Over the winter I picked up the third book in a series titled "Eat This, Not That." I received the first on a permanent loan, and I have purchased the others. The series is by David Zinczenko (and co-author Matt Goulding), editor-in-chief at Men's Health magazine, and the first book hooked me by exposing calorie, fat, and sodium contents for food at many popular restaurants.
Some of the numbers were downright disgusting. I'm not going to feign ignorance over what's in a brownie sundae, but some of the stats -- even for "healthier" entrees -- were shocking. The authors capitalized on the book's popularity and came out with similar books focused on kids' eating and supermarket shopping. I have devoured all of the books (wonder how many calories that is!), both for education and entertainment. I can see some holes in their logic and recommendations, but overall I think the books are eye-opening.
One of the points the authors make -- and I think as Americans we like this point because it takes some of the blame off of our eating habits -- is that the rise of weight and weight-related issues can be traced to how food is manufactured and marketed. So now I find myself looking for underhanded food marketing tactics. And here's a perfect example, which prompted this blog tonight: I was trolling around on Shape magazine's website, jotting down some new strength training moves. I came upon a video of exercises and when I clicked to play, an ad started. An ad for organic lettuce, right?
Nah. An ad for Red Robin's Burnin' Love Burger, of course. It had a link to "Click here for your free burger." Shame on you Shape magazine. But I guess things are tough in the publishing world these days.
