Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven: A Gutsy Guide to Becoming One Hot (and Healthy) Mother! [Paperback]

Rory Freedman (Author), Kim Barnouin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

Skinny Bitch created a movement when it exposed the horrors of the food industry, while inspiring people across the world to stop eating “crap.” Now the “Bitches” are back—this time with a book geared to pregnant women. And just because their audience is in a “delicate condition” doesn’t mean they’ll deliver a gentle message. As they did with Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin expose the truth about the food we eat—with its hormones, chemicals, and other funky stuff. But even though they are “Skinny,” they want women to chow down on the right foods and gain their fair share of weight through their pregnancies.

They also won’t mince words on these topics:
• the best foods for a healthy baby and mommy
• the dangers of common lotions, creams, and beauty products that women slather on their bodies (many contain carcinogens)
• why every mother should “suck it up” and breastfeed
• the lowdown on what really happens “post-push” (after birth)
• how the companies we trust don’t care about children (choosing baby food and other products carefully)

With the same sassy tone that made Skinny Bitch laugh-out-loud funny, Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven will give expectant moms the information they need to “use their head” and have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Vegan Skinny Bitch authors Freedman and Barnouin are back, this time focusing on nutrition and diet during pregnancy. Their commentary will be familiar to Skinny Bitch fans who prefer fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes to meat, fish and dairy. Characteristically feisty and foul-mouthed (e.g., they refer to the reader as dumb-ass), these in-your-face, incisive authors have done their research, exposing a host of health issues related to the use of bovine growth hormone and antibiotics in farm animals. Repeating the mantra you and your baby are what you eat, they explain the effects of pesticides in foods (with links to learning disabilities, developmental delays and behavioral disorders), how a high protein diet in pregnancy can lead to high blood pressure, stress and diabetes in the child, and the connection between mercury in fish and birth defects. Insisting that a vegan diet is healthy for both baby and mom (a claim substantiated by the AMA), the authors also include sample menus and vegan tips to satisfy food cravings. Passionately questioning the status quo, Freedman and Barnouin make a compelling case for a vegan pregnancy. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Library Journal, August 5, 2008
“Writing in a style that is meant to be funny and sarcastic with a bit of drill sergeant thrown in, the authors offer some good advice on what to eat and especially what not to eat when pregnant. … there is a lot of good advice on thinking critically about what is considered good nutrition and what is not.”

VegNews, Sept+Oct 2008
"Bursting with smarts and their classic sense of humor … With this sassy new tome, the authors give pregnant women everywhere a whole new reason to eat healthy….an entertaining read even if you’re not preggers, but it makes the perfect gift for a friend who is."

Vegetarian Journal, Oct 09
“a smart, thorough guide to how to eat vegan when you’re pregnant.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762431059
• ISBN-13: 978-0762431052
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Women's Health > Pregnancy & Childbirth

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 128 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets a bad rap from short-sighted reviewers September 3, 2008

By DinoShark

Format:Paperback

I don't know what the other reviewers are complaining about: this book was not dedicated to animal welfare and was not a PETA advertisement.

Yes, there was talk about slaughterhouses, but this was only one part. And the point of slaughterhouse parts is that you are consuming the fear and grief of the animal through the form of chemicals they release. Not to mention the animals living conditions are disgusting and have the potential to contaminate your food--which you are feeding to your unborn baby.

The book focuses more on the quality of the food products you put in your body. The authors advocate a vegan diet not only because of the condition of farms animals but because it's good for your body. It focuses mainly on the dangers of dairy and disproving most pro-dairy advertisements, pointing to the huge economic impact of the dairy industry as the main reason why the government pushes dairy on the public.

The authors also disapprove of caffeine, alcohol, and artificial and refined sugars, particularly during pregnancy and discuss these substances' affects on an unborn baby. I also found the chapter on breastfeeding particularly interesting and helpful. I had decided not to breastfeed but after reading this chapter, reviewing their research, and talking to my doctor, I have changed my mind and decided to breastfeed/use a breast pump.

Overall this was an informative and interesting book. It gives a lifestyle during pregnancy that is very cautious, and thus I believe this is what really upset the over reviewers--that they didn't want to have to change their lifestyle. But what better time to be so careful with your body than when you're pregnant with your baby!

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave & Honest October 9, 2010

By misscerris

Format:Paperback

I would ditch the negative reviews on this one, when considering whether or not to read this book, ladies. Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven, does take a frank & truthful approach to exposing the truth about America's current methods of food production. And I understand the fear & outrage of those who post negative reviews here, which they all seem to be basing on disdain for the vegan ethic. We fear what we don't understand. And I mean that compassionately. However, many of those w/ such posts, seem to be answering to arguments which are never actually presented in the book. The highly defensive & dismissive nature of these posted comments is rather telling. At no time do the authors attempt to demonize those who practice a standard American diet. Mom's are not their enemy-- moms & babies are who they are advocating for. The powers they are tempting to take on/expose, do not have the interests of moms, babies, or the planet in mind. Nor do they attempt to tell these women that their children are going to be irreparably damaged if they do not practice veganism. They are, however, speaking truth to the powerful corporate system, which is making our children VERY SICK. This book was written, in my very humble opinion, to tell women a truth most Americans have had kept from them for a very long time. And whether or not veganism is for you, remember-- those who chose to be vegan, or encourage that lifestyle, are hurting no one. This diet, when practiced mindfully, treads very easily on our earth. And as mothers, don't we all want a healthier world for our little ones? This book may seem radical to some, but in the words of someone quite wise-- "to be radical is to grasp things by the root". And I'm grateful to the authors for their sassy & whimsical wit. Thanks, b*tches.

49 of 59 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This was a good read for vegan women September 11, 2008

By A. Harper

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found this book fun to read simply because there are NO current day books out there that focus on veganism and pregnancy.

I also understand the authors "style" of writing, so their cursing and "in your face" approach didn't really bother me because I knew what to expect.

A fews things you may have to be concerned with is:

1) that this book's audience is most likely middle class people who live in locations where a whole foods vegan diet is "easy". I question how feasible any whole foods diet is (vegan or omnivorous) for people who are the working poor in this country and located in areas such as the inner city, in which there have been a plethora of public health reports indicating that there are no farmer's markets, natural grocers, or health options available.

2) this book kind of assumes all pregnant women reading this book are straight and married to a man. If you are lesbian identified woman, the heterosexual oriented nature of the book may irk you. If you are a single woman looking to become pregnant or are already pregnant, it may irk you a bit.

However, I commend that fact that the authors wrote this book, simply because NO ONE ELSE IS providing current books on how to achieve a healthy vegan pregnancy.