A few months back I very spontaneously bought a book at Shoppers Drug Mart called Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. If you haven't seen it, it's a very cool paperback that compares brand name products of similar types of prepared foods, advising which products are the healthier choices, or in some cases, the lesser evils.The book is divided into sections ("Pantry Staples", "Snacks & Sweets", "The Freezer Section", etc.) and also includes a chapter on produce [aside: do you say proh-duce or prah-duce? The Miaouw makes fun of me for saying prah-juce], a recipe/meal plan section, and a food glossary. Here's a sample page comparing "Wholesome Cereals":
The little colour-coded blocks circling the product photos give nutritional information about the product, and the corresponding colours of the blocks inform you which two products are being compared (e.g. the "featured" comparison on this page is between Kashi "Vive" Toasted Graham & Vanilla, which I've never heard of but it sounds awesome, and Kellogg's "Smart Start", which apparently has 10 ingredients that are either sugar or some sort of sweetener).
So anyway, this sucker is ideal for bathroom reading. You can pick it up randomly, flip it open to any page, and get some good supermarket advice and ideas. The Miaouw in particular has been very intrigued to learn about the total lack of food value in some products that are shamelessly promoting themselves with the tell-tale "low fat" (i.e. high sugar) and "lite" labels.
Another recent addition to the royal library is a Canadian fitness magazine that I unwittingly find myself a subscriber to called I Run. I guess I got on their list last October when my mom and I participated in the Toronto Marathon. (We have been walking the half-marathon for 3 or 4 years now. My mom is totally hardcore and walks full marathons, which is awesome.) Anyway, this year there was a promotion and participants were automatically signed up with a one-year subscription. I never would have thought I would have any interest in a magazine about running, but I didn't expect to run a 10k race either.The magazine features articles about elite level athletes and "regular joes" (the current issue features a profile of [[[shudder]]] Stockwell Day, former leader of the reactionary conservative Reform Party of Canada; I haven't read it yet but I'm sure there will be an opportunity during a particularly satisfying dump). It also has training tips, nutrition advice, travelogues and of course lots of ads for upcoming runs across the country. It's kinda cool, reading this magazine and getting inspired to become better acquainted with a whole different lifestyle and world of possibilities. Who knows, I may re-up my subscription when it expires in the fall.
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The book is divided into sections ("Pantry Staples" ... Heh. I first read that as "panty staples."
ReplyDeleteI subscribe to The New Yorker, which as you may know is a weekly magazine. It's fairly serious reading at times. Of course you can flip through it and peruse the comics, but reading the usually excellent political articles, fiction, poetry, etc., takes time. So I have a stack of them on my toilet. (It's the tank type, with a box you can a put stuff on.) I usually get most of the way through the current issue, then fall behind, then the new one arrives, and of course I have to read that one, and I never seem to catch up. They pile up on the toilet. I try to catch up on the old issues while I'm, uh ... well, you know. I happen to think it's an excellent use of time, and great way to multi-task.
On your recommendation, I'll try to find a copy of Eat This Not That.
Hey, Jazz, the Miaouw subscribes to New Yorker too, and just like you say, there are piles of them all over the place. It is very hard indeed to keep up with a weekly mag, especially one with "meatier" sorts of articles. (I am sure I'd do fine keeping up with a subscription to US Weekly or similar.)
ReplyDeleteIf you do pick up ETNT, let me know what you think!