Thursday, May 2, 2013

Gwyneth, ignore the haters It's All Good

All "good" except annoying dotted line on the right

When it comes to celebrities, we all have someone who rubs us the wrong way and our own personal pet peeves. She may be a nice person but Daphne Oz’s stance as a nutrition expert, Paula Deen’s attempt to kill us and then save us, Kim Kardashian’s…everything all get under my skin. Oh and let’s not forget celebs who try to sell things in a sneaky manner (um Kirstie), celebs who are full of themselves (Reece), anyway those are my main gripes (or the ones that come to mind). But Gwyneth? I kind of like her and really like her new cookbook It’s All Good.  

Maybe I’m an elitist. A write-up in Bittman’s column says Gwyneth’s book makes it seem that “healthy eating is just for the wealthy”. And Yahoo did some very questionable math claiming that it would cost $300/day to eat as Gwyneth does.What Yahoo left out is many of us have maple syrup, salt and vinegar at home and if you want to stock your pantry surely you know that will benefit you and your family for more than one day. For example, when making the Old Bay Fish Fingers they tabulated to come in at over $70 (if you needed mustard and salt), I only had to buy lemon sole. It was twenty-something dollars but it fed our family and another child staying for dinner.  And fashion magazines have purses for 10,000 dollars, is it that offensive if Gwyneth lists her favorite brand of gluten free flour ($20 for three pounds)?
Fish fingers with elitist condiments Miso Mayo and Fancy Ketchup
To be fair, I could do without the justification or dramatization used as the rationale for many of the foods in this book. Gwyneth described a migraine that felt like a stroke and her son’s horrible eczema, cue doctor who told her to eliminate all these things from her diet.  And then there’s Goop, GP’s weekly newsletter.  Many people love to hate it too. Not me. I can read about a $130 “Montecito Margarita” with zero plans to ever buy it….that doesn’t mean I couldn’t try to replicate it at home with the  Don Julio Real AƱejo Tequila and Grand Marnier 150th Anniversary mentioned .

Those dishing out G-hate also go after the foods mentioned in this book saying things like it shuns “everything good”.  Well how about the Paleo diet nothing packaged, no grains, no legumes it’s sold millions of copies. This is essentially a gluten free premise. If anything I would think everyone testing out juice cleanses and vegan regimes would be intrigued.  In my experience people like to experiment with cutting things out. Crushable said “each page reeks with condescension and pretension toward us mere mortals who can’t afford the made-up foods of Gwynethland and occasionally splurge on something deep-fried”.  I’m trying to figure out what was made up in these Tandoori Kabobs my family loved. Chicken, spices and yogurt don’t seem too far-fetched. And if you want to splurge on fries, why are you blaming Gwyneth (who likes to splurge on bread and cheese so I hear).


Gwyneth’s mistake may be sharing, Blisstree certainly wants her to stop
“When you talk about what you eat in every single interview you do, you’re perpetuating the idea that women should be constantly concerned with, constantly monitoring, what they eat” Here’s the thing, first of all many women are concerned and monitoring and open to a few tips. Second, it’s hard to promote a cookbook without talking food. As far as G's 2-hour workouts, I’ve touched on that in an earlier team G post saying
Every woman can make the time to eat well or exercise. Sure, it may be easier with a trainer and a chef but at the end of the day it comes down to determination and motivation whether you’re a celebrity mom or more like me. If money was the deciding factor Oprah would be waifish and I love Oprah but she’s shown us that wealth doesn’t necessarily govern weight.

And maybe it’s best Gwyneth talks about salmon and smoothies. Chelsea Handler (like her too) had Gwyneth on as a guest and offered this.
"She's an amazing advice-giver," Handler said, relating an anecdote from a recent dinner party. "One of her friends is like 'I got into a big fight with my husband and I went home and I just wanted to scream and yell.' And you were like, 'whatever you're doing, do the opposite. If you feel angry, go at him with love and you give him a b---j--.'"
So are you more comfortable with GP dishing out this last tip (which in most cases is free people) or can we go back to gluten?
Which celebs do you love to hate on? What are your thoughts on Gwyneth? Have to seen the cookbook? Would you buy it?



32 comments:

  1. I like your take! She doesn't bug me like she does other people. I like that there is honesty about how hard it is to look like she does instead of that bs from models and celebrities who say they can eat what ever they want. Plus, those chicken skewers look good!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so agree Meg. If you're "the most beautiful woman" according to People, share some "juice" with us. She does and gets hated for it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh that really urks me about the $70/day "calculations". I mean come on, most recipes would cost an arm and a leg if we didn't already have "staple items" in our house. Ridiculous. That being said, I do prefer simple and cheap recipes, that are also healthy (because those are the clients I get, ones who want SIMPLE and CHEAP, and HEALTHY so I need to learn how to cook that way!)


    I can't stand Kim K. Period. Who else? Hmm, I'm sure I could come up with some. BUt I'll admit, since I was young I've had a thing for Kirstie Alley. I don't really keep up with her anymore, but Look Who's Talk was my favorite movie ever!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It was $70 for the meal! Yes, I will not have Yahoo doing my taxes any time soon, creative math. Those skewers Gina- 1 pound of chicken cumin/turmeric/yogurt (yes sheep or goat) but it was really cheap, I just had to get chicken and a yogurt. I used to like Kirstie too, Cheers was so good, I could do without all the stuff since.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Andrea@WellnessNotesMay 2, 2013 at 6:07 AM

    I think many people don't like to think about giving up certain foods, but it's strange to me that Gwyneth gets so much criticism for the way she eats and her book.



    I eliminated a bunch of things when I did a cleanse in January, and I really found out how certain foods affect me. Before the cleanse I ate healthy foods, but, looking back, I usually didn't feel well at all (which I usually attributed to gallstones, which turned out to be wrong).



    To be honest, I never thought I would eliminate certain foods for good. It just seemed too difficult. But once I realized how good I felt without them (wheat & eggs), it was easy to not go back. My husband and I were just talking about how much better so many people would feel if they truly listened to their bodies.



    Gwyneth's recipes sound good and something I'd be interested in. The cost calculations sound pretty ridiculous, but I have to say that I do sometimes stay away from new recipes if I have to buy too many new ingredients, especially if I am not sure how often I will use them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your point that you don't know how well you'll feel Andrea until things are out of your diet. I really don't find these recipes to be full of obscure ingredients. Anyone who cooks knows, for example, any honey can sub for manuka honey or other easy modifications, right? Thanks for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've done my share of good-natured eye-rolling, but I can't hate on Gwyneth. Her recipes actually sound great! I'm not so sure about her marriage advice, though. I learned that getting swatted away while wearing lingerie is a special kind of awful. It's also hard to fight well when you're basically wearing dental floss.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm with you too, I'll buy the fancy flour but I'm not doing "the opposite of what I'm feeling" sorry. Jess you make me laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That Yahoo math was ridiculous, I agree. Where Gwyneth gets me is that she talks about this kind of eating ALL. THE. TIME. and then admits to only eating like this a few times a year for a week at a time. So for someone like me who has to carefully eat gluten-free forever (it gets tiring), I wish she would stop talking about it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love G. I love Goop. I love what she has to say and I love reading interviews with her. She is also pretty. BUT...when I read the interview in Bazaar magazine this month and she told us guilty pleasure was smoking an American Spirit cigarette every Saturday? That certainly made me question it all. I know, I know...it is one cigarette but still. SUCH a nasty, gross, unhealthy habit for someone who promotes healthy living. Am I wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Interesting Alysa. Maybe I'm biased b/c I like reading/hearing about it but yes does she NEED to be gfree, not sure. Can some of her recipes be used/utilized by those who do have to be gfree vrs choose to be? Yes. I believe she does an elimination a few times a year but would like to think/hope the healthy is not just occasional. Thanks for that perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Didn't read Bazaar and I'm super anti smoking but I feel I practice what I preach but love mixology- make a great spicy margarita am I gross (don't answer). I can't decide if that makes her a hypocrite or just honest.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I don't hate GP, but damn, every time I read goop I wonder what the hell I'm doing to myself and ask why. It just seems like a fantasy life and completely unrealistic. With that said, I did make pancakes using the recipe her dad used, and they were amazing. I've also made a sweet potato and black bean burrito recipe that was on goop, and it was good, too. (I did leave out the sumac, which is hard to get in Iowa City.) Please share the tandoori kebabs recipe, Lauren. xoox

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sam @ Mom At The BarreMay 2, 2013 at 12:19 PM

    I find Gwyneth incredibly annoying. Not for her constant harping about food but more so for the obnoxious comments she makes all the time, and how she takes herself so seriously all the time. You can google lists of some of her "classics"! I'm sure her recipes are delicious and I would give them a go.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Interesting Sam. I am so easily annoyed and do not get annoyed by her. Now just playing devil's (or G's) advocate but if there was a record of what you or I said all the time, would we utter "classics" too? It must say something about me that I find her likable or maybe I haven't see "the other side".

    ReplyDelete
  16. Devin, maybe you haven't looked. I cannot imagine sumac is that hard to come by in Iowa (you made me laugh). Everyone reading Goop thinks it's a fantasy, I mean I don't know anyone who goes to the Venice Film Festival. However, sort of like thin models, is it meant to be realistic? I will add the kebob (or kabob, not sure I just learned how to spell gwyneth) recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  17. i called EVERYWHERE for sumac - all two places. i can't believe i spelled kabob wrong. i hate spelling mistakes.

    as for goop, maybe you're right. maybe it isn't supposed to be realistic. but i sometimes get INSANELY JEALOUS. i was a nanny...some people really live like that...and here i am going without underwear because i can't manage to get laundry done and still be a working mom who makes the littlest bit of time for exercise and put healthy dinners on the table. i am having a pity party for one here in the midwest! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. and you being the teacherly one, assumed I spelled wrong. We all need a pity party sometimes. Our washing machine broke day before jazz fest, dirty underwear for all.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Why is it so easy for people to criticize others? She is sharing what she thinks is good advice and what works for her and her family.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I actually kind of like GP! I like that she is honest about her crazy workouts and the fact that she doesn't eat "whatever she wants" all the time and occasionally posts pictures with no makeup on. And I feel like as far as celebs go, she'd be a cool friend to have. Thanks for posting this, definitely interested in checking her cookbook out!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jessica, I agree. I feel she's a girl's girl but clearly some disagree. Funny how a person can be so polarizing.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm with you Ayala, she is divulging her "secrets" and while I know she stands to profit I have to thank her for it.

    ReplyDelete
  23. ooh love that point Whitney. Interestingly, Michael Pollan recently did a NY Times story where he and the author of salt, sugar, fat (blanking on his name) went to a generic supermarket to gather ingredients for a wholesome meal. Guess what? With legumes and canned chickpeas etc they made something amazing by virtue of cooking it. Elitist? Or requiring effort? I'd say the latter. Thanks for chiming in.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I think Gwyneth can do no wrong. I think she's beautiful and so accomplished and that's why people don't like her. Obviously they're just jealous.

    I have her other cookbook (got it for my birthday) and while I haven't made a thing, I just love looking at the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Well said Whitney...I never thought of it like this.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I think she speaks to an elite audience and I tend to have a knee-jerk reaction towards hating on her. I think most of my hate stems from hating Tracey Anderson though. The thing about GP is that she really does symbolize an ideal that most people can't achieve. She has ridiculous genetics - diet aside without those she would not be as gorge and thin and perfect as she is...it's the genes! She is uber rich (she was a model way before the book, the diet advise, and GOOP and is from Hollywood royalty). And she is white and blonde. So...yeah. She sort of represents a certain class and lifestyle which I think a certain clientele can relate to and the rest can't. Then there are those of us who have rounder bodies and are not wealthy and who like to lift heavy weights....and who think she is annoying in all her glistening goopness.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I wouldn't classify her as a hypocrite. I do think she lives honestly, too. But, I was so thrown by the whole smoking thing. I mean it is like the grossest thing you can do to your body.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I just think she is dry as a bone. Can't think of one interesting film she's starred in, or one interesting quote I've read come out of her mouth. She is a total bore.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Carrie, can you please comment on every post? I've never had someone disagree with me I loved so much. OK so she can't act and may be a little dry but her recipes are good. Sriracha salmon tonight...pretty interesting and exciting (or maybe I'm boring too).

    ReplyDelete
  30. I hear you, I almost getting hate based on all of these things and yet I don't find her snotty or annoying. If you read this blog, you know that's rare for me. I mean what you just described is annoying and yet I don't mind her. Maybe it's the fish sticks.

    ReplyDelete
  31. OK so we're both elitist Ameena. I don't know if it's jealous as much as a lot of the "stuff" can make her brand feel unattainable. As I said to Devin (below) I am fine with not being able to afford half the clothing she mentions or trips she takes...but I get it feeling exclusive to other people, don't you?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Oh, I didn't say I wouldn't try the book--especially if you give it a thumbs up!! :)

    ReplyDelete