I’ve been trying to type up this review of Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin for some time now. I’ve read the book twice since I first got it and there’s no doubt that I will read it several times more. I just feel like there is so much to learn and absorb from this book. Contrary to popular belief, Skinny Bitch is not a diet book. It’s a lifestyle book. While it can be easy to confuse the two, there is a huge difference between them. A lifestyle book like Skinny Bitch teaches you how to better your health, your body, and yourself for the long run. It’s not about dropping a few pounds, it’s about treating your body with the respect that it deserves. Even the authors admit that the title was created just to grab attention. The book was written to stress the importance of eating healthy and taking care of yourself, not going on a crash starvation diet just to lose a few pounds.

This book is what it says on the cover, “A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!” While some have found their approach offensive and vulgar, I found it to be both honest an amusing. They don’t set out to baby the readers of this book by saying that it’s okay to slowly let go of old habits. Take smoking, for example. They tell the reader, flat out, that smoking is gross, unhealthy, that you need to quit, and don’t try saying you’ll gain weight if you quit because it’s not an equal trade off. They tell it like it is, which is refreshing for a nutrition and lifestyle book.

The book even comes with a month meal plan of great vegan options. Even if you aren’t wanting to go vegan, it’s a great reference point for how to eat in a truly healthy manner. It’s not all salads and not about depriving yourself. Just teaching yourself to make better choices and try some new options. Veggie dogs with vegetarian chili, soy cheese, and vegan potato salad are on the menu. So are nachos made with soy cheese, vegetarian chili, and loads of vegetables. There are lots of meal options, and you can pick and choose what you would like to try in your own diet.

Personally, I think that everyone should read this book. The authors are both vegans and while this does definitely effect the content of the book, I truly think that it’s for the better. The authors of this book, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, are a former model and a former modeling agent. They weren’t always vegan but became so after finding out the truths about the meat and dairy industry, and the health benefits, they decided to give it a try. The book has lots of eye opening, and seriously disturbing, information about the meat and dairy industries that you won’t find many other places. There’s even some shocking information about the USDA, FDA, the meat and dairy industries influence on these two organizations, Organic food laws and regulations, and the creation of the original food pyramid. They did a lot of research before writing this book, and it shows.

No matter what your take on a vegan lifestyle is, I’d recommend reading this book. There’s just so much incredibly helpful information packed in it’s pages. I don’t think a single person could read it and not learn a thing or two about how to change their current lifestyle for the better. Which is the point of the book.