Skinny Taste
Blog: Skinnytaste.com
Blogger: Gina Homolka, an author, photographer and recipe developer
Blogging since: 2008
Location: Oceanside, N.Y.
Theme: Healthy dishes that don’t sacrifice any of the flavor that can be found in their full-fat originals.
From the blog: “My #food philosophy is to eat seasonal, clean, whole foods and maintain good portion control. When you cook your own meals, you know you can feel good about what is going into your body. Let me help you navigate your way around the kitchen and teach you how to prepare delicious, light, fresh meals your whole family will love. (And they won’t even realize it’s good for them!)”food Facebook followers: 223,657
StraightUPFood
Blog: StraightUPFood.com
Blogger: Cathy Fisher, a chef and teacher
Blogging since: 2010
Location: Sonoma County, Calif.
Theme: #Recipes that are vegan, without salt, oil or sugar, and using very few processed foods.
From the blog: “This blog is full of recipes and information on how to eat a plant-based #diet that is free of salt, oil and sugar. Recipes focus on the use of whole foods (still in their naturally grown state) except for a handful of minimally processed foods used for convenience (canned beans, frozen produce, non-dairy milks). Recipes are all vegan, meaning they don’t call for any animal foods or ingredients. Where applicable I note substitutions to lower fat and eliminate gluten.”
Facebook followers: 10,148
101 Cookbooks
Blog: 101cookbooks.com
Blogger: Heidi Swanson, a photographer, cookbook author and foodie. See my interview with Heidi here: http://www.dietdetective.com/interviews/heidi-swanson
Blogging since: 2003
Location: San Francisco
Theme: Natural, whole foods and ingredients.
From the blog: “101 Cookbooks started in early 2003 when I looked up at my huge cookbook collection one afternoon and realized that instead of exploring the different books in my collection I was cooking the same recipes over and over. I seemed to buy a new cookbook every time I stepped out the front door — always with good intentions. I would regularly go through my collection of books and magazines and carefully tag each recipe that piqued my interest. I ended up with shelves full of books brimming with Post-it notes and drawers full of recipes clipped from my favorite magazines — neatly organized by course, flavor, region or ingredient.”
Facebook followers: 1,593
Sweet Beet
Blog: thesweetbeet.com
Blogger: Michelle Madden, a photographer, Internet strategist and foodie.
Blogging since: 2010
Location: New York City
Theme: Clean food information along with healthy wholesome recipes.
From the blog: “Eat whole foods as much as you can (meaning the stuff that didn’t get assembled by machines and by people wearing hair-nets). If you can do this you’re better off than 90% of your comrades. Natural fats, meat — eat them. Eat the highest quality you can find/afford, but eat them, because once you realize how easy it is to make them taste delicious, you will never go back…”
Facebook followers: 3,493
The Salt
Blog: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/
Blogger: National Public Radio (NPR)
Blogging since: 2011
Location: Washington, D.C.
Theme: From NPR’s “What’s on your plate.” The blog has various themes, including eating and health; foodways; producers; food for thought; for foodies.
From the blog: “This blog is about what we eat and why we eat it. We’ll be serving up culture and science, farming and business, along with a side of skepticism and a dash of panache. We’ll celebrate food, but also take a hard look at where it comes from, how it gets here, and what it does to us and the planet. We want to know not just the good, but the bad and the ugly stuff, too. At The Salt, look for things that will pique your tastebuds, make you smile, and sometimes, even spit.”
Twitter (no Facebook) followers: 18,316
#Nutrition Blog Network
Blog: nutritionblognetwork.com
Bloggers: Registered Dietitians (RDs). FYI: A registered dietitian is a food and nutrition expert who has met the minimum academic and professional requirements to qualify for the credential “RD.” In addition to RD credentialing, many states have regulatory laws for dietitians and nutrition practitioners. State requirements frequently are met through the same education and training required to become an RD. (Source: Eatright.org)
Blogging since: 2010
Location: Chicago
Theme: Nutrition information from a collection of more than 400 blogs written by RDs (only issue is that the sponsor is a food media relations firm, Weber Shandwick).
From the blog: “The goal is to provide a trusted destination for reliable, science-based nutrition information.”
Facebook followers: 5,660
RecipeGirl.com
Blog: http://www.recipegirl.com/
Blogger: Lori Lange, a former elementary school teacher who traded the classroom for the kitchen when she founded RecipeGirl.com in 2006.
Blogging since: 2006
Location: San Diego
Theme: 2,600 original and adapted recipes, all of which are not necessarily healthy (although, she does have categories for vegan recipes, weight watchers, low carb and low fat). What I like is her definitive guide to food blogging found at: http://www.recipegirl.com/2013/03/26/how-to-be-a-food-blogger/
From the blog: “Only RecipeGirl enters the recipes (her favorites). Users aren’t allowed to submit recipes on their own (sorry), but you certainly can email Lori to tell her about something fabulous that you think she should know about. So you won’t find 25 apple pie recipes and 18 versions of chicken parmesan. … Just the best ones (as viewed by RecipeGirl and her readers) are posted.”
Facebook followers: 48,133
Inspired Edibles
Blog: http://www.inspirededibles.ca
Blogger: Kelly Mulcair, a registered nutritionist and recovering lawyer with a background in corporate and media law.
Blogging since: 2011
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Theme: Using whole ingredients that have been minimally processed and refined.
From the blog: “I focus on natural foods because they deliver the greatest concentration of nutrients for our bodies — vitamins, minerals, fiber, enzymes and antioxidants. These same foods also tend to be easier for our bodies to break down, digest and metabolize. For me, it’s about keeping things as close to nature as possible while still delivering amazing flavor.”
Facebook followers: 2,716
