Skinny Bitch (or: How I paid $14 on a crappy book)

I found "Skinny Bitch" in my BF's bathroom, and looked into it. I liked the style, so I got my own copy.

BIG mistake.

"Skinny Bitch" describes itself as "a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous". I expected an amusingly written self-help book about nutrition and health.

I got a flaming manifesto about veganism. Not only is the entire food industry corrupt and worse than the mafia, it is also conspiring with the government against us, the clueless customers, to make us eat really, really bad, evil, toxic (sic!) stuff. Like yoghurt. In the whole wide world, there are only two people you can trust: The authors. (There are several phrases that they keep repeating, especially to finish paragraphs: "Trust no-one [that is, except the authors, I presume]." - "You are what you eat." - "Use your head.")

Nothing against plant based eating. I rarely eat meat, simply because I don't fancy it, but making lentils and chickpeas the one and only source of my protein seems a bit boring to me (at least in the long run). The authors' answer is "Don't be a pussy" - so much for tough love.

I wouldn't feel so betrayed if it said somewhere on the cover or in the introduction that this book was about veganism. It doesn't, I've checked. In fact, the word "vegan" isn't introduced before Chapter 6. Argh.

Some of the ideas they mention are interesting, like choosing unprocessed foods, eating more vegetables etc. - but let's be honest, there's nothing new about that, is there? I've waited in vain for the revelation that was promised on the cover. I mean, other than "milk makes you fat".

Even for a self-help book, that's shallow.

*Paul takes a bite out of a slice of sausage and mushroom pizza*

Well, I'm eating tomatoes. That's part of the sauce. And...are mushrooms considered vegetables? Or is that just the fungus among us? Okay, there's green stuff sprinkled on here...I'm guessing parsley...

Yeah, I'm eating healthy!

I'd think oregano would be more likely, or basil for that matter

I had cottage cheese today, and a yoghurt, and when I had dinner, I actually threw some meat into the bargain. Drag me to hell, will ya?

So, if someone has recommendations for books about healthy eating that are actually worth their money... Oh, wait, am I imagining the impossible again?

...and now I am realizing that their tactics actually work. I've just been to the supermarket to stock up after the holiday feasting, and guess what? I'm suddenly studying ingredients, and discarding anything that contains high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, anything with more than five syllables that sounds vaguely Latin and saturated fats.

Oh god, am I becoming a "picky bitch"? (Since I am by no means skinny, that would be the term to choose...)

Hi laura. This sounds like an ideal time for the library, or extensive bookshop browsing, then buying 2nd hand on ebay if youre unsure. Btw, low fat milk actualy removes fat from the body, so is an aid to healthy living. Best way to eat well is cook your own. If youre busy, try jamie oliver's new book, or watch it on youtube- 3 or 4 course meals prepped and cooked in 30 mins- "jamie's 30 minute meals". That'll avoid processed stuff. Loose weight? Less carbs, have soup once a day (stays in the stomach longer than same weight of food and water eaten separatly, so one's fuller longer, so eats less), and take a bit more exercise. Obviously today ive dined off 2 packets of crisps and half a packet of choc biscuits.

Sounds....err....like an interesting read? The author sounds like a conspiracy theorist. Sure, meat processing plants can be disgusting (not all of them, but have any of you real The Jungle by Sinclair Lewis? It's an older book about the meat-packaging industry, but it gets a bit...err.....descriptive)

I happen to be vegetarian because my mother is a traditional Hindu and I was raised that way. Now, I'm just vegetarian because I'm used to it and don't really want to change. But at the same time, my body reacted horribly when I accidentally ate meat for the first time-I vomited for 24 hours straight. So I want to fix that, and since I want to ultimately go to Japan (or anywhere in East Asia, really), I figure I probably need to get used to it anyways.

But vegan? I definitely can't do that. I love my milk, cheese, and yogurt too much for that.