New Yorkï¿½Area Cookbook Author and Self-Help Book Author Win PETA Awards

Posted January 13, 2009 · January 13, 2009

Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and Quantum Wellness Prove That Going Vegan Can Help You Look and Feel Your Best

For Immediate Release:January 12, 2009

Contact:Lindsay Rajt 757-622-7382

New York -- For their groundbreaking books that have made going vegan a part of the mainstream culture, Park Ridge, N.J., author and former Ford Models agent Rory Freedman and New York City resident Kathy Freston have been recognized in PETA's sixth annual Proggy Awards. The authors will each receive a framed certificate and will be featured on PETA's award-winning Web site PETA.org. PETA's Proggy Awards (Proggy is for "progress") recognize animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture.

â—¦ Best Vegan Cookbook: Skinny Bitch in the KitchCo-authored by former model Kim Barnouin and number six on the New York Times Best Seller list, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch is number one with PETA and anyone who wants to take a big bite out of weight gain as well as cruelty to animals. Not shy about being in-your-face, the authors' own quote sums it up best: "Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)."

â—¦ Best New Self-Help Book: Quantum WellnessFreston writes about the many ways that a plant-based diet is beneficial for health, the environment, and animals, and she makes it a cinch for meat-eaters to make a smooth transition, whether they want to lose weight, gain energy, or help prevent heart disease and diabetes. If you don't believe PETA, just ask Oprah. After Freston appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey tried Freston's three-week "vegan cleanse" and raved about it.

"Using two very different styles, these phenomenal new books will encourage anyone to give a healthy, humane, eco-friendly vegan diet a try," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "After all, who doesn't want to shed extra pounds, gain energy, and look their very best?"

This year, Proggy Awards have gone to producers and marketers of vegan foods, leather-free shoes, and cruelty-free personal-care products; an animal-friendly production studio; and a member of Congress.

For more information and to see the entire list of Proggy winners, please visit PETA.org

Peter vv