The Fat Fight Begins
Each new year, lots of people make resolutions to eat less fat — which last about as long as an ice cream cone on a hot afternoon.
Our annual promise is a little less painful: to make sure The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel eats less fat. (Personally, we’re still scarfing down plenty of fatty foods. Part of the job, you know.)
That usually doesn’t last too long, either. But at least we started things off right by serving panelists a trio of low-fat frozen chicken and pasta dinners at our first meeting of 1999.
The hands-down winner was Michelina’s Lean ‘n Tasty Chicken Primavera, which several panel members were surprised to learn was low-fat. Most praised the creaminess of the sauce and firm texture of the noodles, although a few found it too peppery for their palates.
(A bit of freezer-case trivia: Luigino “Jeno” Paulucci originally founded Chun King Chinese food and then Jeno’s pizza before starting Michelina’s, named after his mother. Maybe his father’s name was Chun?)
After that, panelists found little to choose between Weight Watchers’ Creamy Rigatoni With Broccoli & Chicken and Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Chicken Carbonara.
The Weight Watchers entry - which, to its credit, had half the fat of the other two - was marked down for its grayish-green color, rubbery pasta and what some tasters thought was too heavy a hand with the herbs.
Lean Cuisine’s “Cafe Classics” offering, which the package proclaimed was “inspired by cuisine found in contemporary cafes all over the world,” proved less than inspirational to panel members. While they generally liked the appearance, including the large pieces of chicken, most felt the flavor fell flat.
Coincidentally, perhaps, the panel’s rankings also followed the sodium content of each dinner, from highest to lowest. But, hey, we’re talking fat here. Let’s take one nutritional worry at a time.
Since we figured high fiber would go nicely with low fat in a health-conscious menu, we also sampled three varieties of whole-wheat breads.
Again, there was a clear favorite, from Oroweat. And there was a clear loser, a lighter-bodied Snyder’s version which several panelists compared to brown Wonder Bread (which we actually used to see in stores, but haven’t noticed lately).
Opinions were more mixed about the ringer in the bunch: Vogel’s, a frozen, preservative-free product from a California bakery. Some tasters enjoyed the hearty, grainy texture, while others found it too firm and dry. (In all fairness, the bread had thawed but was still slightly chilled when we served it.)
Then again, it’s hard to get a handle on what Vogel’s bread is all about. The front of the wrapper calls it a “mixed whole-grain bread” (along with wheat, there’s oats and rye), but a label pasted on the back lists the first ingredient as enriched flour, which is refined and processed.
That revised label, by the way, came about after questions arose concerning Vogel’s original claim that it contained only six grams of carbohydrate per slice - which made it a hot item among the low-carb “protein power” crowd. The corrected carbohydrate count, on the new label: a more typical 15 grams.
Like Snyder’s, Vogel’s bread has only 1 gram of sugar per slice, compared to 3 grams for Oroweat - which also could have a little something to do with its winning score. But, like we said about salt, let’s take one nutritional worry at a time.
Michelina’s Lean ‘n Tasty Chicken Primavera With Spirals
Price: $1.65 for 8 ounces (1 serving).
Nutrition: 250 calories (24 percent fat calories); 860 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Creamy and low-fat? Oodles of curly noodles are great. The veggies are small and sparse, but who cares when you can have all this creamy sauce!” - Tina Johnson
“The pepper overpowers any other flavor this dish might have. The sauce and noodles have a greasy texture. Tiny bits of chicken.” - Ann Finke
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Creamy Rigatoni With Broccoli & Chicken
Price: $1.99 for 9 ounces (1 serving).
Nutrition: 240 calories (12.5 percent fat calories); 780 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Not high on taste - maybe should add a few more spices, and go lighter on some others. Improve the color, please.” - Ella Gordon-Stowe
“The sauce is creamy, and there is quite a bit of it, but it is rather tasteless. Looks like pasta and broccoli mixed with cream of mushroom soup.” - Jeannie Coffey
Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Chicken Carbonara
Price: $2 for 9 ounces (1 serving).
Nutrition: 280 calories (21 percent fat calories); 580 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Mushrooms and chicken chunks were man-size. Looked spicy and colorful, yet didn’t have much taste.” - Lisa Arsenault
“Reminds me of a cheap cheese spread flavor. Stay away.” - Rich Clemson
Oroweat 100 Percent Whole Wheat Bread
Price: $2.07 for 24 ounces (18 slices).
Nutrition: 90 calories (11 percent fat calories); 200 milligrams sodium per slice.
Taste: ****
Value: ***
Comments: “Soft, with a fresh whole-wheat taste and a touch of honey sweetness. Very flavorful.” - Angela Roth
“A good, moist bread with a down-to-earth wholesome flavor.” - Nate Swinton
Vogel’s Swiss Style Mixed Whole Grain Bread
Price: $2.49 for 24 ounces (20 slices).
Nutrition: 70 calories (7 percent fat calories); 135 milligrams sodium per slice.
Taste: ***
Value: **
Comments: “Hearty, whole-grain flavor, so chewy you almost need a toothpick.” - Beverly Smick
“Looks nice, flavorless and firm.” - Eileen Bakken
Snyder’s 100 Percent Whole Wheat Bread
Price: $1.85 for 24 ounces (22 slices).
Nutrition: 80 calories (13 percent fat calories); 150 milligrams sodium per slice.
Taste: **
Value: ***
Comments: “Soft texture but no flavor. Really nice brown color, though.” - Rich Clemson
“Wonder Bread with a tan. Fluffy cardboard - who would bother?” - Karen Buck
This sidebar appeared with the story: Food panel welcomes new members A microwaved warm welcome to the following new members of The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel for 1999: Jeff Anderson, a Spokane carpet store manager who says he’s “blessed with the skinny gene,” although he’s “been accused of having a coyote belly when it comes to eating most foods.” Lisa Arsenault, marketing director for a chain of real estate offices in Spokane and North Idaho, whose credentials include having once served as a food tester and mystery shopper for Jack in the Box. Ella Gordon-Stowe, a Kootenai County public health nurse who grew up cooking for farm crews and served 20 years as senior superintendent for food judging at the Kootenai County Fair. Angela Roth, a Spokane County employee and avid cook who likes to compare different food brands in her own kitchen. Nate Swinton, a Ferris High School senior whose “extensive travels have taken me to such sophisticated dining environments as Martha’s Kitchen in George, Wash., McDonald’s in Newport, Wash., and every fine dining establishment in Potlatch, Idaho.”