Printthoughts on Hungry Girl?
what do you think of "Hungry Girl" -- the website, the new book, all the attention Lisa Lillen (author) and co. have gotten recently?
anybody a hungry girl fan? anybody a hungry girl despiser (if that's a word...)
thoughts?
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11 Comments:
I could go either way...sometimes I feel that it's a bit condescending to people who don't always choose foods based on their nutritional value. But as with anything else, if you don't like it, you don't have to read it! I appreciate some of her tips and check the site every now and then.
Jennefur at 7:19PM on 05/18/08
I am nutrition-obsessd and I loathe Hungry Girl. Most of her recipes seem like plugs for processed foods rather than actual recipes. I hate her breathless excitement when they release *gasp* yet another 100 calorie treat from a major corporate ad campaign.
HeartofGlass at 7:31PM on 05/18/08
I feel as if she relies too heavily on processed foods and name-brand products as ingredients in her recipes...non-dairy creamer, flavored syrups, etc. She's obsessed with Fiber One as an ingredient in other recipes, and some are disgusting. I love Fiber One, but it's sweet compared to other high-fiber cereals. So why would I want to make "oven fried" onion rings, mushrooms, etc., with a sweet cereal when there are other great high-fiber options that won't add a sweet element to an otherwise savory recipe. I also find it amusing when she singles out a product as being unhealthy, but there may be a dozen similar products (some of which are better known) that are equally unhealthy, but they don't get mentioned.
chgoeditor at 7:32PM on 05/18/08
Corporate Shill. Won't trust anything she says as it's tainted by those pushing High Fructose Corn Syrup and other wonders of modern corn and soy. Go ADM, Cargill, and Bunge. I have visions of her typing her columns with one hand while the other is running a calculator tallying up the dollars given for mentioning the products she does and furthering the industrial food illusions.
Sieseye at 9:02PM on 05/18/08
@Sieseye - "Corporate Shill" about says it all. I feel like she's the next generation's Sandra Lee in the making, but I could be wrong. We need diets with LESS processed foods, not more. I think she just sends the wrong message.
Brownie at 8:11AM on 05/19/08
I feel like Hungry Girl is kind of pushing the next generation of those who exercise and diet - the kind of people who don't cook, or at least think that the idea of 'cooking' entails nuking turkey in the microwave and then slapping it on Wonder bread lite with some Kraft fat free cheddar and some ground up bits of Fiberone. That or the virtues of box mix. Those poor souls who LOVE her (OMG) just don't seem to realize that a nice plate of (actual, not tofu) pasta and veggies may have about 3x the calories as one of her swaps but they also have umpteen times as many nutrients as hers do.
I understand that she's not a nutritionist and that she's trying to provide a way for people with a junk food fetish to sort of 'bridge the gap' to healthy eating, but pushing a diet based on processed foods is not the solution, as low in calories as her swaps may be. Plus, some of the recipes are really high in sodium. For those concerned with only weight loss and not nutritional content, it's great, I guess.
Still, some of her email tips can be useful, such as which dishes to avoid in restaurants and chain eateries and which dishes to pick so you won't die of calorific overdose. But recipes? Not so much.
jazzinx at 10:02AM on 05/19/08
I had never heard of her, but after seeing these posts I got curious. I tried the .com and .net I finally found her at the .org extension. She's created a nice 'brand' for herself. I like the unique look and feel of the site.
Call me a skeptic, but I have a hard time believing her 10 calorie onion-ring coated with Fiber One... is better than fast food onion-rings.
Healthier? Sure. But tastes better? No way.
FastFoodCritic at 10:49AM on 05/19/08
My ire for Hungry Girl began when someone sent me one of her 'tips'--when eating natural peanut butter (which I do, well,usually cashew butter) you should pour off all the oil on top--because you can save upwards of 120-160 calories IF YOU ATE THE ENTIRE JAR of 2000+ calorie peanut butter. Or about 10 calories of healthy, satiating fat per serving. I'm sorry if you're eating a whole jar of pb, the extra few tablespoons of oil ain't gonna make much difference....
And re: the fiber one--forget fast food, why not just have nice steamed veggies in spices rather than putting cereal on them? And instead of fake fries, what's wrong with a nice baked potato with salt?
Hungry Girl is a good 'dieter'--not a thin person, not a person who is healthy, or knows about food or nutrition,but a dieter, and there is no one easier to sell products to than a professional dieter...
HeartofGlass at 11:24AM on 05/19/08
"For those concerned with weight loss and not nutritional content..." Or as we refer to them in DSM-IV, people who have eating disorder. Hungry Girl is an enabler.
annien at 6:46PM on 05/19/08
Recipes look gross. Eat what you actually like, in small portions as necessary. I love how she constantly says "I actually eat lots of fresh produce blah blah blah" but endorses all this crap.
lovesomething at 11:02PM on 05/19/08
I used to subscribe to her daily newsletter, but had to end it because she seriously makes me want to barf. Unsubscribing was blissful. Her newsletters, articles, advice, etc is like driving past a bad car wreck on the interstate. As much as you don't want to look. . . .
No doubt she has supporters, but I think she perpetuates eating disorders in our society with her sheer IRRATIONAL disdain for anything that has more than 100 calories. All of the processed crap she advocates and uses in her recipes will only leave the body wanting more; totally counterproductive for people trying to lose weight. She needs to stop duping people into her BS for the sake of making a buck. And her cutesy fartsy manner of writing (always replacing "them" with "'em"; her "Top Ate" lists) is beyond annoying. If she actually TALKS like that, well - I feel sorry for her immediate family.
Her tyrannical articles are harmful. She makes otherwise healthy, albeit ignorant, people ashamed of eating real, natural, wholesome foods. I'm here to ask you, no BEG you - stop listening to this muck and put some damn guacamole on that baked tortilla chip if you want it! And love it! And then drive, walk, or bike to the store and buy yourself some real food - fresh fruits, veggies, lean meats, and complex whole grain carbs. I promise me your body will thank you. Stop this love/hate relationship with your body and take care of it; this isn't a place for frickin' Hungry Girl and her propaganda.
Shame on Weight Watchers, known for their healthy approach to weight loss and adapting a new attitude, for supporting and advocating this garbage.
notapassingfad13 at 4:35PM on 07/22/08