What do you think of the book Skinnny *****?!


Question: I read it and Im freaked out. Do you guys believe anything it says? should I become Vegan?


Answers: I read it and Im freaked out. Do you guys believe anything it says? should I become Vegan?

I believe in some of it, but not all of it. As I said before in a similar question, tt's alright as a starting point, maybe, but I'm not a big fan.

I think it's a mixed bag of information - some of the books they list as sources are far more reliable, like Dr. Miriam Nestle's books "What to Eat" and "Food Politics". She's a much more fair and balanced writer and she is an actual medical doctor - this book was written by a model and a magazine writer, it's not exactly medically accurate, and because both authors are hardcore vegan, they kind of twist the truth (and even I'll admit that, even though I'm vegan).

The language in it is supposed to motivate women to get up and become vegan, to make the change and to feel empowered. However, some of the language in it is sort of abusive, and I think if someone with an eating disorder were to read it they'd be especially manipulated into being even more unhealthy - they refer to the reader as a fat a-word, they write in this sort of style: " HEY YOU! Yeah you, get off your behind, look at your dimpled fat thighs, that's because eating meat turns into nothing but rippling cholesterol and death on your thighs! Look at how fat you are! You're killing animals! You are murderer by proxy! Stop eating animals! Hoorah!"

I kind of find it demeaning and annoying about 2 chapters in, despite how invaluable some of the sources and information they bring up are.

There's some great starting points and some good information. Some other things in the book I found unfounded, biased to the point of completely stretching or fabricating the truth when they couldn't find a source to draw the connection themselves. Having had done most of my own research (but also being fortunate enough to having access to it through the schools I've attended) I know that some of what they say is pure baloney, in an effort to force people into a vegan lifestyle. But other things are totally right on the money.

Also, they talk about how bad processed foods are throughout the book and then in the back of the book they have daily food menus for people to follow and the menus are littered with brand-name companies and (you guessed it!) processed fake cheese, pretend meats and tons of sodium, fat and lard-inducing grossness. And while the products they mention in the back are vegan themselves, the companies that produce them might not be as ethical as they'd like them to be (like BOCA, which is owned by Philip Morris cigarette co.).

If you want to go vegan, don't do it because some two hot babes that wrote a controversial, slanted book want you to. Do it because you genuinely think being vegan will make you healthier, or because you genuinely care about animals and don't want to exploit them any longer.

Also, do MUCH more research, don't trust the meal plans these two women made up, as I said, they're far from perfect.

Oh, man! What a horrible, negative book to read when you have an eating disorder! I'm sorry that you ever found it, I read it once I was already recovered and I still felt triggered. Report It

Maggie's Avatar Maggie
Good luck and I hope you recover, life is so much sweeter without the ED. :) Report It


Other Answers (6)




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  • I was already vegan when I read it so none of the news was new to me. It's just disappointing that this stuff occurs all the time. All the lies, deception, and coverups that are committed by seemingly helpful organizations. The USDA and FDA often turn a blind eye to those abuses and those things are really quiet common.

    It's your choice to go vegan if you want to. I cannot decide that for you but I wish you luck in whatever you do choose.

    It tells allot of hard truth people don't want to see. I suggest reading Vegan Ethics, its written in a more serious tone. Then maybe you can decide if you want to go vegan or not. Remember its a very hard lifestyle choice. And you will only stick with it- if you yourself has these values. Whether it be your health, for the animals, or for the environment. Good luck with your choice :)

    Whether or not to become Vegan is a personal choice.

    The animal rights and factory farming information in the book, while intentionally inflamatiory, is largely factual.

    I'm vegan and I hated that book.

    One of my main objections was to its tone, I kept thinking 'just who the ****do you think you're talking to?' - the authors treat the reader like an idiot who just might learn something if they read on and try to keep up. I also hated the b*tch talk - the sort of sexist language my generation of feminists fought to stop men using against women. And Maggie makes an excellet point about all theffect all the abusive language and the 'look at your lardy butt, you fat ***hole' type talk might well have on someone with an eating disorder.

    All that aside, I'm concerned by its premise; its claim is that as long as you're vegan, you'll lose weight. This is NOT true; even if you avoid junk food, a vegan diet will not necessarily cause you to lose weight.

    I'm also concerned by the amount of mock meats, cheeses etc (ie processed food) they recommend; their menus would have you eating it every single day. While it's fine occasionally, it's not particularly healthy. Having sneaked a look at the recipe book, Skinny ***** in the Kitch, it seems to me a majority of the recipes call for faux meat or cheese too.

    And I find some of their sources dubious. Their thinking seems to be 'if it's in a book, and we agree with it, it must be true'.

    As I said, I'm a vegan, but in my opinion a balanced diet containing a little meat is healthier than the diet this book proposes. I don't mean healthier than a normal vegan diet.

    And they mislead in their claim that the diet will prevent cancer - vegans get cancer too

    Whether you become a vegan is up to you; but if you do it in response to this book, I don't think you'll stick with it.

    Veganism is a ethical choice one makes to avoid exploitation of animals. If you have to ask others if you "should", you will never be successful.

    Skinny ***** is a common sense book worded in an in-your-face way.

    Lo-mcg: "the authors treat the reader like an idiot who just might learn something if they read on and try to keep up. "
    That's because most of the readers ARE idiots who don't know the common sense they spout in the book. Look at all the people who are like "OMG I READ IT WUT SHUD I DO??" Yes, some of us didn't learn anything new in the book, but many did.

    I find it quite offensive.

    I would like to go from veggie to vegan, but this book makes me feel bad about myself.

    It says ''If you eat cheese, you are fat! If you drink milk you are fat!''. Strange, considering I've always ate cheese and stayed skinny anyway.





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