Tune-In Tuesday: Moving Beyond Marie Claire

As many "healthy living bloggers" may already know, there was recently a controversial article published in Marie Claire magazine. The article, titled "The Hunger Diaries: How Health Writing Could Be Putting You at Risk," took a very critical, negative stance toward some of my favorite blogs: Carrots N Cake, Meals and Miles, Healthy Tipping Point, and three others.

Although the piece raised some legitimate issues, I felt that the content was presented in a malicious manner. Many even considered it hypocritical for the magazine to criticize these well-meaning women when the publication frequently posts articles showing size zero models and get-thin-quick tips.

Basically, the whole thing made me think twice about the type of magazines I buy.This Tune-In Tuesday post will list the magazines I do enjoy reading. These publications made the list because they provide mostly reasonable, healthy, realistic cooking/fitness/lifestyle tips.

Self

Cooking Light

Real Simple

Every Day with Rachael Ray

Prevention

O, The Oprah Magazine

What are your favorite magazines? What are your thoughts on the Marie Claire article?

Today's Recommended Read: In Conversation with Eco-Chef Louisa Shafia (civileats.com)

Tune-In Tuesday: Thanksgiving Articles/Recipes

I just finished up my last classes before Thanksgiving break, so my mind is only focused on a few things right now: my upcoming flight home, seeing my family and friends, and FOOD. The blogosphere and other media outlets have been buzzing with holiday recipes lately. Whether a recipe in Cooking Light magazine or a food reporter’s review of a dish, I’ve been reading Thanksgiving recipes left and right. Butternut squash and pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole and herb stuffing…it’s all mouth-watering, but not necessarily nutrition-friendly.

It can be a bit overwhelming to sort through all the articles and recipes out there to find the somewhat healthier options. Luckily for all you EYC readers, you have me to do the sorting for you! J Today’s Tune-In Tuesday post highlights Thanksgiving-themed (lightened) recipes and articles that I have been finding on the Internet lately. Enough of my talking; on to the goodies!

RECIPE: Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts (NYTimes)

RECIPE: Itty Bitty Pumpkin Garlic Bites (OhSheGlows.com)

RECIPE: Raw Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberry Dressing (NYTimes)

RECIPE: Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans (NYTimes)

ARTICLE: A Vegetarian Thanksgiving, Even for Carnivores (NYTimes)

ARTICLE: Winter Squash, Warts and All (NYTimes)

ARTICLE: 7 Tricks for a Healthier Thanksgiving (Eating Well)

RECIPE: Recipe Makeover: Zesty Broccoli Casserole (Cooking Light)

RECIPE: Best Healthy Pie Recipes: Pumpkin Pie (Cooking Light)

RECIPE: Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Bread Pudding (Fannetasticfood.com)

Okay, I have to stop. My tummy is grumbling in anticipation already. Hope this post helped you find a recipe/article of interest!

What Thanksgiving dish are you most excited about?

Tune-In Tuesday: Julie & Julia

Usually when I see a preview for a great-looking movie based on a book, I immediately want to go out to the bookstore and pick up a copy of the text. That is exactly what happened when I saw the trailer for Julie & Julia light up the big screen. Today’s Tune-In Tuesday post reviews the tale that inspired the major motion picture starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen is an autobiographical look at Julie Powell’s attempt to find fulfillment in her life (not to mention dominate the butter shelf at her local grocery store).

An almost-30 year old living in a dingy Manhattan apartment and working at a soul-destroying secretarial job, Julie decides to cook all of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a one year period. Crazy, right? I’ve flipped through this cookbook before, and I can’t pronounce half of the words in it, let alone begin to fathom deboning a duck.

Julie starts a blog to record this cooking endeavor, and soon her task is fueled by comments from loyal “bleaders” (blog readers), an ever-encouraging husband, and a stubborn personal drive. She takes the reader on her journey of prepping lamb stew meat for Navarin Printanier, perfecting the pan flip to make Gateau de Crepes, and crying over a pan of Pate de Canard en Croute. The book details breakdowns, electrical outages, maggot-infested cupboards, and regurgitating kitchen sinks.

In the end, it seems the lesson learned is not how to enjoy eating liver or poach an egg, but rather how taking on a difficult task can help you mold your best life (what’s more EYC-approved than that?!).

Perhaps what I loved most about this book was hearing about the kitchen mishaps. I personally can relate to the demoralizing feeling of failing at a culinary action. This past summer was my first time living on my own—no mom or dining hall to provide me with food. The first time I attempted to cook up a meal in my apartment kitchen, the results were less than successful. In fact, I found the Facebook message I sent to my two best friends from home following “the incident”:

May 27, 3:49 PM

Remember when i said i was gonna make a nice chicken dinner two days ago? yea that didn't go so well. i had kinda a stressful night and then i had a kitchen mishap and then i couldn't cook the chicken right and then i got really mad at the laundry machine and then i burnt my finger and then i didn't want to get salmonella poisoning and then i threw all of the chicken away and got a salad at panera and then i started crying for no reason.

See Julie Powell? You’re not alone in your kitchen breakdowns!

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read. Want to know my specific thoughts?

What I Liked: As a food-related blogger, I enjoyed learning about another blogger’s experiences. It was inspiring to hear how Julie’s online writing blossomed into a career. I liked how the book did not just focus on cooking, but also detailed the ups and downs of Julie’s everyday life.

What I Didn’t Like: Julie’s writing style is raw, but a little too border-line vulgar at times. At first, her somewhat whiny tone annoyed me. However, I eventually found myself rooting for Julie.

The movie adaptation combines Julia and Julia with My Life in France, a chronicle of Julia Child’s life written by the chef herself with Alex Prud’homme. Although the movie misses the edginess and grittiness of the written narrative, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The trailer is equally entertaining:

Have you read/seen Julie & Julia? Have you ever experienced a demoralizing kitchen mishap?

Today’s Recommended Read: Should You Go Organic This Thanksgiving? (Food Network Blog)

Tune-In Tuesday: Eat, Pray, Love...and Read!

Today’s Tune-In Tuesday post reviews one of my favorite books (which was made into a movie of the same name): Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.

You would have to be pretty shielded from current events to not have heard of this popular autobiography made into a movie starring the talented Julia Roberts. A New York Times Bestseller, Eat Pray Love now has over 7 million copies in print.

This literary work is not only being featured on EYC due to its food-related content, but also because it is a unique look at how to achieve a healthy outlook on life. How many of us wake up in the morning and think, “I want this day to be special, enjoyable, valuable”? Who doesn’t want to pursue a fulfilling life that excites them every single day? I believe one of the healthiest ways to embrace life is to focus on helping others without overlooking one’s own needs. In Eat, Pray, Love, the speaker attempts to do just that.

The book follows Elizabeth Gilbert’s spiritual journey after a difficult divorce and a spiral of depression. A medicine man whom she meets on a journalist trip to Bali inspires her to one day come back to study with him. At 32 years old, she leaves behind a home, husband, and career to take a global journey, spending four months each in Italy, India, and Indonesia.

The book is divided into three parts. In part 1, Gilbert enjoys life (and fabulous cuisine) in Italy. She discovers her favorite word in an Italian class (Atrraversiamo, meaning “let’s cross over”),  befriends a man named Luca Spaghetti (yes that was his real name), and discovers mouthwatering pizza at Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples.

Part 2 follows her attempts to achieve states of total relaxation at an Ashram in India under the guidance of a respected guru and insightful, loudmouthed, Texan, ex-truck driver named Richard. 

Finally, Gilbert is reunited with the ancient medicine man in part 3, and finds a happy medium between enjoying life and embracing spirituality when she falls in love with a Brazilian factory owner.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from each section:

EAT

• "For years, I’d wished I could speak Italian—a language I find more beautiful than roses—but I could never make the practical justifcation for studying it. […] What was I going to do with Italian? It’s not like I was going to move there. It would be more practical to learn how to play the accordion. But why must everything always have a practical application?" (Pg. 23)
• "I heard my ex-husband’s voice speaking disdainfully in my ear: So this is what you gave up everything for? This is why you gutted our entire life together? For a few stalks of asparagus and an Italian newspaper? I replied aloud to him. 'First of all,' I said, 'I’m very sorry, but this isn’t your business anymore. And secondly, to answer your question…yes.'" (Pg. 64)
• "I felt a glimmer of happiness when I started studying Italian, and when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt—this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight” (Pg. 115).

PRAY

• “People think a sole mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life” (Pg. 149).
• “We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses—one foot is on the horse called ‘fate,’ the other on the horse called ‘free will.’ And the question you have to ask every day is—which horse is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it’s not under my control and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?” (Pg. 177) 

LOVE

• "People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it” (Pg. 260).
• “Yet what keeps me from dissolving right now into a complete fairy-tale shimmer is this solid truth, a truth which has veritably built my bones over the last few years—I was not rescued by a prince; I was the administrator of my own rescue” (Pg. 329)

What I Liked: Gilbert’s diction and storytelling abilities are mesmerizing. She clearly chooses her words carefully, eloquently conveying very personal emotions in a universally relatable way. After finishing part 1, I wanted nothing more than to hop on a plane to Italy to indulge in the food. Tell me your stomach doesn’t start swooning after reading this excerpt: “big, fresh, sheets of pasta folded ravioli-like into the shape of the pope’s hat, stuffed with a hot, aromatic puree of crustaceans and cotopus and squid, served tossed like a hot salad with fresh cockles and strips of julienned vegetables, all swimming in an olivey, oceany broth” (112). Additionally, I will be doing some traveling abroad in the near future, and this book’s content reminded me exactly why I want to explore the world; there are simply too many sources of inspiration out there to confine yourself to one locale for too long. Gilbert’s voice is extremely honest, reminding me that no one has the answers when it comes to love, happiness, and resolution in life, but everyone has the chance to discover them on their own.

What I Didn’t Like: A critique that I seem to share with many readers of this book is the dryness of Part 2. Part 1 in Italy is full of rich cultural descriptions and high-paced explorations, while Part 3 keeps you on your toes between wondering whether Gilbert’s friend will get money or a house and whether her newest romantic relationship will work out. Part 2 is a bit lagging when wedged in the middle. Granted, most of Part 2 focuses on Gilbert’s experiences sitting still and meditating. I am not saying this part was not enjoyable, but rather it broke up the pacing of the book and seemed a little out of place.

I hope you're considering checking out this book. In the meantime, you can get a taste of Gilbert's voice by watching the movie trailer:

Have you read or seen Eat Pray Love? What foreign country would you like to visit?


Today's Recommended Read: San Francisco Bans Happy Meals (LA Times)

Tune-In Tuesday: Pollan's "In Defense of Food"

What did you eat for lunch today? Was it food? Or was it an edible food-like substance?

If you’re confused by the above questions, don’t panic. The term “edible food-like substances” is a term seen frequently in Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Today’s Tune-In Tuesday post reviews one of the best books I’ve read regarding the American diet by one of my favorite authors. Not ready to take my word for it? Well, keep reading!

First a word about the author. Michael Pollan is a frequent inhabitant of bestsellers lists, known for his writings on the food industry, healthy living, and the environment. He was named to the TIME’s 2010 list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Newsweek named him one of the top 10 “New Thought Leaders,” and he has received many awards as a contributing writer to The New York Times.

In Defense of Food examines the relationship between “nutritionism” and the Western diet. Pollan believes our national dietary problem is that we are merely eating food-like substances touted as healthy. Ironically, America seems to become less healthy as it worries about how to become more healthy. Rather than confusing the reader with mumbo jumbo and scientific talk, Pollan simplifies his message into seven words:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Catchy, eh? Here are some random key points presented:

Eat Food:

-America is currently eating a lot of highly processed foods. For example, the food industry has taken cereal, turned it into oatmeal, turned it into cereal bars with a layer of fake milk inside, etc.

-Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandma wouldn’t recognize. Would she know what a Go-Gurt was if she picked it up in the store?

Not too much:

-America should take a hint from other cultures and reduce portion sizes. The French use smaller plates while the Japanese practice “Hara hachi bu” (eating until you’re 80% full). Spend more money on better food, just buy less of it.

Mostly plants:

-The periphery of the grocery store contains the less processed foods like fresh produce.

-Embrace the plethora of health benefits that come with vegetable and fruit consumption, such as cancer and diabetes prevention.

-Vegetables and fruits should be redefined as the center of things with meat as a side dish.

Overall, Pollan answers the question “what should I eat” from an ecological, tradition-based standpoint rather than from a scientific, nutrient-specific view. In my personal opinion…

What I liked: Pollan uses a straightforward tone without preaching his content. His casual voice makes you feel like you’re receiving advice from a knowledgeable friend rather than from a stuffy academic. Forget the boring, unoriginal nutritional guidelines; In Defense of Food provides fresh, unique ideas about the food industry (I had all but forgotten about Go-Gurts!).

What I didn’t like: The book presents potential solutions to the nation’s food problems, but I didn’t feel like I was given too many details about the problems themselves. Luckily, this dislike will easily be resolved once I finish reading the book’s predecessor, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Yes, I am reading them out of order, but have no fear…more Pollan reviews are to come in future Tune-In Tuesday posts!

I would certainly recommend reading this book. In the meantime, check out this awesome NPR interview with Pollan about his food philosophies.

If you’ve read In Defense of Food, what did you think? Can you think of any overly processed goods that would fit Pollan’s idea of “edible food-like substances”?

Today’s Recommended Read: “Walmart to Buy More Local Produce” (The NYTimes)