Thursday, October 02, 2008

Skinny Bitch ~almost....


My dd is a nutrition student and told me to get this book. It was a quick and easy read and I finished in in one day. Some of the language was a bit snarky. Almost preachy. "You cannot keep eating the same shit and expect to get skinny. Alcohol- fat, bloated pig syndrome. Coffee is for pussies." In the beginning this kind of language was kind of funny but by the end of the book (don't be a cheap asshole) it was tiring. Believe me I'm no prude. I'm from NJ- we put the FU in Fun! But after awhile it was like they were trying to shock or be funny with the language and it just went overboard.
This book provided a lot of great information on healthy vegetarian eating. It explained what the chemicals in our food do to our bodies. What good food does for us. Which things we should avoid and which things we should eat were explained in detail. I really liked this information. It was well written and easy to understand.
Then we got to the part about meat and there was a whole horror chapter on the meat industry. In depth, gross details on what happens to an animal before it becomes food. Totally a PETA rant. It tells you to go to www.goveg.com. I was happy about this and went right to the site for more healthy eating information. I was disappointed because it looks like a PETA site.
I've been thinking about going vegetarian for awhile so the vegan concept isn't lost on me, but this kind of thing wasn't about the health of the vegan...it was about bashing the meat eaters.
I think I'd feel better as a vegetarian because I just can't stand looking at meat. Having to cook raw meat makes me gag and I refuse to touch it. Ever try to cook a turkey or make a meatloaf without actually touching the meat? My family laughs at my efforts.
Skinny Bitch also says that humans shouldn't naturally eat meat. Predatory animals have big teeth and claws to hunt their prey, humans don't so biologically shouldn't be predisposed to eat meat. However if that theory were true then we shouldn't eat wheat or any other grain. Because it can't be eaten without much processing with "tools" so going on the same train of thought we probably weren't predestined to eat it right? If we can't hunt (with tools) meat, then we can't process wheat? Right?
I don't think so.
Anyway it seemed this book started out as a great book about health and nutrition and then turned into a PETA flyer. It would have been a better and more inspirational for weight loss and diet if they left out the politics.

6 comments:

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Interesting. I've seen ads for this book and thought it looked good, but now I may hold off. I read a lot about nutrition through magazines (like Self) and I don't like being preached to. Cute cover though. :)

I don't like handling much raw meat either so I know what you go through while cooking. I just love the taste too much to give it up!

Erica Orloff said...

Hi Aimless:

I would say I am 98% vegetarian/vegan. I used to eat tuna, but now I am allergic, and for the most part I don't eat meat. Like the Dalai Lama, if someone served meat, I would eat it out of politeness, but I don't choose to eat meat or chicken. I don't drink milk, but I do eat yogurt (which is not vegan--though I could switch to soy yogurt).

In general, I do believe it's a lot healthier, but I also wouldn't probably appreciate this approach. I think more an "Eastern philosophy" approach works for me. Most Buddhists are vegetarian because we view the whole planet as interconnected, including our food and animals and thus it is a more ecologically concerned way to eat.

E

Aimlesswriter said...

Sad part, there is a lot of good information in this book. Too bad it tries to disgust us to make a point.

Erica?
Is there such a thing as a good book on Eastern Philosophy vegetarianism? That sounds like something I'd enjoy.

Anonymous said...

Erica, you should try Turtle Mountain's Coconut Milk Yogurt... SO good and 100% vegan (loaded with good probiotics as well).

Jeannie, I use rubber gloves to handle meat - all meat. My family laughs. I REFUSE to touch raw meat. If I had a HAZMAT suit, I'd hang it on my apron peg and use it every single time I had to handle meat/chicken/eggs.

Aimlesswriter said...

Jeanne
Is that coconut milk yogurt gluten free? Where can I find it?

Hazmat suit for meat? I'll take one! lol A big ewwww to eggs too! Who else eats the embros of other animals? >>gag<<

Anonymous said...

Turtle Mountain Coconut Milk Yogurt is gluten and casein free! And deslish! My son loves it. I use the plain flavored as a base for salad dressings and dips. If you Google it, you'll find their website.

:-)

Last Day of NANOWRIMO --- Oh No!

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