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WQED STARTS THE NEW YEAR WITH ‘HEALTHY RECIPES’
Latest cooking marathon focuses on delicious
low-fat, low-calorie and low-carb dishes

PITTSBURGH - Perhaps it’s a sign of the aging baby-boomer generation but it seems like everyone in America is on some kind of special diet. Some people are fighting the battle of the bulge with high-carb or low-carb regimens, while others believe in following the conventional wisdom (and the advice from the heart and cancer specialists) to lower fats and add fruits and vegetables.

“Healthy Recipes,” the latest installment in WQED’s America’s Home Cooking series, proves that food that’s good for you doesn’t have to taste bad. The live cooking marathon airs locally Saturday, January 8 at 10 a.m. on WQED tv13, and will be taped for national broadcast. The program will be available to PBS stations across the country in March 2005.

Hosts Chris Fennimore and Nancy Polinsky offer viewers a wide range of recipe options that can be used to improve their diets and still satisfy their quest for interesting and delicious meals.

“In order to provide the most variety, our program and the accompanying cookbook will have three different sections – low-fat, low-calorie and low-carb,” said Fennimore.

The first section will deal with recipes that reduce saturated fat in the diet. Some of these will be meatless recipes using vegetables and soy products in place of animal fats, and others will use lean cuts of chicken, turkey and fish. Fruit and vegetable sauces and salsas replace traditionally heavy cream sauces and gravies in dishes that will still delight the palate and satisfy the appetite.

The second section will be devoted to low calorie recipes that will use fresh ingredients and judicious substitutions that will help dieters achieve their goals.

And finally, Chris and Nancy will focus on the craze that has swept the nation - low-carb eating. This diet is also useful for other people who need to restrict carbohydrates. Nearly 44 million Americans suffer from Type 2 Diabetes. Control of blood sugar levels through diet is an important part of any regimen.

“ Healthy Recipes” is the eighth installment in WQED’s national series, America’s Home Cooking, which includes the “Crock Pot,” “Cookies,” “Italian,” “Comfort Food,” “Casseroles and Covered Dishes,” “Quick and Easy” and “Appetizers” shows.

The America’s Home Cooking series celebrates family memories and recipes passed on through generations in addition to enjoying great food.

WQED Multimedia provides educational, cultural and informational products and services that enhance and engage the community. It is the parent company of WQED tv13, WQEX – your America’s Store channel, WQED fm89.3, WQEJ fm89.7/Johnstown, a publishing division that includes PITTSBURGH magazine, local and national television and radio productions, www.wqed.org and the WQED Education and Community Resource Center.