Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I found a website yesterday called www.hungry-girl.com. I'm a hungry girl so I was curious. The site gives tips and recipes for foods that hungry people love - cheesecake, muffins, sloppy joes, daiquiris, pizza, etc. The recipes are all modified to be lower calorie and fat content vs. the "original". I haven't tried any recipes yet, though a few look intriguing. Most of them scare me because I'm afraid the flavor will be a little off.
I'm all for healthy cooking, I love the magazine Cooking Light, and I make substitutions all the time - egg beaters for real eggs, Splenda for sugar. My problem with these recipes and the concept of making unhealthy foods less bad for you is that it's not focusing on eating healthy. It's focusing on eating less unhealthy, and that is not the same thing. I feel like these recipes don't focus on adding fiber, vitamins and nutrients to meals. And I don't condone making low fat desserts all the time just to eat dessert every day. I don't need dessert every day (even though certain roommates got me addicted to that for a while)!
That said, I will try a few of the recipes on the site that I feel make reasonable substitutions - like a guacamole recipe that mixes in yogurt to add low-calorie volume. Maybe it will work, maybe I'd rather stick to real guac - and skip dessert.

1 comment:

  1. Although I agree with you in that people should make lower-calorie desserts/dishes just to eat them everyday. This website does give you options for foods you enjoy, but want to practice some self control. For example, I love wings. Despite the messy process of eating them and associated guilt and stomach ache after consumption, I really like them and need a fix every once in a while. I found a really great recipe for hot wings that proves to be a very nice subsitute. I get my fix without the calorie intake, guilt or stomach ache. What more can you ask for? Don't be afraid to try a few recipes, you might be surprised.

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