I love cooking shows. I love shows that show me how to make tasty food that’s lighter on the calories and fat. So I mostly like Cook Yourself Thin, premiering today on Lifetime at 5 p.m.
Hosts Harry Eastwood, Allison Fishman and Candice Kumai lead a nice normal person through making some of her faves with lower fat and calories, such as lasagna, steak and mashed potatoes and even cupcakes. Point one, Harry is a femaile. Point two these are three skinny broads, which on one hand, lends some credence to their techniques. On the other, there is some skepticism as to whether any of these ladies spent a day grappling with their weight.
Something else to consider, low fat food simply does not taste as good as food with all the fats. Period. I’m not saying it tastes bad. Just beware. If you try these recipes and they don’t taste quite as good as the original, there’s a reason. You get most of your flavor from foods through the fats, and most lower-fat cooking techniques use tart and tangy flavors to make up for the lack of fat flavor. And this can be a problem if you’re cooking for kids – who tend to be a little more sensitive to things like that.
That being said, the show overall is rather fun. The hosts are engaging and there are some tricks to be learned. The cupcake recipe only uses one cup of sugar – which sounds like a lot until you remember that it’s spread out over 12 cupcakes – and substitutes zucchini for some extra moisture.
If you and your kids are working on the whole over-weight thing, this might be a fun way to get your kids to develop some healthier eating habits. And even if you’re not dealing with the weight thing, it’s not a bad way to approach eating, in general, especially since even thin folks can get high cholesterol. Watch the show and then ask your kids to think of ways they can cut fats and increase flavor in some of their favorites. Start cooking together as a family. Not only will it teach them some utterly necessary survival skills (because we know Mickey D’s isn’t worrying about their health), it will be less work for you.
Anne Louise Bannon
Your Family Viewer
