Frankly, it doesn't matter WHAT you're eating if you don't burn it off with exercise or some kind of physical activity. There is a paltry mention of how you should "go for a run", but it's almost an afterthought. Even after all the abuse in the first half of the book, I would have felt like it had some redeeming qualities if they had put some thought into writing about possible exercise plans, or ways of getting your dose of physical activity.

Okay, so that's a long way of saying I give this book two sugary cupcakes out of five. Those two cupcakes are for the comprehensive guide to veganism (though I still haven't been convinced into becoming one) and the demonstration menus in the back. But really, if you're interested, borrow your friend's copy. Skinny Bitch is such a huge phenomenon that you're bound to know someone who owns it.

Labels: book, review, Skinny Bitch, thoughts

12:36 PM