magazines

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the launch of "Children's Health Magazine", Rodale Press' latest magazine endeavour (whose line-up includes Men's Health, Women's Health, and Prevention to name a few).

The magazine appears to have all the right ingredients for success (at least it's inaugural issue does)--including none other than the First Lady on the cover and featured in an exclusive interview within, as well as Oprah's go-to Doc Mehmet Oz, weighing in on the 5 most critical health tips for new parents.

It was a tiny picture tucked away on page 194 in Glamour magazine (US edition). But, it was responsible for hundreds of grateful emails to the editor, newspaper articles across the world, and setting blogs and Twitter ablaze.

So, what was so shocking about this photo? It showed a normal, healthy looking woman.

Spezzatino isn't your average food magazine. Rather it is a culinary journey steeped in tradition, brimming with delectable recipes, swimming with secrets from top chefs and overflowing with insights from those intimately entrenched in the world of food. It is genuinely a magazine for food lovers, by food lovers. And the best part of this wonderful monthly treasure is that proceeds from Spezzatino go directly to the Healthy Food Bank - a charity that provides nutritious staples such as; fruits, vegetables and whole grains to people in need around North America.

Here are some of the highlights from the first issue:

People have always picked on one another. But with the advent of blogs, social networks, video and picture-sharing - it got a whole lot worse.

Maybe the magazines started it. Unflattering photos of celebrities make great covers and - according to the Wall Street Journal "stories about celebrity weight-loss with before-and-after photos now fly off the shelves."

Scrutinizing and criticizing a woman's appearance has become a popular pastime - and no one is immune.

As it turns out, magazines show no sexual discrimination when it comes to damaging body image. Research suggests that younger men who read "Lad's Magazines" (Maxim, FHM, Stuff and Blender) may be psychologically harmed by images of perfect male physiques.

How about giving up 10 years of your life? That’s what 21% of respondents said in a recent poll of 1000 women over the age of 18 (Fitness Magazine).

Here are some of the other noteworthy sacrifices women would make to achieve their ideal weight.

A survey conducted on 2000 young women (average age 23) revealed that every pound of weight a woman loses will cost them about £807 (approximately $1660 USD). This includes expenditures such as; gym membership, exercise DVDs, supplements and extra fruits and veggies.

The survey also uncovered other shocking (but perhaps not terribly surprising) revelations of the dietary habits of generation next:

A number of prominent UK newspapers have declared that "Size 12 is too fat for young women". In US terms this is equivalent to a Size 10.

The newspapers then go on to list what else young women think.

The UK Telegraph also lists some other gems 13 per cent had taken "speed" or cocaine to increase their metabolism and almost half had taken slimming pills or bought diet drugs on the internet.

Let's get something straight here.

This is not representative of what young women think.

The ACSH (American Council on Science and Health) have completed a large review of many popular magazines. Their goal was to evaluate the quality of nutritional information presented.

Apparently 42% of US consumers make diet-related changes on the basis of information from health and fitness magazines.

So - who do you trust?

The farcical reporting of diet and weight issues among many (mainly tabloid) media outlets is jarring. Reporting on body size often degrades into a vindictive and scathing melodrama. Somewhere among the thin/fat debate exists a supposedly "acceptable" size.

A poll conducted by Fitness Magazine has found that over 50% of readers would rather have no job that gain 75 pounds. An even higher number (63% of women) would rather be poor and at a normal weight - than be rich and overweight.

The UK Telegraph reports that the average British woman worries about the size and shape of her body every 15 minutes. A survey of 5000 women (average age 34) found that just 2% were happy with their body.

Let's stop right there. There is something wrong with this picture.

Empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones.

That's how author J K Rowling describes today's fashion models (see her blog post here) . Rowling was quickly joined by former Marie Claire editor Liz Jones who also adds her opinions of the glossy magazine industry. Her words are cutting, insightful, - and oh so true.