A Monday Mix

Today's post is a mix of things I've collected over the weekend to share..
[[First Up]]A couple cool things going on in the blog world.
*There is an official blogger cookbook being made! How do you get your copy? Well first off, you need to have a food or recipe blog and you need to submit 5 of your best and healthy recipes with or without pictures. Yup, that's all! Otherwise it's free as long as you contribute. Once it's put together, it will be distributed via the computer(so you'll get an e-copy)and then you'll have all of the best blog recipes in one spot! Talk about convenient. So head on over here to join in on all the fun.
*2nd on the list of fun things is a giveaway! Who doesn't like giveaways right, especially when it's food! here is the link to win Simply Bars which look delish!
[[Next Up]]
Yesterday as I was sitting at the laundromat watching my clothes go round-and-round, smelling the fresh scent of laundry detergent,blah,blah..I was reading the newspaper and like I always do, turned to the food section first. An article really caught my attention & I thought I should share!!
Super size Trend Finds Its Way to Cookbooks
It's not just fast-food restaurants that have super sized the way Americans eat--cookbooks share the blame! So-called portion distortion, the trend of eating larger and larger servings is as much a problem with recipes as it is with restaurants. The study done by Annals of Internal Medicine found that classic recipes have changed tremendously in the past 70 years. There has been a 40% increase in calories per serving for nearly every recipe reviewed, which equals about 77 extra calories. The study identified the trend in numerous cookbooks, but focused on "Joy of Cooking" first published in the '30s and regularly updated with new editions since then, most recently in 2006. Of the 18 recipes published in all 7 editions, 17 increased calories per serving & larger portion sizes. Only the chili con carne recipe remained unchanged, but their chicken gumbo, however, went from making 14 servings at 228 calories each in the 1936 edition, to making 10 servings at 576 calories in the 2006 version. It is still a fact though that most Americans get their share of excess calories outside of the home. The increase in restaurant portions started in the '70's.
I found this a little shocking, considering McDonald's and other fast food joints are always targeted for "super sizing" and the "Whopper" deals, etc. But now it just goes to show it's not all on restaurants. Most importantly, I think it's just about being in tune to your hunger and knowing when to put the fork down. What do you guys think? Can this cookbook phenomenon be considered an added marker to obesity epidemic, or is it really all about being aware of nutritional values, the food on your plate,etc?