Cook books making you gain weight?

The LA times has an article blaming "The joy of Cooking" (and others) for obesity. (as well as fast-foods)

The study being reported touts that recipes have gotten richer, plate sizes larger and families of 4 are eating the same amounts as larger families in the past.

Now I can blame my weight gain on my cookbooks, one of which is "The Joy of Cooking", even though I may only open it two or three times a year!

You can find the article here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-joy17-2009feb17,0,320694.story

I gotta quit nibbling on the cookbooks!! But the pages are great fiber.

I gave The Joy of Cooking to my son. I wasn't using it anymore, and he liked it because it was the first one he had used, during his teens, when I taught the late shift, and he would get hungry and cook dinner before I got home.

He doesn't use it much anymore either, although he is the chief cook at his home (Lyn is the chief bottle washer). The recipes call for more butter and cream than the newer ones. But these days, butter and cream are becoming acceptable again, and artificial foods with their transfats are seen to be the problem.

I speak as one who has to cook in order to lose weight and keep it under control. It's when I don't cook that I get into trouble.

But sometimes I wonder how obese we really are. I've seen several articles (generally squelched quickly) that say studies have shown it is actually healthier to be a bit overweight. That gets to me. How we play with words, as Ahad has said! Whatever weight is healthy is what should be considered ideal. When I was young, I wore a size ten, and weighed about 115. I had a few dresses that were 8's and even 6's. Usually, the more expensive they were, the smaller the size, even when the measurements were the same. I once had a 4, when I had lost down to 108. There was no such thing as a 2. My mom wore a size 12, and was considered one of the town's beauties. She was fairly tall, and weighed about 135 to 140. She was quite healthy, and very attractive.

I lived on extreme diets because I thought I was fat at 120 or 125. After a while, my physiology shifted and I could not keep my weight down, no matter how strenuous the diet. I have finally learned that dieting was my enemy, and now I eat a healthy, sensible way all the time, and am slowly losing. But in order to eat healthy, I have to cook everything myself. It's the only way today to eat "real" food.

I don't buy many cookbooks, though. I find healthy recipes on line. Everyday Food, Real Simple,and Eating Well all have recipes for meals that are real, healthy, and delicious.

So I can't see where a cookbook from the 1960's is causing obesity today, although I would agree that fast food, eating out, and processed quick meals (like Hamburger Helper) with their chemical preservatives and unhealthy processed fats are a big part of the problem. And I wonder if the problem isn't exaggerated.

Ann

I agree, Ann. I can't see how a 6 foot beauty queen can weigh in at 108, unless she has helium implants! It has always been a mystery to me. At 135, I looked like a concentration camp refuge with every bone protruding. But that is what the insurance compnay charts said I should weigh. What a joke. By those calculations, I was obese at 150, where I felt good and was no longer lathargic.

And it is true that more expensive clothing is sized differently. At least now pants have long enough legs. Used to was, 'regular' sizes had about a 28" inseam!

OK, I read the article after I posted. I see where it says that newer editions of the book have increased the amount of fat and meat.

But that still goes with what I was trying to say. A little butter or sour cream is better for us than reduced-fat margarine, or low-fat substitutes which have added chemicals and artificial substances to make up for the fat that was taken out. Especially if you use animal fats and meats from free-range animals, whose diet is mostly grass rather than grains.

Use a standard size plate, put whole grains on 1/4 of it, meat on another 1/4, and fill the rest of the plate with veggies and maybe a bit of fruit. Use a little bit of olive oil or butter to season your vegetables, not so much to make them taste better as to put enough fat in your system to provide you with enough energy to move more and get the stored stuff to burn.

(Boy, I seem to be very vocal and authoritative today. Take my ranting with a grain of salt, please. But not too much; the sodium will raise your blood pressure and fluid retention. )

Ann

I hear what you are saying, and the fact is that many folks do not realize what the sodium content is in many prepackaged and canned foods. When I get rid of salt and watch sodium content I do pretty good. Some foods do require salt according to my palate, but I use it sparingly anymore.

zadaconnaway wrote:

I hear what you are saying, and the fact is that many folks do not realize what the sodium content is in many prepackaged and canned foods. When I get rid of salt and watch sodium content I do pretty good. Some foods do require salt according to my palate, but I use it sparingly anymore.

And that is the problem with frozen entrees, even the "diet" ones. The sodium content is very high.

Ann

On my wedding day I was 5'10"and weighed 136.

I ifinally quit a doctor because he wanted me to weigh 135.
I looked like a starving soul at 145.

I've never read a cookbook. If there's no one to cook for me, I can always prepare something to eat. I've been fortunate not having to worry about what to eat. When it's prepared for me, it's nutritious. When I prepare it, it is food.

Like Abe, I've never read a cookbook, but a trip to a mall or a walk down Main Street shows there are a great many grossly overweight people - and I do mean grossly. I don't think anyone can deny the number of fat people has skyrocketed and many of them far surpass the old standard of being fat. "It Must Be Jelly 'cause Jam Don't Shake Like That" is getting to be our new anthem. And the number of fat kids is a real problem. The cause of that is obvious and only parents can turn off the electronic gadgets and say, "Get out and do something."

I think the only reason some people are alive is because they do not visit a doctor who would tell them what a mess they are.

The kids are fat beause they are hauled everywhere because of the child predators.

We need to lock the predators away and lose the key. Don't watch them too closely and they would soon be history.

Like Abe and Dick, I've never used a cookbook. My mum taught me how to cook a few simple things and that's all the cooking instructions I ever needed.

Occasionally, when I'm out to get the groceries, I find myself giggling at the sheer availability of so much food .
Tomatoes happen to be a favorite of mine, especially the sumptious varieties grown in hot countres like Spain or Morrocco.
When I think back to the last time I tried to grow some in my own back garden, I just realise how over-fed we all really are! To grow any food on one's own is extremely hard work, not to mention all the insects to deal with and sometimes even the drought. And in some years, things just do not grow, full stop.

If people had to grow at least some of their own food, you wont find too many fat people around.

I have just given away a large quantity of cookbooks that I never use. I sometimes am at a loss as to what I want to fix for dinner or a special desert. Looking through a cookbook helps me get on track. I do use recipes for baking, though. I like to experiment, but not with baked goods.

I baked bread today. It was so good I will bake some more tomorow.

Here's a recipe for The best cake I ever ate :

1 chocolate cake mix (dry --do not mix as instructed on the box)
1 21 oz can of Wilderness cherry pie filling
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon almond flavoring

Mix all together by hand until well mixed.
Pour into greased cake pan (2 8" rounds or 1 9x13" or 1 10 " round)
Bake 350 degrees F--30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
May need more like 35-40 minutes depending on the pan used.

Cool on cake rack.

Frosting/Glaze

Combine in small heavy saucepan:
1 cup of sugar
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup of milk
Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil 1 minute.

Add 1 cup (8 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips.
Stir until smooth and desired consistency.
Spread over cooled cake.

ENJOY!

An idea--to lower the calorie load use half the frosting--save the oher half for another cake. Frost it like a German chocolate cake-- just between layers and the top-- leave the sides bare.

And here I thought I was over weight because I ate a lot. Now I can just blame a cook book. Sweeeeet!

Ah Zada, a cookbook thread! How I have missed you!

When I learned to cook it was the very straightlaced (taste = bland) method that my parents still use. I started using cookbooks as a way to add flavour and experiment, and I still do it. The last time I moved, tired of hauling all my cookbooks around, I did a very drastic thing. I saved a couple of true favourites (In The Sweet Kitchen, by Regan Daily & Rose's Christmas Cookies by Rose Levy Berenbaum) but otherwise I actually went through the rest of my books and cut out the pages I wanted to keep, and put them in a binder with a whole raft of pages that I have printed off the internet. I love my recipe binder, and made one for my daughter to set up her own kitchen.

Dastardly level of disrepect toward all those cookbook authors, but I went from an entire shelf and a half to 2 hardcover books and a 3 inch binder.

Over the years my recipes - and cooking - has gone from damn the torpedoes, add the butter and cream to recipes that are light, tasty and healthy, unless someone wants my triple layer chocolate cake with a cooked chocolate frosting. There is no way to slim that thing down.

Mr Turkel: You remark at the bottom of your post is uncalled for and has nothing to do with cookbooks. You are definitiely showing your true colors!

Pam, I held back several of my favorites, and got rid of 2 shelves of books I never use! I think some of my favorite recipes are those that have come from friends and off the internet. I like your binder idea, and just might try it!! The first one to add will be Alice's--it has me drooling!! (I am a big fan of the cherry)