Vegetarian Star

Rory Freedman got a PETA package in the mail in college that prompted her to go vegetarian, then vegan. She and co-author Kim Barnouin have already transformed the diets of thousands of women with their popular Skinny Bitch series. Now they’re out to give men a spanking for eating meat, dairy, and too much sugar with their new book, Skinny Bastard.

How did you go about tailoring Skinny Bastard to create a more manly appeal?
The language is written in a way to cater to men more. I’m from New Jersey, so I have a naughty streak in me when it comes to the way I talk. The language is really bawdy and irreverent. There’s a chapter called “No Girls Allowed.” We talk about prostate cancer. We also talk about erectile dysfunction. And how what you eat can affect your performance in bed and it can affect your Johnson. There are a lot of fun euphemisms- a lot of fun to be had.

Some people continue to stereotype vegan or vegetarian men as being wimpy or lacking testosterone. Do you address these issues in Skinny Bastard?
We do address those issues. Basically, we talk about professional athletes who are or have been vegetarian or vegan. And how they’re at the top of their game and they’re high performers. There’s certainly no shortage of manly men who are living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. We talk about protein and how there’s a myth that you need as much protein as you think you do. How vegetarians get plenty of protein and they can still be strong and manly. And also we address the animal issues and how’s there’s nothing manly about contributing to the slaughter and torture of animals.

Learn what new vegan cheese Rory can’t get enough of after the jump.

When did you realize there was market for guys who want a vegan diet book and what were some of the experiences that led up to creating Skinny Bastard?
All along, even when deciding to write the first book, the idea was always there that we would write one for men. So the decision was to first get the women’s book out there and established, then work on the men’s book. I think more and more men are becoming health conscious these days. And I think with the more information that’s out there, and the more stuff you hear on the news, men may not be necessarily seeking information on going vegetarian, but they’re more open to it now than ever before. And the women who have read Skinny Bitch-it’s changed their lives in a powerful way. They want to get the men in their lives on board. So I think they’ll be buying the book for the men in their lives. 

Food voyeurism
There’s a new vegan cheese. It’s not on the market entirely, but it’s inching its way into our lives-it’s called Daiya. It’s by far the best vegan cheese we could ask for. And not only does it melt like a dream, but when you bite it, it does that stretchy, bounce thing. And it’s like time stands still. It’s out of control! So I have some Daiya cheese and I bring it to the pizzeria that’s around the block from my house and they make me a pizza. 

Vegan celebrity Rory admires
Emily Deschanel is a dear friend of mine. And I adore her because she is without question one of the kindest, sweetest, most generous, most gracious human beings I have ever met. And not only is she that way in her life with her friends, but she’s also that way as far as the animal rights movement goes. She’s always willing to lend her time, face, name, voice, and to donate large sums of money. She’s an incredible activist.  Her life is busy, her schedule’s busy but she always, always, always makes time for the animals. She talks the talk and walks the walk.

I watched a video of you awhile back where you gave a very convincing argument for veganism. Can you summarize that argument again?
I think that we’re all looking for a way out-to not do the right thing. And there’re just a million in one excuses for why people don’t go vegetarian or why they think they shouldn’t. When you’re talking about animal cruelty, there’s never an excuse for it.

And whether it’s a free range or humane farm, animals are being slaughtered. Even if you’re getting your milk from a farm where you actually see with your own eyes that the cows are walking around-because a lot of the farms are going around making the free range claim when they’re actually not. But if you even see it with your own eyes, at the end of the day, you’re taking something from an animal that really doesn’t belong to you. That milk is designed for their calves. That’s the reason cows produce milk-because they produces babies. So, you’re taking the milk away from their baby and when that dairy cow is “spent” she’s going to be killed.

And when people say, “Well, I only get eggs from free-range farms,” it’s the same thing. Male chicks are useless to egg farmers. So they’re literally thrown away as garbage because they’re never going to lay eggs because they’re males. So whether it’s a free range farm or not, at the end of the day, the animals are still being slaughtered.

Our bodies were not meant and designed to digest animal protein. And when people read a book like The China Study, which we cite extensively for Skinny Bastard, they’ll see that all the diseases of affluence are directly linked to animal protein.

You heard it here, folks. Guys, get in the locker room already and have Rory and Kim give you some dirty talk about cleaning up your diet. And ladies, buy Skinny Bastard for the man you love.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015
• Marco Antonio Regil Interview With Vegetarian Star–Part 2
• Marco Antonio Regil Interview With Vegetarian Star–Part 1
• Yotam Ottolenghi Gives “Plenty More” Vegetarian Recipes In New Book
• Benjamin Zephaniah Advocates Plant Diet For New Year’s Resolution