With the emphasis on Americans needing to eat healthier and all you hear and read about the epidemic of our children being obese, why hasn’t the food network created more healthy shows for us that appeal to viewers? They have tried out several shows devoted to healthy eating and cooking but none have lasted very long.
There was Chef Kathleen’s Cooking Thin. This one wasn’t really a cooking show, per say but more of her teaching individuals how to change their eating habits to eat healthier. I checked out her cookbooks and was disappointed to find there was no nutritional values included with the recipes. I once emailed Food Network about including nutritional values with the recipes on their site and they replied that it was to much trouble to include it with all recipes so they just do it with the occasional recipe. Along the same lines as Kathleen's show was a reality show called Weighing In.
Then there was Low Carb and Loving It during the low carb diet craze and Calorie Comando that came on about the same time. Neither lasted for more than a season, I don’t think. Another show I can’t remember the name of but the ladies were producers or something on Rosie O'Donnell's talk show and one made a full flavor, full fat version of a dish and the other one made a low fat healthier version. I only remember it because I saw a few episodes and also saw them on the shows where Rosie was encouraging weight loss through some kind of club. I don’t think that one made it through a whole season and I can’t even find a mention of it on the Food Network site or I’m over looking it.
I do enjoy Food Network’s latest attempt of a healthy cooking show - Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. She’s a registered dietitian and cooks some good looking and sounding recipes. We’ve tried one or two of her recipes but can’t remember which ones at the moment. Thankfully the food network does include nutrional values with her recipes on the site. If you haven’t caught Ellie’s show yet she’s on on Saturday mornings at 9 AM EST and on her second season. She’s well worth while to check out if you’re trying to eat healthy and want some good recipes. She often uses a small amount of a full fat item for flavor in her cooking and says “often there’s no substitute and a little goes a long way”.
Then there’s Robin Miller who has Quick Fix with Robin Miller. She has a master's degree in Food and Nutrition. I think it’s funny that most of her recipes don’t include nutrional values on the Food Network site when she is Contributing Editor for Health and Cooking Light magazines and provides recipes and nutrition information to the American Heart Association, The American Institute for Cancer Research, and Weight Watchers. I know her show isn’t promoted as a healthy one although she does often say she makes healthy meals fast you would think they would include the nutritional information since she provides nutrition information to all those other places. I do enjoy many of her recipes but don’t know why she cooks enough pasta or rice for several meals later in the week when it’s so easy and quick to cook them at the last minute and they’re so much better made fresh. I can understand being busy and wanting to cook some ahead and think that’s fine but why not cook the other time consuming ingredients ahead of time and the pasta or rice at the last minute? Robin has several cookbooks out and I would hope they have nutrition values included.
Food for Thought
I know some of the other hosts have the occasional show devoted to healthy cooking but why do you think there aren’t more food shows devoted to healthy cooking and eating on the Food Network? What types of healthy shows would you like to see them feature
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Comments: 19
Jennifer, I think you should send in a video for the next food network star. I remember a vegetarian show that was on when I first started watching the Food Network and I really enjoyed it. I can't remember the name of it but it was a black man with a wonderful tv personality. For some reason I think his name was Curtis, maybe Curtis Atkins or something like that.
Joan - healthy doesn't sell as well as mean, fat and those weird food shows they air now. I rarely watch anymore.
I think the sad reality is that in a country where many people struggle to stay thin, changing eating patterns is more than just watching a show. It is about ATTITUDE change and learning new patterns. It can't be for just a season and no show gives a person willpower (I wish it would).
The healthy shows that they did have were very good - I liked Chef Kathleen a lot because she showed others that they could do it with a bit of work and commitment. I do watch Ellie Kriegers show. They do give the nutritional info on her recipes, which I think is great. They did that on the recipes for George Stella too (Low Carb & Lovin It). His show lasted 2 seasons. He had 2 books too.
Ellie is coming out with a book, I just read.
I think the main problem with most Americans and weight loss is that they aren't commited. Everyone thinks that all you have to do is follow a certain plan, read a book, and follow it and you will lose weight. They don't realize that it is a long term commitment. No one wants to commit to it so they lose the weight and then go back to their regular eating patterns and wonder why they blow up again. If you want to lose weight, and keep it off, you must be committed!
Anyway, enough of my rant. Food Network should have more shows on good nutritional foods and how to make them, how to live with the changes too. This won't happen until their demographics change and more women watch their channel. I love TV Food Network and watch it probably 2 hours a day. I love Alton, Giada, Sara, and sometimes Rachael. I don't like Robin or Sandra. I could do without either. Sometimes I like Emeril and sometimes I want to "Bam" him out of my life!
I think there should be more healthy cooking shows. I'd watch them. I'm so pleased that you brought this topic up here. Rachael Ray pours on EVOO like it is healthy and all right. The grand portion she pours on isn't healthy in my book. Paula Deen adds so much butter. I sometimes wonder what happens at her annual physical. It can't be all smiles and laughter.
Anyway, yes, Lighten Up was the show. One of the women now works on the Martha Show, so does Rosie's warm-up guy. Joey.
Nutritional info would be great, too. So what if it's work. They have a zillion people making the big bucks over there at the Food Netowrk campus. Can't they hire someone to look up nutritional info on at least those dishes that aren't clearly way over the top of the junk food/fat scale (You know, everything that Paula makes! haha).
Great topic. Thanks a bunch. Maybe we all need to start flooding the Food Network with letters asking for some more nutritional offerings!!!! And, believe it or not, but men are also interested in looking good and eating healthy... there are a TON of guys of ALL ages in my Weight Watchers meeting!
Jennifer thanks for your comments too. Like you I'm not a vegetarian but love veggies and often eat vegetarian so I'd love to see a vegetarian show on Food net. There is one on discovery health I watch occasionally and she often cooks vegan. Her meals look delicious!