Health & Exercise
Book: Skinny B!^c% - Bun in the oven...grr!
So, a friend of mine thought she'd get me a light read for my first pregnancy...and bought me Skinny B!^c% - Bun in the oven. I've made it three chapters in, and I've already quit caffine, soda, etc. just because...but now I'll probably never go back...and I was never much of a milk drinker...but now I'm skeptical to eat dairy again!
I wouldn't say I believe everything I read, but reading this book so far has made me soo weary of a) ever eating dairy anything, and b) finishing reading it, b/c I don't want to give up everything!! But, maybe it is for the best?
I know they are hard-core promoters of the vegan way, but...has anyone else read the book...discussed with their Dr's?
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Re: Book: Skinny B!^c% - Bun in the oven...grr!
As a dairy farmer, the amount of misinformation about dairy products & dairy farming methods in the Skinny B*tch books really upset me. The authors are a couple of washed-up models with absolutely no experience in food production or agriculture - so why are they considered 'experts' on the subject?
There is no pus, and no antibiotics present in ANY milk sold -- it is tested numerous times between the farm and the processing plant to be sure of that. If you have any questions about dairy products or our production methods, feel free to PM me.
You can rest assured that American dairy farmers work very hard every day to make sure consumers have a healthy, safe and nutritious product to serve their families. After all, it's the same product we are serving our children as well!
Thank you so much for the re-assurance about the information in the book!
It was really disturbing! I already knew I was buying milk (and many other products) that are not treated with the rbst, etc. But, the pus, poo, leukemia, crones, etc... that was described was really nasty! And, the scary part was they did have references (which I had not checked yet)...
I stopped reading after the chapter regarding dairy, and at this point I have no intentions on finishing... I have had a hard enough time eating meat/protein since I've been pregnant - I definitely don't want to read whatever they have to say about meat!
Thanks again for your insight!
I'm glad I could be of some help! BST is a naturally-occurring hormone, and it is present in ALL milk (organic, conventional, even rBST-free) - it's always been there, and will always be there. rBST is not something that is added to the milk - it is a synthetic version of the natural hormone that is supplemented to some cows (in the form of a shot) who don't produce enough of the hormone on their own to keep up production. There is no way to tell the difference between milk from cows given rBST and milk from cows that aren't given rBST. rBST-free milk & products on the store shelves are just a marketing gimmick that processors came up with to get a few extra cents out of consumers (and they don't give a premium to producers for it, either!), and unfortunately, it just has added to consumer confusion. The main take-away is that all milk in the store is completely safe & healthy!
Just so you know, neither BST/rBST cause any side effects in humans. Because of the protein structure of the hormone, it is broken down by our digestive enzymes in the stomach, and the hormone can't be utilized by our bodies anyway.
Books like Skinny B*tch use scare tactics (like twisting information on BST, antibiotics, contamination, etc.) to switch people over to a vegan diet. I know the science behind food production (hormones, etc.) can be scary for people who don't fully understand it, and books like this totally take advantage of the fear factor.
Again, if there are any specific points you have questions about or would like cleared up (from someone who milks cows to pay our bills) feel free to contact me.
Maybe on YOUR farm, but not in the factory farms where most of the milk that America drinks comes from. All of the info in the Skinny *** Bun in the Oven book is consistent with info you will find in elsewhere. If you do your research rather than listen to people in the industry who have their own interests in mind, you will be quite surprised. I have the book and have read it twice, but I was vegan before that. Giving up animal products does not mean you are deprived of things. You can live a much healthier life, for yourself and the environment.
Another book I highly recommend is "The China Study." This was written by a doctor who grew up on a farm consuming lots of meat and dairy. The study is the largest nutritional study ever conducted and is on-going. The findings that the author found caused him to go vegan. Basically all Western diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and osteoporosis are all due to animal products.
Also, going back to the small farm---even if small farms have higher standards, think of this: We are the only species that drinks milk as adults and we are the only species that drinks the milk of another species. Weird.
Anyways, definitely finish the book. And even if you can't give up everything, even altering your diet a little can having huge benefits.
FYI, the term 'Factory Farm' is very demeaning to EVERY farm in the industry, because 98% of US farms are still family owned & operated - the lives of these families are dedicated to the animals on their farms & their well-being. If these people didn't care, they wouldn't still be in business - and just because you don't understand some of the things they do on their farms doesn't make them wrong. Just because a farm has a large number of cows doesn't make it a bad farm. Farms of all sizes make sure they take good care of their animals - after all, a healthy animal is a productive one.
I would have to stick to my guns and say that the info in this book is misleading, from my lifetime of experience on farms of all sizes (my family's 50-cow farm growing up, to the 5000 cow dairy I worked on in college to the 150-cow farm owned by my husband's family, and all of the farms in-between that I have visited), my degree in Dairy Science, and the knowledge I have from growing up in an industry that I love, doing something that I love every day of my life.
I would rather glean my information from "people in the industry who have their own interests in mind" - those we in that industry like to call people with first-hand experience, expertise & knowledge in food safety, animal husbandry, animal nutrition, animal health, etc. - than from a former model who is now a vegan, with no personal experience on a farm, around farm animals, or producing food for millions. I think people forget that it is less than 3% of the US population that is directly involved in producing the food for the other 97+% - and they take for granted that our country has an abundant, CHEAP, and safe food supply.
Remember, the milk that America drinks is tested numerous times and must pass several safety inspections before making it to the store shelves. It is safe, healthy, and nutritious!
The statistics show that only a few companies control the food industry. They control the small farms and larger farms. U.S. factory farms are socially and environmentally irresponsible, misuse pharmaceuticals, disregard animal welfare, and also disregard human welfare. A lot of the practices that are popular in the U.S. are banned in other countries because they are so horrendous and irresponsible. I do know there are good farmers out there, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. Not because they are bad people, but they are being forced to comply or they go out of business or are faced with lawsuits by large companies like Tyson and Monsanto. If you really care about the farmers, you would do more research. It is awful how today's farmers are forced to live in order to comply with these large companies' poor standards. I'm not bashing all farmers, My great aunt and uncle have a pig farm and as far as I know, they run it very ethically. But I think it's up to all of us to be more aware of what is happening in society and with our food. I think it's important to know where your food comes from and I think farner's markets and CSAs are the best ways to go. And I know it's been ingrained in our society that dairy and meat are essential to our survival, but they are not and they can actually be harmful. We all make choices every day and you are all free to choose what you want, but I choose to live my life as cruelty free as possible. I want to live my life consistent with my beliefs.
From what the book says, this slogan is a sham and is endorsed by the dairy industry. Having read the first Skinny B!tch book I do have to agree that the book is very skewed and oversensationalized to turn people vegan. With that being said, I read it with some skepticism and took everythign that was said in it with a grain of salt.