Hungry Girl

[JAZ]

I recently checked out the web site Hungry Girl after hearing about it from several acquaintances. If you're not familiar with the site, the premise is that Lisa Lillien, aka Hungry Girl, finds "healthy" (read low-calorie, low-fat and low sodium) substitutions for unhealthy restaurant dishes. It seemed worth a look, but the reality is pretty bleak.

Her staples seem to be Fiber One cereal (for coating everything from chicken to vegetables in her "oven-fried" foods); fat-free versions of Jello products, Cool Whip, cheese and mayonnaise; and "lite" soymilk. Her recipes sound so awful I can't believe anyone would try them. This one for "satay" was especially horrible-sounding. Here's a tip, Hungry Girl -- lite soy milk and reduced fat peanut butter do not a satay sauce make.

But she's got several books out and apparently now a TV show, so maybe I'm missing something. I admit that I've only browsed through it quickly. Does anyone find this site helpful? If so, what do you like about it?

[Badiane]

While I don't care much for the Barbie atmosphere with all the pink and perky happening, when you are someone who has to limit carbs, sugar, fat or whatever, her recipes are not the worst by a long shot. And that satay is actually quite tasty, just so you know Is it the real thing? No. But it tastes good to someone who isn't allowed to have the 'real' thing.

[munchymom]

I clicked through to the recipes, and three out of the four I clicked on didn't seem that bad. (Huevos Rancheros, Sesame Chicken, and Chicken and Waffles. The outlier was a quesadilla containing a veggie burger.) It's not the way I like to "eat healthy" - I'd rather have one tablespoon of real maple syrup than half a cup of sugar-free pancake syrup. But for someone who's actually looking to recreate that delicious processed-food taste they love... I've seen a lot worse.

[heidih]

She is hugely about product promotion. The folks at Tofu House (tofu shiritaki noodles), Fiber One, Almond Breeze, and Vache Qui Rit, just to name a few, surely consider her a gift from heaven. When called on it she reels off all the non processed food that is part of her diet and downplays the products but virtually all of the recipes require a "product". Most of the site seems devoted to product promotion. For people who limit calories and count them, she seems to provide ways to get flavor within the calorie budget- particularly if you are used to eating fast food or chain restaurant food and have no clue about how to convert to healthy cooking. Other than using new products in somewhat novel applications, nothing she puts out has not already been around for years. It is all about packaging and promotion.

[scubadoo97]

While I don't care much for the Barbie atmosphere with all the pink and perky happening, when you are someone who has to limit carbs, sugar, fat or whatever, her recipes are not the worst by a long shot. And that satay is actually quite tasty, just so you know Is it the real thing? No. But it tastes good to someone who isn't allowed to have the 'real' thing.

I have never seen her show and just took a peek at her website. This isn't for the food purists but for someone who needs to restrict their calorie intake it's not a bad site which can help trim down traditional recipes and make them lower cal and possibly healthier. Just be careful of what you substitute with. Too many processed foods may take a toll on our heath in other ways than calories. I noted that the sodium count was often higher in her HG makeover dishes.