Inspired by the recent New York City ruling requiring all fast food chains to post calorie information, I thought of other companies and places that should abide by a similar law.Alas, I made my way to The Food Network website and noticed that caloric information is not available for any of their recipes.
I decided to conduct a little experiment.
Armed with a handy dandy calculator, I selected three random recipes, looked up caloric information for each ingredient, and added numbers. Boy, was I in for a surprise.
Check out the latest Small Bites YouTube video for the results!
I am not asking for The Food Network to breathe down their chefs' necks and demand healthier recipes. This is a free country and people should do as they please.
I realize that many chefs do not have degrees in nutrition and many of them hold the ridiculous belief that nutrition and taste are mutually exclusive.
I digress. All I am asking for is basic information to help viewers make appropriate choices.
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2 comments:
Andy, I love to cook. And I think I am speaking for most chefs and those that love to cook, we are not specifically thinking of calories when we create a dish! Many things inspire me, I come up with an idea for a recipe, try it and from there I "tweak" it and decide how I can improve the recipe including making it healthy and low in fat but with a lot of taste!
Therefore, I must HEARTILY DISAGREE on your stance on the Food Network and other places that don't offer calorie counts. I don't want nor need the government to step in and force laws on poor, creative chefs who are cooking dishes from their cultures and hearts.
Where are people's sense of self-responsibility? I'm not an idiot. There are plenty of recipes that I've looked up on the Food Network site that I KNOW are going to be fattening. Also, there are plenty of tools out there for anyone interested in taking a recipe apart calorically. I don't like the thought of government going so far as to overstep their boundaries in the guise of "protecting Americans from themselves!" You are going up a slippery slope indeed. Where does it all end?
Besides, I just read a report that actually took dishes from Taco Bell, Macaroni Grill and some other place and actually tested them for the calories posted. All were significantly above the posted calories. What's the point of the posting? It's was not even accurate anyway due to discrepancies in portion size!
People have to be responsible for their own health and what they put in their mouths. As I watch my weight and health and do a lot of reading and research on diet and nutrition, I know that by now I know enough of what to and what not to order and how much portions to eat when I'm out or looking at a recipe. If I eat a huge plate of creamy pasta with bacon, chances are I know I'm eating too much in calories and portion and have probably "blown" my calories for the day.
People eat out at restaurants too much. It used to be that going out was a treat. Now many people eat half of their meals out. If people weren't so lazy and took the time to cook their own meals, they would know what they would be eating and the restaurant meal would remain a treat...for once in a while!!!
BTW, it's the FOOD Network, not the HEALTH Network. Paula Deen is a Southern cook, Ina Garten is not tiny and neither is Guy! I don't watch any of them for low fat recipes, I have my Weight Watchers cook book for that... I love watching Paula Deen and all the butter she puts in her recipes. I might use that recipe for a special occasion AS IS butter and all, I might try to make it lower in fat or I might just enjoy watching her make something so decadant!
Please, don't take the joy out of cooking with this idea of forcing calorie counts on everyone! Let common sense prevail!
Andy,
For me, calorie counting doesn't make sense. I've upped my caloric intake and lowered it at various times without any significant change in my fat stores. My body appears to be less than 100 % efficient at absorbing calories from the digested food in my gut. I'll tell you this, though. If I consume more than the usual amount of bread or other carbohydrate, it shows up on either side of my waist the next day.
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