Cooking Light, Eating Well -- Magazines Filled With Stories About More Healthful Cooking, But Aim For Different Audiences

Not so long ago, there were two main kinds of magazines for people who were devoted to cooking: glossy, lavishly illustrated gourmet-cooking magazines, whose recipes often leaned toward rich sauces and heavy creams; and plain-Jane health-food magazines whose recipes often were long on fiber and low on taste.

Cooking Light magazine, launched in 1987, marked the blending of these two forms in a publication both pretty and filled with tempting, healthful recipes.

The formula seems to be working: Of the new national magazines of all kinds launched since 1987 - Lear's, Mirabella and many others - Cooking Light claims to be the fastest growing (current circulation: 950,000), says its publisher, Jeff Ward, who visited Seattle last week.

Like its gourmet-style cousins, Cooking Light has a glossy look and elegant photographs. Fresh herbs and spices enliven the recipes, which are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium, and nutritional data accompanies each recipe. There are book reviews and a regular fitness section.

At the magazine's headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., the staff has 10 test kitchens at its disposal. Editors aim for recipes that are within anyone's reach. Except for special recipes in articles on regional foods, all the ingredients are purchased at Bruno's supermarket in Birmingham.

"We figure if it's available at Bruno's it's available anywhere," Ward said.

Cooking Light's target audience is Middle America, he said. The

magazine's genesis was a "Cooking Light" column in Southern Living magazine, a column so popular it was expanded into a separate magazine.

Last November, a competitor of sorts came on the scene: Eating Well magazine, another glossy, good-looking publication with healthful recipes.

But Eating Well's editor, Barry Estabrook, sees his magazine's mission and audience as quite different from Cooking Light's. Eating Well's approach is more epicurean, he believes. And the recipes, while low in fat, aren't aimed at weight loss and often have larger portions.

Eating Well also runs longer, in-depth articles on nutrition and health - features that are among the best-read in the magazine, said Estabrook. Growing faster than projected, Eating Well now has 350,000 subscribers.

With their somewhat different approaches - and their rising circulations - it appears there's room for both of these health-conscious magazines.