Carrie Underwood is a vegan. Natalie Portman is a vegan. Mike Tyson is a vegan. Among them, many others have become vegans like Usher, Al Gore, Russell Brand, and Bill Clinton to name a few.
"If Carrie, Natalie, and Mike can do it, I can too, right?”
Everyone has that friend who at one point or another decides that they want to try and become a vegan. I would’ve never guessed that me, myself, would be that “friend."
Behold, "Skinny B*tch." Reading this book written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin— two former Ford Agency models—taught me more than a thing or two about my own eating habits. They advocated for me to change my ways. To change my ways and become a vegan.
Yes, exactly, a girl from Dallas, Texas of all places is, one step at a time, trying to become a vegan. When making this decision ever so casually and quietly, the responses that I received from friends and family went viral saying,
“You live in Texas, there is no way.”
“How could you ever give up red meat.”
“But you love sushi.”
"Skinny B*tch" dumps the reader into the realities of factory farming and the cruel treatment of animals across the United States. While giving insight into chemical additives, like aspartame, the main ingredient of Splenda, as well as the detrimental effects of refined sugars.
It's funny to me how one minor decision of selecting a book that I thought would be a satirical insight on the way our food is made, would alter my view on everything the FDA puts a stamp of approval on.
"Skinny B*tch" leads you straight into the first page with its no BS approach by describing the events that occur in many slaughterhouses across the country that are under FDA regulation.
The book describes the inhumane and unregulated process of slaughtering cows, chickens, and pigs. This factual recount of this process is where I began to realize that I could not finish reading the text. That was reason enough for me to believe that if I cannot read it in black and white, there is no way I should put it in my body.
"Skinny B*tch" is filled with resources; please pick up this book or take a look at the resources that are around you—google. Inform yourself with what is going on in the meat-packing industry and understand what you are putting in your body. Knowledge is power.
So now what? What am I restricted to and what can I enjoy without moral persecution of my conscious?
Vegetarian (n) a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons.
Being a vegetarian can mean many things, as the world becomes more aware of what is going on with the meat-packing industry it is becoming more common to hear people become a vegetarian or a version of one. Let me give you the low-down of what the types of vegetarians are.
Vegan “The say goodbye to everything you thought you loved vegetarian."
Restricted Against: red meat, white meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey, beeswax, gelatin, or any other by-product ingredients
Lacto Vegetarian "The I love all cows milk vegetarian."
Restricted Against: red meat, white meat, fish, eggs
Ovo Vegetarian “The I like breakfast scrambles vegetarian."
Restricted Against: red meat, white meat, fish, dairy
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian “The typical vegetarian."
Restricted Against: red meat, white meat, fish, fowl
Pollotarian “The I still like to quack and drink milk vegetarian."
Restricted Against: red meat, fish, seafood
Pescatarian “The I love sushi vegetarian."
Restricted Against: red meat, white meat, fowl
Flexitarian “The groupie vegetarian."
These are the wannabe vegetarians, they eat mainly a plant-based diet with a few slip ups of meat and dairy every once in a while.
If you're intrigued or interested take your pick, get rid of red or white meat and see how it makes you feel after a week. You would be shocked how easy it is to rid yourself of a few things and how dependent our body has become on others. The benefits far outweigh the cost of what your body craves.
Among many benefits, your skin will clear up, your quality of sleep will improve, you will drop unwanted weight, you will have a smaller risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as help with digestion issues and reduced sense of allergies. There is a real reason to give up red and white meat as well as dairy products. Really take a look, see what you are putting into your body. As many say, "you are what you eat."
