More from The Skinny Bitch: Book Review, Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps

First off, I want to say that I have never been a fan of the book Skinny Bitch. Not because I don't love a good curse word thrown into any sentence at the appropriate time, but because I read it and it had zero effect on me.

Maybe it was the false promise of "skinny just because you are vegan" that didn't seem to make sense to me, because I knew Vegans who weren't. And I've never been interested in thin for thin's sake. Healthy is and always has been my ideal.

Maybe it was the harsh dissing of coffee, which I admit, I am lovingly addicted to.

So why I agreed to do a review of Kim Barnouin's newest release, Skinny Bitch, Book of Vegan Swaps, is beyond me. I guess the lure of free product was just too much to resist. Or the fascination with the promulgation of this myth that Vegan equals thin or Vegan by definition equals healthy, which is patently false. It's a complete lie perpetuated by large food companies that are looking to replace the dollars they are losing because 1% of us are waking up to the truth about processed food. One percent of a billion dollars is a lot of money to lose.

But here I am. I have agreed and I will deliver.

If you are a reader of HGK, you do not need this book on your shelf. You are way beyond thinking that because a cookie is made with 100% organic sugar and organic flour that it is good for you, so why would you need a list of all of the tasty 100% organic packaged Vegan cookies out there?

Or my personal favorite (read pet peeve): how about swapping butter with Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread? That's sure gonna get you skinny, right?

Now, in Ms. Barnouin's defense, she does say, "Work a fruit or vegetable into every meal."

A fruit or vegetable? one? How about 5?

"KEEP IT WHOLESOME. Your diet should focus on whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruit and veggies. If that's tough to remember, your food should be in it's most natural state--the less processed the better." p. 52

Then why, Ms. Barnouin, write an entire book, two hundred and seventy two pages, listing processed food that lines the shelves of the inside of a grocery store. Vegan or not, who gives a shit?

To be totally fair, I know who might need this book.

I was all ready to publish this scathing book review even against my own best interests (saying anything critical of anyone or anything these days might just get you into a whole heap of trouble), when I had a conversation with a woman who changed my mind.

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