I have seen this book and was kind of interested in it, but shied away just because I don't really like the "B" word . . . Anyway, my family just spent a week on vacation at Disney World with my sister, niece, and nephew. On the plane ride down to Orlando, I realized I had not brought anything for myself to read on the plane and my kids actually fell asleep. My sister had this book with her, so I thought "why not?"
If you can make it through the very graphic part about the animal slaughtering process, you will probably become a vegetarian, or at least think several times before buying meat. I know for me, I have considered becoming a vegetarian again (I was a vegetarian for about five years in my college days), but this solidified my decision. I don't know if I can completely go vegan (no dairy or eggs), but I will try to cut back on dairy and eggs and learn more about organic and soy alternatives.
This book also advocates ridding your diet of caffeine and artificial sweeteners, which will be VERY difficult for me. I love my morning coffee and Diet Pepsi so much! But, I know they are awful for my body. The book says that studies show caffeine and aspartame may actually cause depression, which has been a big problem for me throughout the past 15 years or so. I would love to see how I feel without these chemicals in my body . . .
The book suggests just cutting out one noxious item per week and also occasional fasting. I guess I chose cutting out meat first because I have been pretty much meat free for the past week and it has felt great. This week I am going to try and replace my coffee, Diet Pepsi, and Crystal Light with non-caffeinated beverages such as water and herbal tea. I'll let you know how it goes! I am also going to research more vegetarian options that will provide adequate nutrition for my family.
I loved the afterward of this book, which is actually an excerpt from another book, Old MacDonald's Factory Farm by C. David Coates.
"Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the millions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the millions, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out cards praying for 'Peace on Earth'."
This book was definitely "food for thought"!
Now that the holidays are over, do you need a way to brighten up the rest of the winter? Well, Janet Evanovich novels are just the cure for winter doldrums. This most recent one I've "read" kept me laughing the whole way through. I say "read" because I have listened to most of these novels on CD in my car. My commute to work can take anywhere between 35-45 minutes depending on weather, traffic, etc., so any way to make it seem shorter is welcomed by me! 
