A Diet of Nuts and Kale?

So I realize my diet may be a mystery to some. Let me explain. I am in fact a vegetarian. I eat a hamburger every 100 weeks for the interest of BOTW on this blog. And I eat a tiny bit of meat when I travel internationally— when I feel it's an important part of experience the culture of the places I'm visiting. The rest of my days, as in 98.7% of my life, I'm a fairly strict veg-fiend. 

I've recently decided to back off cow's milk, and try to source eggs from a local farmer. I am not, however, going vegan, as I will never give up Cheese. 

I bring this up now, because moments ago I finished Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. It was a quick read, one meant to motivate you by scaring the cookies right out of your cupboards. 

I found this book to be: 
20% common sense
20% over-the-top organic label pushing
20% written by psychotic drill sergents
40% reaffirming in my position as a vegetarian

If the World followed their advice, we'd be an army of anorexics eating nothing but nuts and kale. The most frustrating part was, that in their obsession with get skinny, get skinny, get skinny (being skinny is the best, you guys), they never mention exercise (aside from one small paragraph on page 188—and apparently if everyone did yoga, we'd achieve world peace).

Basically what they do, is pressure you to replace your current diet with expensive organic name brands. If it doesn't meet Skinny Bitch approval, don't put it in your mouth. Health is Wealth Chicken-free Nuggets, Now&Zen UnSteak, Amy's Organic Tofu Scramble, or LightLife Smart Bacon. MmmmMmm, now doesn't that sound yummy?

I have been a vegetarian for 5 years, and I have never found a need to imitate meat, I simply don't eat it. No tofu, no seitan, no tempeh, no pressed faux chicken patties. Why fake it? It's not going to taste nearly as good—in fact, it's likely to taste like paste. Instead I replace meat with beans, mushrooms or potatoes. 

I don't think Skinny Bitch was a wasted read. Like I said, it reminded me of the reasons I decided not to eat meat in the first place, and it urged me to be more conscious about the things I do eat. If you're unfamiliar with the meat industry, the unethical motivations of the USDA, and the basic distinctions between phrases like "all natural" or "organic", then I do highly recommend. It is important to know that all food is NOT created equal. 

I do agree with Freedman and Barnouin, you should know what you're putting in your body. But there's smart and there's extreme. And we want to be skinny bitches, not crazy bitches. And only crazy bitches give up cheese.


***If you looking for really great reads on what you should eat, and reasons why you should support the American meat industry, I recommend Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Both are great as audio backs. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. is a good rule to start with.