Balance of Food

Treat yourself to better quality food on your cheat day

"Could you be 'good' for 3 days, for a whole week so you could chow down on this colossal insane burger?"

The phrases "cheat day" and "sinful" have been cropping up on Food Network and Cooking Channel lately.

Robert Irvine has a whole show devoted to the concept: Cheat Day USA. The opening episode makes several stops where in Denver "a barbecue sandwich is taken to new heights with hickory-smoked beef, pork and sausage, slathered with homemade creamy cheese sauce and topped with beer-battered onion rings."

Yum and Yummer, Food Paradise, and a Food Network special also had episodes devoted to a cheat day.

• Yum and Yummer
• Food Paradise
• Food Network special

Of course, Guy Fieri had a Cheat Day episode on one of his many reality shows.

How to succeed on the Food Network and Cooking Channel: Love every single food

Podcast: Guy Fieri and his new $80 million Food Network deal

The concept of a cheat day isn't new. The Catholics do this during Lent where Sundays become cheat days in that you can indulge in whatever you gave up — for 24 hours.

We're not even upset over the idea of a cheat day. Your humble narrator used Saturday nights to make a special dinner during the height of the pandemic and looked forward to that during the week.

If you truly have been good on those other days, really good, that should be part of your reward. Splitting your French fries with a friend. Adding extra vegetables to your salad. Cutting bacon in half so you feel like you ate 2 slices when there was one slice cut in 2. Building in consistency on good days can make that a pattern instead of viewing it through the lens of 3-6 "good days."

Okay, so you aren't that good on your "good days." You still want the reward. You are human after all.

The problem isn't where you set your standard on those "good days"; the issue is your standard on the cheat days.

I've seen most of these segments. They remind us of most of what is on Food Paradise. I want to host a show where we point out 1-2 (sometimes 5) items that shouldn't be on said food item.

If you have too many things on your burger, you might as well have a portobello mushroom or veggie burger instead of a burger. Yes, food on TV needs to be ridiculous.

A burger should have 2, maybe 3 items at the most. Smaller, more subtle flavors in the mix. A slow onion jam on a burger is wonderful though maybe not indulgent. Blue cheese contributes more flavor than a more flavorless cheese. Crumbled bacon instead of 3 barely cooked strips. Still indulgent but a nice treat.

BalanceofFood.com reality TV coverage

"Damnit. I've been good all week. I should be able to celebrate the way I want." Yes, you should. You don't want to measure out celebration or happiness.

The barbecue sandwich from Denver has 3 different kinds of meat. Will you appreciate all the different types of meat on your sandwich? The "homemade creamy cheese sauce" sounds like calories without much flavor. That can be indulgent but not useful to truly be indulgent.

As someone who has ordered French fries and onion rings at the same time, I get the temptation of fried foods. The beer-battered onion rings might be helpful if a substitute for French fries.

If your celebration food has better quality and flavor without tons of layers, you can really appreciate the taste that goes into a cheat day item. Use those calories for maximum flavor. You deserve the best for a cheat day.

Bone marrow done at home: a most unusual breakfast

This doesn't look as glamorous as the picture at the top of the column. I took this picture but that isn't the reason. This is bone marrow on sourdough toast from my latest birthday. 2 ingredients: bone marrow and toasted sourdough bread.

Plenty of flavor and fat. Great mouth feel. Calories? Have no clue what I ate in that meal. This was indulgence. I had to do a bit of work but not that much work.

This might be the best meal I have this year. Should finish in the top 5 or 10. This wouldn't make the cut on those food television shows because the dish isn't "outrageous" and doesn't photograph well. There is certainly no third or fourth rate cheese in the dish.

You can reduce food costs despite inflation

This grilled mac and cheese sandwich from Panera is described as OTT (over the top). We would agree. Maybe you will beg for this sandwich.

If the whole good day/cheat day yo-yo isn't working for you, ask yourself if you can do better on your good days. Add some lower-calorie flavor to your good days. Add some higher quality food to your cheat day.

Perhaps you will respond better to a more even wavelength than the ones you get now where your highs are too high and lows are too low.

BalanceofFood.com television coverage

"We eat with our eyes," television says to us. We don't. "Television wouldn't lie to us." It does. All the time.

Bigger isn't better. More ingredients piled on top are not better. Think of food more like a charcuterie board than a Dagwood type sandwich.

photo credits: Cheat Day USA/Cooking Channel; me

Back in Time for Dinner is a great way to learn about food history

The Back in Time for Dinner phenomenon started in the United Kingdom. The CBC ran its own version in Canada in 2018. The Canadian version featured a Canadian family with how Canadians ate in each decade from the 1940s through the 1990s.

Host Carlo Rota guided the Campus family: mother Tristan, a registered nurse, father Aaron, a multimedia designer, 18-year-old daughter Valerie, 17-year-old daughter Jessica, and 15-year-old son Robert.

The Canadian version seemed an obvious choice to work its way to the United States, even if that took until late 2021 and early 2022 to arrive on the Cooking Channel.

There are some nuanced differences in Canadian food history versus U.S. food history. Canada has to deal with more significant war rations and for a longer period of time. Canada entered World War II in 1939 while the United States got into the war very late in 1941.

Later in the 1970s, Tristan and Val make yogurt and have to deal with the imperial system (U.S.) and metric since that was the decade Canada switched to metric.

Cooking with kidneys (1940s), salad in a Jell-o mold (1950s), and a cheese ball (1970s) is fun to watch from the standpoint of a modern family temporarily going back in time.

Cooking Channel picks up Back in Time for Dinner

We wrote about the show in great detail for our sibling blog, CanadianCrossing.com.

The food innovations had purpose behind them in terms of politics, the economy, and social trends. You might be surprised to learn about these trends whether you lived them or your parents and grandparents went through these decades.

Balanceoffood.com Canada food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com television coverage

You can catch up on previous episodes from the Cooking Channel. The 1990s episode airs on Thursday at 10 pm Eastern on the Cooking Channel. Our Canadian friends can watch the episodes via CBC Gem.

photos credit: Back in Time for Dinner/CBC

How to succeed on the Food Network and Cooking Channel: Love every single food

As someone who communicates about food, people ask me about food television. "You would be great on those shows." They are kind people. I could be good on The Best Thing I Ever Ate since I can be passionate about the best thing I did eat. My "best thing" would actually be good.

Hosting Chopped or some other competition show would require some sincerity, but being aggressive in yelling out "2 minutes. You have 2 minutes left, chefs" would make me numb quickly. Doing the actual fake tension countdown would make me very sad.

The primary reason why these food shows and your humble narrator wouldn't be a good fit is what makes people on the Food Network and Cooking Channel so effective for television: I love food yet they love everything.

I acted in high school plays. I could be a good voiceover artist. Acting on television? Not likely.

When they try a food, the response is positive followed by a recitation, a backsell of the ingredients, and how they come together in what they are eating. The responses almost feel like completing a MadLibs page.

Food on television is loving food and acting the part.

Cooking Channel needs to bring back Laura Calder, focus less on celebrities

Rachael Ray and Katie Lee both received sexist coverage IMHO over their "mmmmmmm" response to eating foods.

Maybe these TV personalities really love everything they eat on camera. This is where I can't compete with them. Eating a hamburger with 10 other ingredients and being able to spot the nuance of the burger taste is pretty disingenuous. They could have superhuman skills where they can taste 12 things in just a single bite.

Objective vs. subjective: watching them say a burger is juicy when the burger looks overcooked. I couldn't pull off that lie even if they would cancel out my considerable credit card debt.

If you love everything, how can you tell when something is good. Yes, this is food television where they have picked the "best" so everything is good.

Some food TV shows have actual actors, such as Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Tia Mowry, and Haylie Duff. Michael Symon isn't a better actor than they are but Symon is better in the food TV world.

Bourdain Day 3: How Anthony Bourdain helped me get through a pandemic

Podcast: Guy Fieri and his new $80 million Food Network deal

This brings us to Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain did a different level of food television. Sometimes, he would later say in an interview about how something he ate wasn't that great. He had subtle levels of difference. A soup made with a goat's head wouldn't be the "best thing" but Bourdain was more about the idea that a soup made from a goat's head could be good.

Bourdain loved sea urchin and anything made from pork. His inflection would change when those ingredients would come up. Bourdain may be more polite when eating on television but you know he really loves sea urchin.

Michael Symon shows that when you love everything, you love nothing. Bourdain would tell you what he liked better than other things. There is a difference.

BalanceofFood.com reality TV coverage

BalanceofFood.com television coverage

No one, not even me wants to see someone on TV say "that is awful" or quote such lovely child-like words as "yucky." We want to believe that what we see on food television is not "yucky." A happy medium is a good step. Taste usually refers to how a food comes across to us; taste also means having good taste in what is out there.

My palette is selective and I tend to be honest: primary reasons I would be a failure on food television.

photo credit: Cooking Channel

Podcast: Guy Fieri and his new $80 million Food Network deal

After receiving $50 million in last contract, @FoodNetwork is giving @GuyFieri 3 years for $80 million. #Flavortown getting gold-plated streets?? Then again, more of a fan of @LauraCalder. https://t.co/g4Fz2s0UH9

— Chad Rubel (@balanceoffood) May 25, 2021

Guy Fieri — of the spiky blonde hair and pants that aren't short or long — recently signed a new deal with the Food Network: 3 years, $80 million.

We decided to go back to the podcast format to say a few words about Fieri and the value he brings.

Enjoy the podcast (approximately 5:15 in length).

BalanceofFood.com podcasts coverage

Download Guy fieri

How well do farmers markets do on Farmers' Market Flip?

Farmers markets and television don’t mix too well. So when the Cooking Channel came out with Farmers' Market Flip, I had hope that the two finally found an ideal mix.

The network launched the show a few weeks ago, but aired a pilot episode last year. So we actually have a pair of versions. We'll illustrate the best and worst of each version then we’ll present a more ideal version of the concept.

Each show has 2 teams of 2 chefs and they compete for $5000.

The pilot that aired in 2016 is, as a lot of pilots are, kind of a mess but also nice. There are dual hosts, Lara Spencer, who introduces the segments, and Chase Ramsey, who is involved with the contestants.

The chefs are given a $200 budget and 30 minutes to shop. We get to see them shop at various vendors and there is a lot of time devoted to what farmers markets offer to them.

They make a main dish and side dish and have 1 hour to prepare. We are talked through what they are doing. Even in rushed time, we get a real sense of what is going into those dishes.

The teams are asked to price their wares and get 1 hour to sell as much as they can. Since this is a reality show, we get a dumb challenge to make things tougher on one of the teams. The pilot invokes the lame short-straw ploy where the team with the shortest straw has to sit for 5 minutes.

The team that didn’t have to sit sold out of their food. That team also priced its food lower than the team that, though they sat for 5 minutes, outpaced the other team to win. The losing team sold out by underestimated the output. We got actual money totals, $429 to $294.

The 2016 pilot and the 4th episode of the 2017 version has a team with a male and female. Interestingly, the first 3 episodes of the 2017 version fell purely along gender lines in a male-female matchup.

The 2017 version went down to a single host: Jeff Mahin. He doesn’t have the hipster beard of Ramsey but has lots of arm tattoos. Mahin is more intense than Ramsey or Spencer but has that in rather good control. He doesn’t really add anything other than walking the audience through what is happening.

The new version adds a preliminary challenge involving a ingredient from the market. The vendor of that product from that market ends up singularly judging which team best pulled off the challenge. The best dish doesn’t always win but it’s more about how well the team did to keeping true to the ingredient.

Winning that challenge gives a team an advantage. The losing team is punished by arbitrary fashion such as being limited to 6 vendors in the next challenge or using main ingredients that started with A, B, and C. While better than short straws, the show needs to spend more of its budget coming up with less arbitrary punishments. The teams still get $200 but only 20 minutes to shop.

The teams don’t set prices but the consumers voted with large disks placed in the pot of their favorite choice.

Mahin will tell us how close the vote has been. One episode had a 1-vote difference; another had a 3-vote contrast. He does interview consumers as to what they liked or didn’t like about the dishes.

Narrowing down the hosts was a smart move. I thought Spencer would be the best host in the narrowing down (Spencer remains as executive producer). A farmers market needs a softer host; Spencer isn’t too soft. Mahin isn’t really friendly but fits in well as the kind of host you find on the other Food Network/Cooking Channel reality shows.

Having 2 challenges takes away from time spent in the farmers market but does give the viewer an extra opportunity to see a finished product. We could lose some of the prep time footage to show more shopping. 22 minutes isn’t often enough time but that is the time you get.

Speaking of which, the viewer could use some good farmers market shopping tips either from the host or the chefs. Teach us as well as show us about the farmers market.

On Junk Food Flip, we have a running count of how the votes went in the final challenge. That drama feels more real plus we know how many votes each team got. You don’t want to spend too much time on the counting. It does seem like Junk Food Flip does a lot with its 22 minutes.

In reality shows, the individuals become the “stars” of the episodes. A show involving farmers markets should make the fresh food be the stars. Given that California markets will carry produce not found in most markets, such as the blood oranges below, the food should speak for itself.

Farmers' Market Flip does an overall good job of presenting what farmers markets can offer. The show could use some improvements and better time management. But the show is worth investing time and energy to see what farmers markets can do for people not participating on the show.

Farmers' Market Flip airs Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern on Cooking Channel. You can find more information about the show here.

photos credit: Farmers' Market Flip/Cooking Channel

Celebrating the Michelle Obama legacy for food and nutrition

Michelle Obama will leave behind an incredible legacy as First Lady of the United States on food, nutrition, childhood obesity, and school lunches. Let's Move made an impact on trying to get kids to spend less time on screens and more time playing.

The First Lady used television well in a natural manner to spread the message. iCarly fit in well to attracting young people to hear the message. The Biggest Loser was a natural fit with people trying to lose weight. Let's not forget the many talk show appearances from Ellen to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

You might think that her natural grace and flair comes easy. Some of us still can't shake the image of Nancy Reagan on Diff'rent Strokes talking about drug abuse. Nancy Reagan used to be an actress.

Like Batman, Michelle Obama had her list of enemies: Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Chicago Tribune, Basil Marceaux, James Sensenbrenner, those against federal school lunch programs. Instead of being constructive, they were destructive. Obama played it cool every time, even when the other side won significant victories. As she noted during the 2016 election campaign, "when they go low, we go high."

The White House organic garden started out as a powerful symbol but also proved beneficial to people in the capital city with bountiful produce.

Regardless of who the next president of the United States was going to be, Michelle Obama's legacy needs to be applauded. Michelle Obama, private citizen, will still have a platform after January 20 and we hope she takes advantage of that opportunity. The Obamas are staying in Washington until Sasha graduates from high school. The organic garden isn't too far away from their new home, if the new tenants will let her.

Her enemies, who fought hard and mostly without facts, will work to destroy anything Obama accomplished in her 8 years in that role. They can't take away her legacy, the idea that someone with power wanted people to eat better and exercise more. Obama talked about "vegetable feasts," not "federal food nannies." Her positivity can't be shattered.

Since there will be significant changes in the government, keeping the legacy of Michelle Obama alive requires the help of the people. We have touted the need for government to help where it can. The American people need to help out that legacy. Fight for school lunch reform. Encourage people to grow gardens. Focus on new food labels with an emphasis on added sugars.

The fear is that her legacy reads more like an obituary. Let's not make this an obituary.

BalanceofFood.com U.S. food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com Congress food policy coverage

BalanceofFood.com school lunch coverage

Here are a few stories we have written over the years about Michelle Obama. The articles are in reverse chronological order so you can go back to the beginning.

2016

5 questions you should ask presidential candidates about U.S. food policy

2015

Appreciating Jon Stewart, The Daily Show on food and nutrition

President Obama needs to replace Sam Kass with a nutrition czar

2014

Saying goodbye to the Colbert Report

Election Day back when school lunch reform made headlines

Michelle Obama fights back against GOP school lunch cuts

2013

Barack Obama has 4 more years to improve U.S. food supply, but we need to help

2012

Election Day through the eyes of the food supply

BalanceofFood.com endorses Michelle Obama to be First Lady for 4 more years

Sarah Palin's diet/fitness philosophy likely similar to Michelle Obama's approach

iCarly tries to make veggies 'wacky' to appeal to young children

Michelle Obama talks of vegetable feasts on 'Daily Show'

Michelle Obama uses 'Biggest Loser' to push 'Let's Move'

Latest school lunch improvements prove it's important who gets elected

Temptation of the Week: Resist the non-existent message that government wants to tell you what to eat

2012 braces to be rough political year for food advocacy

2011

Rep. James Sensenbrenner latest to pile onto Michelle Obama

'Federal Food Nannies' aren't real, despite Chicago Tribune editorial

What should Michelle Obama do if she wants to order fast food in public?

Christie, Huckabee stand up for Michelle Obama, but repeat Sarah Palin's lies in the process

Rush Limbaugh better off learning Michelle Obama's 'rules' before he criticizes them

Podcast: Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and the politics of breastfeeding

2010

Obama signs school lunch bill, still waiting on food safety bill

Sarah Palin could help improve food supply if she argued policy, not politics

Seek out White House reminders of fresh local food

Basil Marceaux's paranoia aside, government will never measure waistlines

Michelle Obama also strikes the balance of food

Going back to 1970s might be best way to cut future childhood obesity

Should hear soon about White House childhood obesity task force

Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' gets Kids Choice Award seal of approval

Michelle Obama takes obesity fight straight to corporations

2009

Has Barack Obama found the Balance of Food?

Why White House organic vegetable garden is so important

photo credit: iCarly/Nickleodeon

Leaving avocados and oranges whole encourages learning about produce

We saw in January on My Diet Is Better Than Yours where Taj was confused by the outside of an avocado. Jovanka pointed out that Taj loves Mexican food. Taj knew what the inside of an avocado looked like based on the end product of guacamole. Taj did not know how an avocado worked.

This picture shows what the inside of an avocado looks like, mostly. The above avocado was found at a Sobeys in Thornhill, Ontario. This would be really helpful to Taj, but confusion for the rest of us.

The avocado in that store in Atlanta (where My Diet Is Better Than Yours was taped) came with the seed and its own natural packaging. Even with the seed and its skin, in an organic grocery store in Atlanta, that avocado costs a lot less than $3.99.

CanadianCrossing.com reality TV coverage

So what are people getting for that $3.99?

• Guaranteed freshness — True, you could buy an avocado and not get one as pristine. You can learn by touch and timing and experience as to how to pick an avocado. Plan to use an avocado in a couple of days? Pick one that feels firm and set it on the kitchen counter. Plan to use an avocado right away? Pick one that feels softer. Find out that is too mushy? Don't pick that one.
• Seed extracted — You don't have to worry about taking away the seed. Of course, you ruin one of the coolest things to do with a knife, to stab the seed and take it out. Plus, some people use the avocado seed for extra nutrition.
• No outer skin — We can't tell by the packaging but the outer skin might not be there. No having to scoop out the avocado from the outer skin. You can save a whole 60-90 seconds of scooping and who has time to scoop?

The whole avocado costs less than $3.99. I could get 6 avocados, seeds included, for about that same amount of money at my local supermarket.

When people complain that they don't know how to cook, that they want to do more cooking, food knowledge is what they need. Keeping avocados green once you've opened them? Lemon or lime juice retain the color.

The primary audience for "avocado halves" are people with a lot of money and little food knowledge.

Avocados aren't limited to guacamole. They provide good fat and creaminess in many recipes from avocado chocolate pudding to a great substitute for mayonnaise on sandwiches. Using them is so much easier when you understand how avocados work.

We're told the healthiest food has no labels. Avocado halves from Sobeys and peeled oranges from Whole Foods work hard to being on the exception to that rule.

The peeled oranges and avocado halves serve the same purpose: "convenience" from lazy, rich people who somehow don't have the time/knowledge/energy to peel an orange or halve an avocado.

We don't know how much the peeled orange costs but convenience always comes at a price.

The peeled orange is missing the orange peel with the potential for orange zest or rind, both of which can add flavor and flair to a dish.

There is also the joy in removing the peel from an orange that you might have hated as a child but can appreciate as an adult. If peeling an orange is difficult, cut the orange in half makes peeling an orange much easier. Quartering an orange makes the process even easier.

Convenience in food makes lives easier, but they shouldn't be a substitute for not knowing about the food we eat. Carrot and celery sticks, vegetable and fruit trays have similar principles but are more acceptable.

Peeling a carrot or cutting up celery stalks takes time and effort but you learn how they work. Freshly cut carrots and celery always tastes better than pre-cut versions.

We talk a lot about knowing where your food comes from in terms of meat and dairy but that also applies to fruits and vegetables. Food involves taste, smell, sight, and, to a lesser extent, hearing. But touch is crucial in determining viability and freshness, especially in produce.

The firmness of an avocado or orange determines whether you are getting the best produce. Once you learn that life skill, you can eat forever. When the food is hiding behind a plastic-and-cardboard mask, you rely on the judgment of a company that sells produce outside of its natural packaging. In that scenario, you can eat but you don't learn a thing about eating.

photos credit: Sobeys and Facebook//Michelle Cehn/Facebook

My Diet Is Better Than Yours wrapup by the numbers

My Diet Is Better Than Yours was very good at giving health numbers: blood sugar, blood pressure, waist circumference. Shaun T even told Jasmin in the Week 7 weigh-in that her BMI had gone from obese to not obese. She sarcastically thanked Shaun T for telling everyone. The show should be commended for giving health numbers and noting that even if the weight loss isn't too high that other numbers are important, too.

The show ran into significant problems with the body fat numbers.

Shaun T made a common math mistake by using subtraction instead of division to underestimate the body fat loss percentage.

As an example, in the first 7 weeks, Latasha's body fat went from 49.7% to 45%. Shaun T told us that Latasha lost 4.7% of her body fat.

That's wrong. Her actual body fat percentage loss was 9.46%.

At the final weigh-in, Shaun T told us that Latasha lost 8% of her body fat. That sounds like the same mistake, so if Latasha lost 8 percentage points, which is different than losing 8%, her actual body fat loss percentage was 16.1%.

Latasha lost quite a bit of body fat after the experts left. That significance will become relevant shortly.

At the Week 7 weigh-in, Jeff went from 44.2% body fat to 35.8% body fat. Shaun T wrongly told us this was a 8.4% body fat loss. The actual percentage was 19%.

In the final weigh-in, we learned that Jeff had "lost 8% body fat." Not true. They showed that Jeff lost 24 lbs. in the 7 weeks once the experts left but didn't lose any body fat. 

Jasmin, the winner of the contest, never had her body fat numbers revealed on the air. According to Abel's blog, Jasmin lost "13% body fat." Since Abel makes the same math errors that Shaun T makes, we have to assume that Jasmin lost 13 percentage points. Since we don't have a starting or finishing number, we can't compute Jasmin's actual body fat loss percentage. It's extremely odd that the winner would be the only contestant to finish where those numbers aren't provided.

From Abel's blog:

"My contestant, Kurt started at 352 pounds and 52% body fat. He finished at 265 pounds and just 30% body fat! So Kurt lost an astounding 22% body fat in 14 weeks …"

So much wrong with those numbers.

In the Week 7 weigh-in, Shaun T told us that Kurt went from a body fat percentage of 51.8% down to 29.4%, Shaun T told us that was a 22% drop. Uh, no. Make that a 56.8% drop in body fat. Depending on Jasmin's numbers, that drop almost was as big as the other 3 contestants combined. At that weigh-in, Kurt weighed 295 pounds and had a body fat level under 30%. Those numbers are rather unbelievable; the wild diet talked about burning the fat. And then some.

Here is where we are really confused. At the final weigh-in, Shaun T made a big deal that Kurt started out at "about 52%" and ended up at 30% body fat. Everyone made a big deal out of the same statistics from the Week 7 weigh-in.

As we noted on Friday, Kurt lost almost ⅔ of his weight before the experts left. He lost 30 pounds on his own. According to the numbers, Kurt didn't lose any more body fat in the last 7 weeks on his own.

The numbers were very specific in the Week 7 weigh-in; the numbers were very vague during the final weigh-in.

So Jeff and Kurt, the two men in the competition, lost zero body fat in the 7 weeks without the experts. Latasha lost 41.25% of her total body fat loss after the experts left.

The numbers are theoretically possible but rather difficult to explain. Understanding math would help.

Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, Jasmin win My Diet Is Better Than Yours

Heading into My Diet finale, superfood swap running close second to wild diet

'The Biggest Loser' still avoiding healthy food options

Shaun T mentioned to us that Kurt had won more weigh-ins that any other contestant. That was true, but let's break down those numbers.

Only 3 of the 5 contestants won a weigh-in: Kurt, Jasmin, and Jeff. Kurt won 3 weigh-ins while Jasmin and Jeff each won 2 weigh-ins. Not much of an edge, but that was technically true.

Jeff won his weigh-ins early in the competition in Week 2 and Week 4, but didn't come close in the other weeks. In fact, Jeff came in 4th even with those early victories.

Jasmin's 2 weigh-in titles came in Week 5 and Week 7. While she did well early, barely losing Week 1, and even have the overall edge after 4 weeks, her momentum allowed her with 2 very strong weeks of the last 3 with the experts. In weight loss, better to have momentum later rather than earlier.

Latasha didn't win a single weigh-in and only came close late in the competition, yet finished third. She had the worst initial plan and stayed way too long in that plan. Once she got momentum, Latasha took off and did very well to finish 3rd overall.

The show got too caught up in short-term wins. Those who want to lose weight in the long haul would be wise to not think in terms of short-term wins.

My Diet Is Better than Yours proves valuable with helpful food tips

My Diet Is Better Than Yours was consistent in the TV ratings. The show scored poorly compared to the other broadcast shows, though Thursday is a competitive night and expectations from ABC weren't especially high.

The first week had the best numbers; the final week had the worst numbers. But Week 3 was better than Week 2. The numbers were close enough to be factored into the margin of error in the TV ratings.

Date	Adults 18-49 Rating/Share	Viewers (millions)
January 28	0.7/2	2.08
January 21	0.6/2	2.22
January 14	0.6/2	2.11
January 7	0.7/2	2.42
Numbers via http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com

Previewing 2016 weight-loss TV shows

Full disclosure: I know Dawn Jackson Blatner in real life.

photo credit: My Diet Is Better Than Yours/ABC

Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, Jasmin win My Diet Is Better Than Yours

My Diet Is Better Than Yours had 7 experts, but only one of them was a dietitian. Turns out the dietitian and her contestant did win the 14-week challenge.

In the series finale that aired on ABC last night, Jasmin went from 200 lbs. to 147 lbs., a weight loss of 26.50% to win the title. Jasmin receives a $50,000 prize, $20,000 in free groceries, and both Dawn Jackson Blatner and Jasmin will be featured in People magazine. (Full disclosure: I know Dawn in real life.)

Kurt, on the wild diet, had a heroic weight-loss performance going from 352 lbs. to 265 lbs., an 87-lb. weight loss and a percentage of 24.72%

The superfood swap diet won the competition, though after the 7 weeks where the experts were alongside the contestants, Kurt had a slight edge with 16.19% versus 15% for Jasmin.

Dawn and Jasmin celebrating via smartphone after the win.

Jasmin won the Week 7 weigh-in, losing 5 pounds for a 2.86% weight loss. Kurt lost 7 lbs. in Week 7 for a 2.32% weight loss.

Jasmin lost 30 pounds while Dawn was there; 23 pounds on her own. She lost 56.6% of her weight loss with the expert. Kurt lost 57 pounds with Abel; 30 pounds on his own for a 65.5% rate while with the expert.

Latasha got some vindication by coming in 3rd with a 18.52% weight loss, going from 243 lbs. to 198 lbs. Given that she stayed too long with the clean momma plan, her numbers would have been a lot better.

Jeff had physical issues in the half marathon, but still did rather well, going from 359 lbs. to 295 lbs. for a 64-lb. weight loss and a 17.83% weight loss.

Taj dropped out of the competition just before the weigh-in at Week 7. She was going through personal turmoil, but was wrestling with other issues. In a game where the contestants couldn't be eliminated from the outside, her inner demons lead her to leave. Still, proof that in the real world and sometimes on TV, some people quit before the end.

Heading into My Diet finale, superfood swap running close second to wild diet

'The Biggest Loser' still avoiding healthy food options

My Diet Is Better than Yours proves valuable with helpful food tips

Previewing 2016 weight-loss TV shows

Jasmin won the Week 7 challenge and the half-marathon. Dawn had Jasmin update the stick figure self-perception; Jasmin figured out that she was more beautiful than she gave herself credit for in the beginning.

Jasmin and her family made lunch for Dawn: chicken un-Parmesan, zucchini wedges, and a tossed garden salad. The family noted that before Dawn came along, the chicken would have been breaded and there wouldn't be a salad on the table.

We saw Jasmin and her daughter coming up with a snack after Dawn was gone. They follow the binder of Dawn information, and end up with a snack of a banana and cheese. Nice thorough thought process in what can be a difficult decision.

---

The wild diet took us into a world of intermittent eating, mixing in fasting. The talk was of doing breakfast at noon and having the last meal around 6-7 pm. That is a long time to go in waking up before eating. The contrast was eating sugary cereals in the morning, but I can tell you that you have plenty of morning options without resorting to sugar.

The nutrient timing has Latasha eating at 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, and 8 pm. This is pretty much the opposite of intermittent eating. A solid diet program is about what you eat, not when. Some people can benefit somewhat from timing, but not that much.

photos: me
screen grabs: My Diet Is Better Than Yours/ABC

Heading into My Diet finale, superfood swap running close second to wild diet

Jasmin was kicking butt in last week's episodes of My Diet Is Better Than Yours in winning the challenges in Weeks 5 and 6 as well as the Week 5 weigh-in. She lost 6 lbs. in Week 5 for a 3.3% weight loss; Kurt was a distant second with a 2.22% weight loss that week.

Jasmin was the first female to win a weigh-in. She has run a consistent second place in the competition.

The show has been running weekly totals without listing overall weight loss. After 6 weeks, Kurt is 1st with a 14.2% weight loss; he has lost 50 lbs. from his original 352 lbs. Jasmin has a 12.5% weight loss, losing 25 lbs. from her original 200 lbs. Her 1-lb. weight loss last week didn't help those numbers. Jeff is 3rd with a 9.75% weight loss.

Does that mean Dawn Jackson Blatner, who we know in real life, has the second-best diet behind the wild diet?

'The Biggest Loser' still avoiding healthy food options

My Diet Is Better than Yours proves valuable with helpful food tips

Previewing 2016 weight-loss TV shows

The show's dynamics have shown 2 very successful diet plans, some OK plans, a very strange plan that is now gone, and the newest one that has a lot to do with timing.

Latasha's new plan involves nutrient timing from Rob, a certified sports nutritionist. She says she trusts his plan because he looks like he knows what he's doing. His bandanna on his bald head makes him look like he doesn't know what he's doing. At least Latasha now knows what she is supposed to eat.

The program is "eating specific nutrients in specific amounts at specific times." Portion size is crucial: protein should fit in a palm, vegetables should fit into both fists, and fat should be the equivalent of both thumbs.

From my limited knowledge of nutrient timing, the program is about getting carbohydrates to the body when the body needs them. Seemingly, you might see a subtle difference if you are trying to be in very good shape, but the program doesn't seem to do as much for someone who needs to lose a lot of weight. Feel free to argue differently in the comments section.

Rob actually said supplements are a big part of the nutrient timing program. That's not really a diet program.

Latasha has been taking well to the program, and psychology is very important in these diet relationships.

---

"Food isn't what make you happy," Dawn noted. We've seen more psychology than superfoods on the air. We know behind the scenes there have been many food swaps. We see lots of food dynamics from the wild diet but not the superfood swap.

Jasmin and her husband had a Mexican bowl for date night with her husband: lettuce, homemade salsa, red onion, guacamole, and fajita meat. We don't know if that came from Dawn, but that sounds tasty and healthy.

Dawn's big moment comes in Episode 6 came in finally convincing Jasmin to give up her fat clothes. At the date night meal, Jasmin is wearing the pants that she kept to try and fit into wearing. Keeping those clothes makes sense, but Jasmin needs a lot of help in giving up clothes she'll never wear again.

---

We live in a society where we associate sweet potatoes with sweet potato fries. The wild diet guy is dealing with trying to get carbohydrates into Kurt's diet so he can train well for the half-marathon.

By boiling the sweet potato, the glycemic index is cut about in half. The on-air graphics said the glycemic index for the baked sweet potato is 94, but 46 for the boiled sweet potato.

I'm not that strong a believer in the glycemic index, but your body has that kind of extreme contrast based on how you cook a sweet potato, you should include that in your thought process.

The other wild diet tidbit might have come straight from Kurt, but asking questions in restaurants is important. Don't drive everyone off the beaten path with a litany of questions. But ask about the food you will be served. Knowledge is power.

---

Under the clean momma plan, we had very little about food, so we didn't learn much about Latasha's eating habits. Turns out she had been eating 10 oz. of cheese a day. Even by American standards, 10 oz. of cheese daily is a lot. Rob was concerned about the loss of good bacteria from eating the cheese.

Does that raw milk cheese is healthier if it is less processed or does that apply to all cheeses. The bandanna doesn't help us figure that out.

The fat would be the biggest concern in eating that much cheese. My thought is that most regular cheeses are bland, and Latasha could add flavor in other ways while cutting unnecessary fat and calories.

---

Taj gave out kale chips to her students. They didn't react well to the kale chips but they also knew they were kale chips. I'm not a fan of surprising people, but the exception can come if the food is crunchy and could pass for an odd-colored potato chip.

You would think these kids would have learned the reality TV test: if there are cameras in the room, you should pretend to like the food you are trying.

---

The no diet guy had an interesting take on grocery shopping. He preached the "shop the perimeter" technique, which is quite important. But he wanted Jeff to sharply cut down the time spent in the grocery store to focus, streamline, and not be swayed by temptation. The shopping trip time went from 45 minutes to 13 minutes.

My own personal shopping style is more about going for a few items at a time. So the amount of time I spend in a store is very small. This is not terribly practical for a lot of people, but one of those two styles can work for most people.

Note: I will be attending a live screening of the finale tonight. Yes, Dawn is sponsoring the event, but I am paying full price to attend. I'll have more on that next week.

photo credit: My Diet Is Better Than Yours/ABC