Skinny Bitch is a no-nonsense look at eating (and going green). While I didn’t realize that intent was to persuade readers to not only become vegetarian but also vegan, I must say I am impressed with how persuasive the book is.
I have never once heard a vegetarian articulate why they eat the way they do in a manner that made me think even for a second that it really was in any way worthwhile. This book did that for me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not rushing out to become a vegan or vegetarian but I am mulling over this information and trying to be thoughtful about what I put into my body. That feels good. And I think I’m probably in a better position to make healthier decisions now than in any other point in my life. I really enjoy going to the gym and working out 4+ days a week, so in keeping with that I’m also trying to fuel my body with the healthy things it needs.
This book made me realize that much of what we consider healthy also has a lot of unhealthy that goes along with it. Its appalling. Its ridiculous that companies and governments can get away with this. But they can. And the bottom line is, we have to think for ourselves and choose for ourselves.
I think for so long we do what we do because that was the way it was always done (cleaning the counter with chemicals, buying the baby shampoo our parents did). We think ‘these products must be good because these people are allowed to sell them here right?’ Not necessarily. This book points out how incestuous the relationship between government agencies and these large companies are. With all of these chemicals, hormones and other toxic substances we put on/into our bodies, it really is no surprise that cancer and other diseases are rampant in our society...
Here are some things I learned.
Be Forewarned! Some of this stuff is gross!Coffee- the body produces fat cells to protect its organs from the acid in coffee
- coffee is most often grown with pesticides
- caffeine affects every organ of the body
Sugar
The best alternative available in the US is agave nectar.
Stevia is not approved in the US but has been used in Japan and S. America for centuries even though it has antimicrobial properties, has no calories, no glycemic index and is safe for diabetics
Aspartame
- turns to formaldehyde in the body
- when paired with carbs it causes the brain to slow down production of seratonin (which makes you happy and balanced when at normal levels)
Aspartame (in NutraSweet & Equal)
- Approval was denied 8 times in 1973
- Despite misgivings of scientists at FDA it was approved in 1974
- Asked to undergo review process before aspartame was allowed into dry foods
- In 1977 FDA asked US attorney general to take G.D. Searle to court for misrepresenting research on aspartame. US Attorney General left his post, statue of limitations ran out—and he went to work for Searle’s law firm
- 1981 a new FDA Commissioner was appointed and 3 out of 6 scientists voted against approval the Commissioner overruled and allowed aspartame into limited number of dry goods then in 83 into beverages even when National Soft Drink Association asked for more research. Hayes, the Commissioner, left “amid charges of impropriety” and he to went to work as a consultant for Searle.
Aspartame turns to formaldehyde when digested.
Saccharin (in Sweet & Low) contains a coal-tar compound
Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar. While 98% of it is “natural” the 2% is made up of heavy metals including methanol and arsenic
Research shows that sugar substitutes may actually stimulate appetites
Protein & Meat
The body needs whole grains, fruits & veggies (fiber) to bind toxins and fat from meat together to rid them from the body. High protein diets force the kidneys to work overtime.
- Breaking down meat is more suited to carnivores who have acid in their saliva (ours is more alkaline).
- We also have very little hydrochloric acid in our stomach which is needed to break down meat. Our digestive track (kidneys, colon and liver) all ill-equipped to break down meat. Our intestines are too long which means that meat rots, decomposes and ferments in our intestinal track.
- ½ of all antibiotics made in the US each year are administered to animals, causing antibiotic resistance in the humans who eat those animals.
- Of all the toxic chemicals found in food, 95-99% come from meat, fish, dairy and eggs.
- Meat contains 14 times more pesticides than plant food
- Dairy contains 5 times more pesticides than plant food
- We need 18-60 grams of protein per day
- People in other cultures consume half the amount of protein yet they live longer, healthier lives.
Milk
Cow’s milk turns a 90lb calf into a 2,000 pound cow in 2 years!
The body needs the enzyme lactase to digest lactose in dairy. Between the age of 18 months and 4 years old, humans lose 90-95% of this enzyme.
Undigested lactose and the acidic nature of pasteurized milk encourage bacterial growth in intestines which increases the risk of cancers (which thrive in acidic conditions)
Humans are the only species who drink milk as adults.
The USDA was started in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln to help farmers organize and share ideas. Now many high rank officials are affiliated with the meat and dairy industries and the scope has changed (a major conflict of interest).
In 2003 only 20,000 cows were tested for Mad-Cow disease out of the 35 million.
NAIS is a system to identify animal’s origins (to help track down if there were issues with the meat) but participation in the program is optional.
EPA & Cows
Cows are allowed to eat corn that is modified so that it is unsafe for humans, and yet humans are allowed to eat the cows.
Rocket fuel (ammonium perchorate) ends up in water which is sucked up by crops, fed to the cows which ends up in the milk. Milk is allowed to have an amount of rocket fuel in it as along as it is within the “provisional daily dose.” Studies in Texas found that every month studied were found to be contaminated. In California, the CA Food and Agriculture Administration found that milk had 5 times the safe amount of rocket fuel.
Factory farmers only have to volunteer for EPA monitoring programs (yet they are the biggest polluters of waterways). Milk and dairy industry contributes $3.46 million in campaign contributions (mostly to Republicans).
Milk contains casein, a protein that breaks apart and releases opiates (which is why babies have that milk haze after feeding). It is found in all dairy products, but moreso in cheese, which means we can be chemically addicted to cheese.
Fats
Good fats we can’t make ourselves are Omega-3 and Omega-6. They are found in olive, sesame, canola, flaxseed and primrose oils and avocados.
Fiber
Found in whole grains (cereal, bread), brown rice, corn, barley, rye, buck wheat, millet, oats, fruit, veggies, beans and seeds
Organic Produce
In April 2004 the USDA made radical changes to National Organic Program (NOP) standards, which made it less strict. And they did so without waiting for the required waiting period for public comment, but rather announced the changes after they were made.
Organic industry is an $11 billion industry that farmers are trying to get a piece of and therefore are trying to get the USDA to change the rules.
The USDA reversed the changes in May 2004 but even when non-profit groups investigated and questioned if produce was organic, the USDA would not reveal public records even though they should have been public per the Freedom of Information Act.
What to look for in buying Organic Produce:
Do not look for organic certified by USDA
Look for Oregon Tilth, California Certified Organic Farmers, Marin Organic Certifying Agency and Demeter Certified Biodynamics
FDA
FDA approved Posilac, bovine growth hormone in 1990, never even having reviewed the findings of the drug company’s test (which linked it to prostate and thyroid cancer). Later link to insulin growth factor, which is a cancer promoter. It is banned in the EU, Canada, Japan and all the rest of the industrialized world.
Ice cream can contain up to 25 more additives than listed without even having to list them (per the FDA)
