Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

I just finished reading this book. It is a super easy read, and only took me three days to get through. While shopping at Sephora a few weeks ago, and discussing how what I eat affects my skin, the clerk recommended this book for me to read. Sounded interesting, and I'm infatuated with learning about nutrition, health and beauty, and proving my own theories about the American chemical diet correct.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about their own health. Don't read this book if your looking for a new fad diet, or a way to get thin fast, you'll be grossly dissapointed. It's about lifestyle changes, and understanding where our food comes from, and how it affects our bodies. If your put off by cussing, or extreme blunt remarks, you also should not read this book. However if your looking for a straight forward easy read that is an introduction to proper nutrition, an explanation of what a lot of common ingredients can do to you, and have it all backed up by research, then this book is for you. It's written like a research paper, and all data is notated, with the source referenced in the back.

An example of why you should read this book. I just took a can of non-vegetarian refried beans off of my shelf, and took a look at the ingredients.

cooked pinto beans, water, salt, partially hydrogenated lard with bha and bht to protect flavor, onion powder, chili pepper, spice, garlic powder.

Most of those ingredients are great, however lard is actually derived from the fat of hogs abdomens, and the partially hydrogenated part is also very bad. Now the BHA and BHT translate to butylated hydroxyanisole, and butylated hydroxytoluene. This preservative can cause cancer, birth defects, and infertility. Yummy.

I have yo yo'd with my eating habits endless times. I have been a total junk food consumer, a raw food eater, a vegan, a vegetarian, and a balanced diet of meat and veggies and fruits eater. My junk food days never last long, as I can't function in life on that food. I get headaches, lose concentration, have extreme blood sugar crashes, and a total lack of energy. The raw food diet gave me a ton of energy, made my skin look fabulous, and kept me super skinny. I just got bored with it after awhile. The vegan, vegetarianism always gets pushed to the side because of the desire for me to fit in with my family, and cook meals that my boyfriend wants to eat. He likes my vegetarian cooking, but I always have to have him taste it, before he finds it appetizing.

I can't say that I will never eat meat, or processed and refined foods again, but I can say that I lack the desire to do so. It's not that I don't like the taste, its that once I think about where it comes from, and how it makes my body feel, I'm so grossed out I don't want to eat it. Believe me I love the taste of a good steak, but I don't want to eat the steroids, hormones, and antibiotics that they feed the cows and that goes into the meat. I also don't want to support an industry that is using inhumane practices and is abusing the animals. I know that doesn't give me good quality food.

The only new years resolution I made this year, was to make 2008 my year. I set out to make myself a healthy and happy person, and to stop trying to hold myself back. I also told myself that I could take baby steps, I don't have to do it all at once. So far, I've done just that. I've quit smoking cigarettes (which is disgusting, smelly, and incredibly bad for you, really, even the natural cigarettes which I smoked, and I've quit drinking coffee. I miss the coffee more then the cigarettes, but don't miss the cracked out jittery feeling it gave me, or the afternoon crashes. Oh ya, and life insurance is twice as expensive for smokers, and you have to not smoke a cigarette for a year to get a non tobacco rate. This month my goal is to eat mainly vegan, and to eliminate meat, fish, dairy, and eggs from my diet. I'm not going to throw out the food I already have, but I'm going to stop purchasing those items at the grocery store, and make better choices when eating out at restaurants. I'm not doing this to lose weight, believe me I don't need to, I'm doing this for my health, because I know that when I follow a vegetarian diet I'm happier, have more energy, and have radiant glowing blemish free skin.

Now, I can say that I'm proud of myself, because I'm making progress, and can see the bright path ahead of me, which before just seemed dark and very hopeless at times.

Bottom line, if you are mildly interested in feeling better about yourself, and improving your physical and emotional well being, read this book. Even if you don't decide to quit everything they say is bad, and go vegan, it doesn't matter. Because the baby steps that you do make, and the small changes that you make, will make a difference.