469461 Fri Dec 14 10:36:27 -0800 2007 36 33 Food Media and News 0 3208086 I love to eat and cook, but I'm also a big believer in doing so relatively healthfully, except for the occasional indulgence. HOWEVER, some people take this concept too far. Have you ever visited www.hungry-girl.com? It's a successful blog geared toward food-conscious women, and I was excited to hear about it because the author offers up frequent lower-calorie concoctions of favorite recipes, like fettuccine alfredo or french onion soup. However, this recipe (http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1270) for "better" lo mein drove me absolutely crazy. I mean, Splenda instead of a touch of brown sugar? Blasphemy! To be fair, Hungry Girl doesn't profess to be another Chow, but at the time the site's mission is to enable its readers to watch their figures AND enjoy food. I say it fails. What do you think? Fri Dec 14 10:36:27 -0800 2007 121827 Jessca 1 3208427 It's pro-ana propaganda, wrapped in a perky color scheme!! What fun. I haven't seen so many exclamation points since 5th grade!!! I immediately had to eat a piece of cherry pie to rid my mind of the whole stinkin' thing. Fri Dec 14 12:09:27 -0800 2007 3208086 12023 Hungry Celeste 1 3208535 I like that she reviews new products that I would not necessarily want to waste the money to try and then end up hating it, but I am also not a fan of over-processed 'fake' foods either - which is 95% of the products that she talks about. Every once in a while there is a product that I would not have spotted in the grocery store (I am like a horse with blinders on when I am in a hurry) like when Fiber One came out with their vanilla-y flake cereal. She reviewed it, I thought it would be worth checking out and it turns out I like it. I say take it for what it is...a place to learn about new lo-cal foods that are coming on the market and don't bother with any of the recipes. Fri Dec 14 12:35:11 -0800 2007 3208086 61392 sparkalina 2 3208777 True enough, sparkalina; I have sometimes found the product reviews to be helpful. I think the site taught me something important about my food philosophy: I'm a moderate when it comes to calories and healthy eating. For instance, I cook with olive oil instead of butter, but also instead of Pam. Fri Dec 14 13:38:59 -0800 2007 3208535 121827 Jessca 1 3208553 These recipes looked good - Fried Zucchini, No Noodle Lasagna, Fried Cheese, Oreo Invasion. I am on South Beach right now and very "hungry" for ideas. Hee Hee. If it's a tablespoon or something, I will usually use the real thing - brown sugar for example. But, if it's a feature - pasta or lots of white flour - I will try to sub it out. I try to be very good most of the time, so I can be bad when I want. Fri Dec 14 12:40:54 -0800 2007 3208086 88683 stellamystar 1 3208612 I don't know about failing...from what I've heard, it's pretttttttty popular. Fri Dec 14 12:56:17 -0800 2007 3208086 112406 Chew on That 1 3208668 I don't think the product reviews and/or her recipes have anything to do with healthy eating - the truckloads of preservatives in the products she mentions are astounding. My .02 cents: this is a Web site for those who want to lose weight, but are not ready to give up the habits that led to their weight gain in the first place (hence, the need for shortcuts) and an indirect advertising vehicle for the food industry that has already discovered and is exploiting this niche (of the low-cal, sugar-free, fat-free, etc. etc.). I mean, wouldn't Starbucks want to appeal to the calorie-conscious? Any marketing person could tell you that 'word-of-mouth' is a lot more effective than ten flashy ads. As far as I'm concerned, this is just yet another advertising venue that is cheap and, sadly, has caught up with a lot of people.... Who owns the site anyway? I've seen the name mentioned in the Yahoo sites. Any connection? Fri Dec 14 13:07:43 -0800 2007 3208086 95793 jeni1002 1 3209126 I have subscribed to this newsletter for about a year now. I think it provides good information. Some of the recipes are good, some are not. I can descern the difference, I appreciate the information and product reviews Fri Dec 14 15:28:50 -0800 2007 3208086 86005 amethiste 2 3215277 I'm with you amethiste - I appreciate the wealth of information, and her enthusiasm for her calling. Besides checking out new products available at groceries and online, she also reviews restaurant food and provides recipes to cook up alternatives at home. I don't find all the info useful, but some of the recipes look pretty tasty! I'm thinking about trying the pumpkin cheesecake for xmas dinner. Mon Dec 17 09:52:32 -0800 2007 3209126 65780 jujuthomas 1 3209338 The name-calling is pretty weird: "But who on Earth wants to deal with the horrendous calorie and fat counts of regular old lo mein? CRAZY PEOPLE, that's who." " Lo Mein for Losers", etc. Not exactly going out of their way to welcome people who aren't 100% on board with the whole Splenda/shirataki/OMG a fat gram, eek! program. Fri Dec 14 17:06:20 -0800 2007 3208086 13516 maryv 2 3209357 Did you see what the sodium count was in this recipe? 1800 mg. No thank you! Fri Dec 14 17:16:16 -0800 2007 3209338 75332 Gio 3 3215579 The 1,800 mg sodium was for the commercial lo mein, but the HG recipe was still high at 925 mg. Mon Dec 17 11:19:00 -0800 2007 3209357 80937 danhole 4 3221955 OOPS! Wed Dec 19 09:16:51 -0800 2007 3215579 75332 Gio 1 3210275 I haven't seen the blog, but they used to print her column in the NY Daily News on Sunday (I think they moved it to another day, but I only get that paper on Sunday's). As person who is constantly struggling with weight issues, I do like the concept. I also like some of the product reviews. Some of the recipes aren't half bad. I wouldn't necessarily serve them to guests, but would substitute skim milk for whole milk/cream for myself. Because as my Great-Gramma used to say, "Ya gotta suffa to be beautiful." Sat Dec 15 08:41:36 -0800 2007 3208086 11701 MrsT 2 3210300 Ha ha! I like that - ya gotta suffa. Sounds like something my grandma would say, too. Sat Dec 15 08:57:16 -0800 2007 3210275 88683 stellamystar 3 3210338 Go grandma...wisdom of the ages. But I'd rather suffa at the gym so that I don't have to suffa at the table. Sat Dec 15 09:18:24 -0800 2007 3210300 12023 Hungry Celeste 4 3210480 I suffa at the gym, I suffa at the track, I suffa at the table.....I suffa and suffa!! Sat Dec 15 10:16:35 -0800 2007 3210338 11701 MrsT 5 3211677 Amen. Another suffa'er here. Sat Dec 15 20:21:10 -0800 2007 3210480 23389 charmedgirl 1 3210539 Eh, as usual, I'm taking the middle road. I don't like the crazy overprocessed stuff or recipes where every ingredient is a "-substitute." But I like the product reviews, especially for things like veggie burgers, whole-grain bread and other products I normally eat. Her tips on eating in restaurants are pretty useful too. So no, I'm not giving her all my assets or drinking the Kool-Aid, but I wouldn't crucify her either. Sat Dec 15 10:41:53 -0800 2007 3208086 10681 piccola 1 3211021 I must be sheltered but... I never noticed lo mein having ANY sweetener in it?? Otherwise, I love Splenda especially for my Southern Sweettea! It tastes just like sugar to me yet saves me a few calories on a drink I spend much of the day sipping. Sat Dec 15 14:23:49 -0800 2007 3208086 64807 Goomba 1 3215239 They're always raving about it on caloriecount.com (yes, I'm on a diet...) Personally, most of what's on the hungry girl site just isn't for me - give me real food any day. Fruit, veggies, lean meats, and low (not NO)-fat stuff... I'd rather cut down on the quantity than substitute 'fake food' for real. I'm not nearly as extreme as she is either... Mon Dec 17 09:44:11 -0800 2007 3208086 67657 Kajikit 1 3217598 Boy does she use Splenda, etc. Artificial sweetener is a deal breaker for me. Tue Dec 18 01:12:39 -0800 2007 3208086 13619 Sharuf 1 3221684 I like the product reviews but the recipes are too fake and contrived. They require a lot of fake food stuff like Splenda and sugar-free flavorings and margarine that I don't use. I always wonder, though, when reading the blog, if somehow a large food company is behind it--all those product recommendations? Wed Dec 19 08:07:08 -0800 2007 3208086 96096 BillieJean 2 3221747 My thoughts, too...seems too slick and cutesy to be anything other than a marketing effort by one of the big food conglomerates. Wed Dec 19 08:22:40 -0800 2007 3221684 12023 Hungry Celeste 3 3221938 The writing is highly stylized in a over-chatty, faux-friend/neighborly way. Seems like a marketing shill site. Wed Dec 19 09:13:17 -0800 2007 3221747 27275 ML8000 2 3221748 She's answered that question on her site, she says lots of companies send her food to try, but she only endorses ones that she feels are tasty and healthful. Wed Dec 19 08:22:51 -0800 2007 3221684 65780 jujuthomas 3 3221949 She & I have wildly differing ideas about what constitutes "healthful"...... Wed Dec 19 09:15:05 -0800 2007 3221748 12023 Hungry Celeste 4 3222002 Me too. Like others, I find some of the fat and calorie content info interesting but her product recommendations and recipe 'makeovers' are frighteningly fake (I don't even think we can get a lot of the stuff she recommends in Canada but to be honest I've never really looked). I'm pretty sure MODERATE portions of real foods such as whole grain pasta, etc. are healthier than pigging out on all the chemical-laden stuff she's recommending! Wed Dec 19 09:27:09 -0800 2007 3221949 101907 ms. clicquot 4 3222550 well, i think that is perfectly fine - obviously she's reviewing pre-packaged foods for a specific market... I'm not saying that I agree with what she says, just that I find some of the information useful. I'm always looking for quick, low cal portable snacks to help me keep on target with my weight loss. I do agree with other posters that some of her recipe makeovers are freaky - but there have been a few that I printed out for future use with my weight watchers friends. :) Wed Dec 19 11:50:56 -0800 2007 3221949 65780 jujuthomas 1 3222144 I'm told that Weight Watchers has long been pretty aggressive about suing or C/Ding people who use their points values on the web. Given that she's using points values pretty heavily, I have to assume she's, at very least, got their backing. Wed Dec 19 10:06:58 -0800 2007 3208086 10021 Jacquilynne 2 3224579 Yep, she does a weekly blog on the WW website. (Fridays?) Thu Dec 20 05:42:35 -0800 2007 3222144 61392 sparkalina 3 3224933 another vote for too much "fake" food for me to enjoy it. This is precisely why I've never, ever been interested in WW, which they really try to shove down your throat here at my job (weekly meetings which are heavily advertised with "lures" to try to get you in, and almost everyone in my department is a member). I just think they're like a brainwashing cult that charges way too much money and alters your diet to the point that you're either eating everything with no taste and no fat or filling yourself up on fake/substitute foods, neither of which are healthy. Thu Dec 20 07:51:11 -0800 2007 3224579 19518 rockandroller1 4 3225173 I've heard that impression about ww a lot lately, and I can tell you that it isn't really true. I've been doing weight watchers since February, I've lost 50lbs and I eat what I want. I've reduced the amount of fat in my diet - not eliminated it - increased the intake of veggies and learned about portion control. Yes, they charge you, but some of us need to spend that money to help hold ourselves accountable. I do eat some convenience foods - for convenience and control over my portions. But that's lunches. Dinners are usually what anyone else would eat - meat, veggies, starch. It works, it's rated as the most successful "diet" plan. BUT it certainly isn't for everyone, as with most everything in life including hungry girl. :) Thu Dec 20 08:51:00 -0800 2007 3224933 65780 jujuthomas 5 3226108 I know it's successful for a lot of people, and I think that's great. It's just not for me. Nobody that I know on the plan has much of a clue about actually cooking and preparing real foods in a healthful way using ingredients completely from scratch. But I agree it's a good tool for people who don't otherwise know better about what choices to make in terms of food selection and portion control as well as accountability. Thu Dec 20 13:00:37 -0800 2007 3225173 19518 rockandroller1 6 3226225 We do have several people in our group who know nothing about cooking, but we have several others who do, and we are always exchanging new food finds, recipes, etc. I think that helps DH and I be more successful, we get new ideas almost every week. that's also why I read hungry girl, weight watchers.com and other weight loss sites - for the occassional idea I can use... :) Thu Dec 20 13:29:36 -0800 2007 3226108 65780 jujuthomas 5 3226181 I was on WW for 3 years. -I have recently switched to South Beach. I am always somewhere in a 40 lb swing. I am so tired of it. Call the wambulence. Thu Dec 20 13:16:52 -0800 2007 3225173 88683 stellamystar 1 3226941 recently have been feeling an increased appetite. hmmm, this blog reminds me of the feminine competitive impulse to control our weight. thanks, HG!!! Thu Dec 20 17:41:33 -0800 2007 3208086 11190 fara