I'm a few days late to this, but I was intrigued by a dietician-blogger's recent take on Pinterest, the social photo-sharing website, and its promotion of less-than-good-for-you foods. Nutrition Unplugged's Janet writes:
...What I don’t like so much is the popularity of gooey, over-the-top desserts that dominant so many pinboards. I don’t even like the oft-used description of “food porn,” but I guess that’s what it really is.
I looked at Repinly to find the most popular food pins of all time, and guess what, it’s sugary, fad-laden creations like Oreo Layer Dessert (46,309 repins) and Butterfinger Pie (21,663 repins). Hey, I’m not against a nice dessert now and then. I have my own board of Something Sweet, among my 42 boards, which includes Whole Grains, Veggie Love, Salads I Want to Try and All About Hummus. So desserts are OK, but does the world really need more calorie bombs like these creations made with cream cheese and whipped topping. Come on, we can do better than that. Do we really need more ideas for cookie-stuffed cookies smothered in chocolate or deep-fried? I’m not the only dietitian troubled by what’s happening on Pinterest. Julie Upton over at Appetite for Health recently wrote about the same topic: “Are Pinterest recipes destroying your diet?"
Janet goes on to describe how she and a fellow blogger created a Pinterest page to provide tips and photos of "what's healthy to eat on the web." Because good-for-you foods can be beautiful too!
Photo by davegammon
