Skinny Bitch

While I’ve always cared about my health and what I put into my body, I recently read a book that changed my life. I watched Food Inc a few months ago and was absolutely horrified at what I saw. I already knew some of the information in the documentary but was blown away by seeing the situations. Fresh off forcing myself to watch every minute of the movie, I picked up a book I didn’t know too much about but had been wanting to read for awhile. Said book is called Skinny Bitch.

I had seen it in the bookstores and heard a bit about it but didn’t realize it was intense VEGANISM! Written about 5 years prior to Food Inc and this whole influx of information we are exposed to now about factory farming, Skinny Bitch blew the lid off the factory farming “secrets”. It goes into gross detail of how cruelly the animals are treated, as well as how they are prepared for consumption. It is definitely enough to turn one vegan. I was literally in tears on one page and on the verge of being sick on the next page. It is disturbing to say the least. But it is a MUST-READ. Even if you have no intentions of being vegan, please PLEASE read this book so at least you are aware and can make better choices about the meat and animal products you are consuming.

I went completely vegan after reading this book for a few weeks and am still living a mostly vegan lifestyle. Organic free-range chicken once in awhile, pure honey, and organic free-range eggs rarely. You can get vegan cheese, veggie burgers, soy yogurt, soy/almond/rice milk, meat & seafood substitutes, soy butter, you can get everything vegan! And they are good! The book, as well as the follow up, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, offer so many awesome suggestions and alternatives to eating animal products. There are also a whole slew of other books including Skinny Bitchin’ and Skinny Bitch: Bun in the oven. They’ll tell you the best & worst brands, delicious recipes, everything. I am obsessed with this franchise! (I should be getting commission for the amount of times I obsess over this to people!)

But honestly, it truly changed my life. I am so SO excited to make my favourite foods with alternatives such as whole wheat flour, rice milk, soy yogurt, soy/vegetable butter instead of the fatty regular kind or chemical-ridden margarine (BIG no-no!), and all the other alternatives! There are replacements for all the regular unhealthy ingredients we normally use. Its so exciting!

Kim Barnouin, one of the co-authors, recently wrote a full on cookbook called Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook which is full of new recipes, brands, alternatives, so many great suggestions. There are vegan cupcakes, pizza, soup, stew, smoothies, cookies, everything!

These books (in particular the first one) are a big wake-up call. I most definitely recommend reading them so at least you know. Wouldn’t you want to know that the USDA stamps items “organic” when in fact they were not produced organically in any way, shape or form? Or that less than 10% of cattle killed for consumption in the US are tested for madcow disease, when countries such as Japan test 100% (as they should)? [Although it doesn’t matter because even cows that test positive for madcow disease are often still sold for consumption in the US.] Or that the FDA approved the use of chemicals that are known to cause cancer to be used in factory farms?

Why is it that young girls seem to be reaching puberty so much earlier, like at 9 years old?! Its because of all the hormones being fed to the animals, chickens in particular, so they grow really large in a very short amount of time, for more profits. And then WE end up eating those hormones and antibiotics and chemicals and everything else they feed them. Why have our bodies built up such an immunity to antibiotics and other drugs? Because we’ve been eating them in our meat since we were children! Its also the reason for sooo many cases of cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and so much more.

Okay, I’ve preached enough. Clearly I’m a supporter of these books and a vegan lifestyle, but I’m not trying to change you or the world. (I’d really like to change the factory farming ways though!) I just want you to do your research and make your own decisions! Watch Food Inc. Read Skinny Bitch. Read Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer. Just read and watch whatever you can and do your research to inform yourself! Thats all I’m asking.