Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I missed it. What was in his sandwich?

He was on The View back in October and talked about his sardine diet. He seemed just as energetic as usual, just really skinny. I'd love to be skinny, but I am not going to give up real food for sardine sandwiches.

I happen to like sardines and all kinds of fish. Sardine sandwiches sound delicious to me... with avocados too. Yum!

I didn't see this show, but saw him interviewed in the past couple of months where he stated he was too "fat." I don't think he was unhealthy before, but I definitely do now. I think he's underweight, and I thought he was sick and not telling people. I know a fellow who decided he was too "fat" and went on a liquid diet and lost 50 pounds in about 4 months, and he too looked gaunt. I'd like to promote "moderation" like RR did, but she also dieted, and my own weight defies the whole "moderation" theory. Don't know the answer, I just love good food and try not to eat too much and try to get to that gym. Results would be nice, though. How does Pioneer Woman stay so slim? It's maddening.

@Kitcheista, I don't know if he looks unhealthy now, but his face does have that "I just lost a lot of weight" look. He did look a bit chubby in his "before" photos.

His diet seemed awfully regimented, but maybe that's what he needs. Everyone's different. For me, it's all about moderation.

In my humble opinion, Alton does not look so hot right now...I hope he is ok.

I think we are so used to seeing larger people in the United States that we often don't think of overweight people as overweight. About two thirds of the nation is overweight, but we (or atleast, I) certainly don't think two thirds of the people I know look too fat. We are used too the unhealthy lifestyle.

Props to AB for switching to a healthier lifestyle.

Don't know if it's just me, but regardless of how I floss, use interdental brushes, those little wooeden scrapers, and brush not just my teeth, but the insides of my cheeks, my gums, and my tongue, if I eat sardines, I have them on my breath for over a day, and even if I liked them much, that's enough to put me off; I work one on one with my clients, and too many people dislike fishy odours for me to take the chance of putting them off.
I'll stick to coffee, grapefruit/oranges, and Wasa during the day, and eating a reasonable dinner.

I too thought AB was suffering some undisclosed illness, I believe when I first started seeing ads for the new Iron Chef season. He looked way too skinny and very unhealthy.

As for a sardine and avocado sandwich - regardless that I would eat neither of these things, let alone together, I have to say that merely from a textural standpoint it sounds disgusting!

Yeah, I just watched the episode last night, and what are you people smoking that you think he's unwell? He's just a lot skinnier than he used to be. His skin has color, he seems energetic - I think @bks1210 is right - we're so used to seeing overweight people that people at healthier, leaner weights look off to us sometimes.

The guy lost 50 pounds. When you lose that much weight, some of it comes off your face and your overall appearance, not just your shape, changes. I also think that the baggy-looking shirts might be what makes his weight loss not look right to som. Also, losing that much weight over 9 months isn't that bad. It's a little faster than the recommended 1 lb/week, but not by much.

When AB was doing his Road show, the motorcycle overalls did have a certain “Michelin Man” look. I’m trying to lose 60 lbs. and I find it very hard. I love to cook and feed people. I will always eat, cook and drink, losing a bunch of weight on any regime is just a formula for failure. I will always put it back on. I am trying to change my lifestyle while maintaining my lifestyle, if that makes any sense. Right now, and I swear this is not shilling, I’m using weight watchers and their app on my I phone. I can still eat what I like, just not as much or as often. The system helps me realize where I stand. My hope is this will work forever, not just until I drop the pounds. I’m going to have to rethink the old adage, “never trust a skinny chef.”

Finally saw the show on Youtube (thanks cablevision). I think what he's done for himself is great, and if he wants to ruin a perfectly good avocado and it makes him happy to eat it, then live long and prosper, my friend.

Also he didn't really touch much on the fact that he was running 4 miles a day. Some of us can diet until we're blue in the face and not get results like that. Exercise was a major factor, clearly. He looks a little scary now, but good for him. I'm jealous, wish I could do it myself.

I read an interview somewhere where he was explaining that he was so fat, blah blah, extreme diet, blah, and it sounded a lot like what an anorexic or someone who had a recent health scare would say. He may have been a little pudgy - that's all I'll give him.

Don't believe for an instant that as "Americans" (or any other nationality, really) that we're so fat we don't know what healthy weight looks like. We're constantly berating our aristocracy (anyone in the public eye, what we used to call stars) for being too heavy, unless it's some clear eating disorder case like Calista, Keira, Lara, Mary Kate, ect...

I think people just got used to his fuller face but he looks better now. You can easily tell that most movie and TV men are on the fuller side and that's what we've been raised to expect.

I think a lot of people are used to looking at not just fat people but sedentary people. Even if you are not overweight and you don't live an active lifestyle you tend to look different as well.

I mean think back and everyone always knew at least one guy who just had a crazy fast metabolism and was active. You'd think he was sickly too by today's standards but he simply used up all the calories he ate on a regular basis.

Well, I thought he was sick, also. I had read somewhere that he lost a bunch of weight, though. MY comment about this thread.....does ANYONE remember his saying this WASN'T a diet? I do.....I think he is trying to tout this as some sort of new way of eating...without using the "D" word.

This blog makes sardines look like the best food on the planet... I've gone off his reviews, and I've found some outstanding sardines. Connetable, Eva, and King Oscar Breisling are all good. Other brands can be downright nasty, so its not surprising that some people hate the little fishies so much.

http://www.sardinesociety.com/

I thought he looked much older after losing weight. And the sandwich looked good to me - but I like sardines, had some Friday night.

I think Alton's diet goes along the same theme as others like Mark Bittman...Less processed foods, more whole grains, little alcohol etc. Not a big fan of sardines, but to each his own. Have been doing the smoothies that he did on the episode and loving that.

People - look at the original Good Eats episodes. He's just as skinny as he was back then. I think he looks fine and have commented to my husband that he finally lost the weight he gained on his motorcycle & eating travels. Good for you, Alton!

Take a breath, Panicky Princesses. Sure, it might sound austere for those who live to eat, but the man's talking good sense. He's not crash-dieting, citing miracles or paying into a cult that sells pathetic pre-packed synthetic sustenance.

He's merely using his broad expertise on food to eat with more nutritional efficiency, and thereby upping the odds that we will have many, many more years of Good Eats.

He's not even telling YOU to do it. He's telling you how HE did it, for himself.

As much as I enjoy reading through (and contributing to!) a blogroll of feasting filth, seeking banana peanut butter bacon cupcakes everyday is simply not sustainable.

Nobody's sense of taste should be questioned for taking better care of oneself, and considering AB's legacy of recipes and work, it's ludicrous to suggest that one nutrition-based episode calls into question the taste legitimacy of episodes to come.

Sorry, dbcurrie -- you obviously posted this for views, not for any actual intelligent talk.

Are you trying to be the new Food TMZ?

@tmj529, I have no idea who or what Food TMZ is, so I guess I'm not trying to be the new him/her/it.

Also not sure what "you obviously posted this for views" means or whether you're saying that's good or bad. I asked about the sandwich, gave AB props for losing weight, and said that I hope people don't take his underlying message away and turn what he said into some sort of twisted diet fad. After that, I have no control over where the conversation went.

The sandwich may have been good, but it didn't seem to be typical Good Eats fare. It seemed more like something that one would concoct if there was nothing else in the pantry. The elements just didn't seem to mesh very well to me. But that's just me.

As far as AB, I don't think he looks ill or too thin. He's no thinner than the "chairman" dude on Iron Chef and no one's sending him to the hospital. But when you lose that much weight, you lose fat from the face and if you're older your skin can look saggy or wrinkled until your body fat sort of reorganizes itself.

I really do think we're way too used to seeing overweight people as normal. I caught part of one show where a woman was celebrating her huge weight loss and she was slimmed down to something in the neighborhood of 170 pounds. Okay, the weight loss was great, but 170 pounds is not skinny. But compared to all her friends, she seemed quite normal, and I'm betting those friends were telling her "You don't need to lose any more weight, you're just perfect now. You don't want to be too skinny."

I am so grateful to Alton Brown for talking about his weight loss. Earlier this year when I was told by my doctor that my recurring health problems were caused by my weight, I started reading up on how Alton lost his. He was just starting to talk about it in interviews and at speaking engagements. It caused me to read up on Omega 3's and to do some research on how fat is used and stored. In the last 5 months I've lost 35 lbs (that's how much my 2 1/2-year-old weighs, to put that in perspective) and continue to gradually but consistently drop. I'm thrilled that Alton is using his platform to educate and inspire people who want to be healthier.

I actually tried my first sardine thanks to this very episode. I was very surprised to find out that they are not gross! They are actually quite good, but I did note that in the episode he new we were all afraid of sardines so he called them brislings, and he said that many different fish can be canned and called sardines. When I bought them I spent the extra money and got the can labeled brislings. Alton Brown has yet to steer me wrong, so I'm sure if I actually tried the sandwich it would be pretty good.

Instead of all the filler "schtick" in the episode, I wish he had spent fifteen seconds telling us if he was on an exercise regimen.

I'm having one of those avodine sandwiches as I type. Even you picky eaters would love them given a chance. Yum, yum!!!

@wannabeTVchef--you do realize that honey is no healthier than sugar, right? It's just sugar in liquid form.

I too do the smoothies for breakfast. They are delicious, and fast on a workday morning, and I don't find that any sweeteners are needed. I add a couple tablespoons of flaxseeds to the mix for some Omega3 goodness.

I think Alton looks great, and I agree with those who said we are so used to seeing overweight people that our perceptions are skewed. I find his diet anything but extreme, and was delighted to learn that sweet potatoes are something a person should eat 3x per week, and avocadoes as well! And I thought the sandwich was delish. I think it'd be great with canned (or leftover) salmon, too.