Traditional nutrition advice like "eat your vegetables" and "stay away from soda" can get a little old. What's worse, for many, it's pretty easy to tune out. But what if the same advice was being delivered with a healthy dose of attitude? Enter Thug Kitchen: a food blog that wants you to eat better and be yourself at the same time. Its stated goal, to "drop some knowledge on your ass," is something everyone could use when it comes to eating healthfully.
Note: This post contains explicit language that some readers may find objectionable.
The website launched in October and already has an army of devoted fans, despite creators who insist on maintaining total anonymity.
When I contacted the site owners in an attempt to interview them, my email was answered by the mysterious "Dr. Thug," the seeming godfather of better nutrition. Thug Kitchen is run by a group of "Thugs," rather than just one, but as I was told, the identity of the site's proprietors is irrelevant. In fact, even friends of the "Thugs" don't know they're behind the site.
As the ever-elusive Dr. Thug noted, "Thug Kitchen is more about the message than our collective identity."
"We walk among you but Thug Kitchen isn't just about us," he (or she!) added. "Everyone should feel like a bad motherfucker in the kitchen."
While the strong language might be a turn off to some, the "Thugs" deliver sound and important nutritional advice. One example is a recent avocado infographic in which the Thug collective advises: "Avocados are rich with phytonutrients that reduce inflammation." The take-no-prisoners attitude and colorful language wasn't far behind as the graphic went on to advice readers to "spread this shit on your next sandwich" because mayo is "gross."
According to the creators, reaction to the site has been bigger than they could have imagined. The "Thugs" developed the site when they realized that, in their estimation, far too many healthy eating blogs "take themselves too seriously" and were hard to identify with.
They believe healthy eating information needs to be seen as accessible as well as important. As Dr. Thug said:
"We're tired of healthier eating being portrayed like it's an expensive hobby. The way we talk on the site is how we are with friends, and writing about food that way felt less intimidating. Everybody needs to eat their fucking vegetables. We can all eat better and we want people to feel less overwhelmed by that."
In other words? Thug Kitchen implores you to follow its slogan, repeated via email to The Huffington Post: "Eat like you give a fuck."
Tell us in the comments: Does this approach work for you? How do you talk to your friends about nutrition?
Related
Before You Go
