Opinion:Food Magazine Education

Magazines impact so many lives by the content on its pages. Magazines tell us what to wear, what to do and how to act. One of the most influential impacts magazines have on peoples’ health is telling us what to eat. Food magazines come in all different forms from gourmet to budget publications, but with the a national worry of obesity and the presentation of healthier alternatives that is sweeping across the country, what makes us so sure that the words, recipes and images on the pages of national food magazines should be indulged in?

After flipping through the pages of Everyday Food Magazine and finding a “lighter” version of sesame chicken without the nutritional facts attached, how can I be so sure it is lighter? There was nothing to compare it to, what is so light about it? I guess the fact that the chicken is “lightly” fried instead of deep fried as it would be made in a Chinese restaurant could pass as a lighter version of the popular dish, but what are they trying to hide by not telling me the nutritional facts at the end?

Sunset magazine on the other hand doesn’t even try to hide the fact that a cup of its “healthier” version of cream of mushroom soup is 394 calories and 27g of fat. I am no expert on food education myself, but personally one cup of soup wouldn’t cut it and the calorie and fat intake is already high to start eating more. The magazine also highlights every recipe with the nutritional ingredients at the end.

Overall the reader should be aware of the “everyday” recipes being presented and know the portion size to indulge in, though what still makes food publications the voice of what is good and healthy to eat? Who are these expert food writers and what qualifies them to tell the readers what is good enough? There are food writers that should be listened to on the topic of nutrition, but know who you are listening to.

How are food magazines addressing the obesity epidemic that has raged out of control across the nation? It seems that many articles in news magazines such as TIME or Newsweek address the issue, but the food magazine industry doesn’t address it enough to say why they feature healthier alternatives in the publication. I guess it just doesn’t fit in with their reader demographics. Maybe if the food magazine industry made it an issue then people would begin to listen to their words of wisdom instead of indulging in all the recipes and food advice Americans take as fact.