“Trust no one!” This is the advice given in the book “Skinny Bitch” by former model Kim Barnouin and former modeling agent Rory Freedman. However, if you think the advice in this book will result in you looking like the skinny bitch who graces the cover of this book, you may want to reconsider your trust in the authors.

Now, I am not saying that this book is full of untruths. In fact, it is packed with very interesting and useful information. What I am saying, however, is that you might not get what you expect from this book. That is if you expect this book to be about weight loss. Instead, the topic of weight loss is, at best, an afterthought.

In “Skinny Bitch,” the authors spend the majority of the time focusing on the methods of animal farming, slaughtering, and processing. Further, they explain the lack of government regulation of our food supply, potentially leading to hazardous foods on our grocers’ shelves. Therefore, the diet recommended in “Skinny Bitch” is as follows:

• All organic foods
• No animal products
• No alcohol
• No sugar or artificial sweeteners
• No processed grains

Although I have my opinions, I am only an expert in nutrition, and not animal rights or identifying who is telling the truth and who is lying (PETA vs. USDA). Therefore, I will only review the diet guidelines, nutritional adequacy, and potential for weight loss.

Skinny Bitch Advice: Go Organic: Going organic means eliminating all foods that are produced using chemicals and/or hormones.

Nutritional Adequacy
Organic and non-organic foods are rich in numerous nutrients. "I haven't seen any concrete evidence which shows organic foods contain either more or less nutrients than non-organic. A few small studies have been conducted, but nothing seems definitive. Check this link for more information."

Potential for Weight Loss
Whether a food is organic or not does not change its calorie content. And when it comes to losing weight, calories count. However, going organic may lead to weight loss since the foods are more expensive, making it harder to overeat.

Skinny Bitch Advice: Go Vegan: Going vegan means eliminating all animal products. This means no meat, milk, eggs, cheese, fish, or even honey.

Nutritional Adequacy
Although animal products provide vital nutrients to the diet, they are not the only sources. Except for vitamin B12 (which must be supplemented), all the nutrients in animal products can be found in plant foods. However, they are in various foods, in varying amounts. This means that appropriate research and meal planning is necessary to ensure an adequate diet.

Instead of educating the readers on an appropriate vegan diet, the authors of “Skinny Bitch” only provide resources with this information. Therefore, do not trust this book as a reference on how to be a healthy vegan.

Weight Loss Potential
Veganisim does not necessarily equate to a smaller waistline. Weight loss will depend on a person’s diet prior to giving up animal products, and the foods they chose as replacements.

For instance, if a person eats a lot of meat and cheese (high fat/high calories) and replaces them with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables (low fat/low calories), weight loss will occur. Conversely, if a person replaces their meat and dairy with high calorie foods like muffins and juices, weight loss will most likely not occur.
The bottom line is cutting calories equals cutting weight!

Skinny Bitch Advice: No Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, or Processed Grains: Eliminating the above means no white bread, pasta, rice, or any other products that do not contain 100% whole grains. It also means no regular or diet drinks. The authors do allow for the use of raw sugar and a few other natural sweeteners.

Nutritional Adequacy
Sugar, artificial sweeteners, and processed gains are virtually void of all nutrients. This means that nothing will be lost by removing them from the diet.

Weight Loss Potential
Nothing lost except maybe a few pounds! These “foods” provide empty calories and are generally not filling, resulting in overeating. In addition, sugar and artificial sweeteners have been shown to stimulate appetite.

Skinny Bitch Advice: No Alcohol (Almost): Not to take away all your fun, the authors do allow for the consumption of organic, no sulfate added, red wine.

Nutritional Adequacy
Wine and beer contain some beneficial nutrients. However, these nutrients can be found in greater amounts in many other foods.

Weight Loss Potential
Alcohol is high in calories, especially when mixed with sugary beverages. In addition, alcohol can lead to decreased inhibitions, making 2 pieces of chocolate cake hard to resist. Therefore, a decreased intake can result in weight loss.

Overall Review
As a whole, the “Skinny Bitch” diet can be a nutritionally adequate diet that results in weight loss. However, if is important to have a full understanding of how to implement and maintain dietary changes in order to be successful. Unfortunately, the authors do not provide this information.

Last, you should know that the last page of this book has the authors admitting that the book is not about losing weight. Nevertheless, they have allowed millions of books to be sold under this false pretence. And finally, neither of the authors have any nutrition credentials from an accredited college or university.

Still, “Skinny Bitch” has soared to the top of the New York Times Best Seller List. This was, however, only after Posh Spice was seen holding (not buying) the book. Maybe the authors should change their advice from “trust no one” to “you can always trust a Spice Girl!”

Sources & Additional Information:

• Skinny Bitch Official Site
• Salon.com Article - Critical piece on this controversial "diet" book
• NY Times Review - Another look at "Skinny Bitch"
• Interview with Skinny Bitch Authors -