Giving women something to chew on
給女人一點咀嚼的東西

The popularity of chick lit and chick flicks — books and movies aimed at women — may have spawned the marketing world's latest trend: chick food.

女性書籍和女性電影的大行其道，可能孵化出市場新趨勢：女性食品。

More than 1,000 new foods and drinks targeting women have hit the global market in the past four years, says Mintel, which does research on new products.

做新產品研究的Mintel公司說，過去四年中1000多種針對女性的新食品和飲料已擺上了世界各地的市場。

These aren't just diet foods. There are energy bars for women — even one just for pregnant women. There's bread for women, and a tortilla. There's a tea for women.

其中不僅包括減肥食品，還有高能棒，甚至還有專為孕婦設計的高營養能量棒。以及女性面包、玉米粉圓餅和女性茶。

"There's some badge value in saying, 'I'm a woman and I eat Luna Bars,' " says Lynn Dornblaser, new product guru at Mintel. "You're part of a club."

Mintel 公司的新產品研究權威Lynn Dornblaser說：“這里有某種象征意義，‘我是位女士，我吃Luna Bars’，這樣你就進入了圈內。”

Is it hype? Or is it nutritionally meaningful? Perhaps some of both.

這究竟是炒作，還是真有營養學上的好處？也許兼而有之。

"Marketing folks have stepped in to create a new niche," says Darra Goldstein, editor of Gastronomica, a food and culture journal. "But I don't think any of us will be healthier for it."

食品文化刊物的編輯Gastronomica說：“營銷人員進入了一個新的領域，但我并不認為我們會因此而更健康。”

Nutritionist Robyn Flipse says many of the items have nutritional pluses. Most add calcium, vitamin D, iron or Omega-3. "But few women will know which product is best for them."

營養學家Robyn Flipse說，這些食品大都含有強化營養。大部分富含鈣、維生素D、鐵和Omega-3（不飽和脂肪酸，小僧注）。“但很少有女性知道哪些產品最適合她們。”

The hottest categories:

熱門產品：

•Energy bars. There are about a dozen female-focused energy bars, but none has the wallop of Luna. Luna Bar was created in 1999, after women at Clif Bar lobbied for an energy bar with fewer calories. "In a perfect world, we'd see no packaged food," says Nicole Pemerl, Luna brand manager. "But convenience is huge. We offer women something thought out for them."

高能棒（Energy bars）。針對女性的高能棒約有12種，但是沒有一種能和Luna Bar爭鋒。Luna Bar始創于1999年，之前Clif Bar公司的女性要求推出一種低卡路里的能量棒。

Luna's newest rival: Bellybar, an energy bar for pregnant or nursing women. It's got extra calcium and Omega-3.

Bellybar是最近Luna Bar的競爭者，它富含鈣Omega-3，適用于孕婦和女性滋補。

"Pregnant women are hungry all the time," says Leslie Sagalowicz, co-founder of its maker, NutraBella. "It's a healthy alternative to candy bars."

“孕婦總是有饑餓感，我們的產品是比candy bars更健康的替代品。” Bellybar的共同創始人Leslie Sagalowicz說。

•Breads. Woman's Tortillas rolled out late last year as a follow-up to the popular Woman's Bread from French Meadow Bakery. They've got lots of flax seed and are high in omegas and protein. And they're organic.

面包。女性玉米粉圓餅在去年底推出，成為繼French Meadow Bakery之后又一女性面包流行潮。這種食品含大量亞麻仁，富含omegas和蛋白質，并且是種有機食品。

A loaf fetches up to $5.99.

一塊女性玉米粉圓餅售價達$5.99。

•Beverages. Republic of Tea, in a venture with Luna, recently rolled out Nutritional Iced Tea for Women. One 12-ounce bottle goes for $2.99.

Coca-Cola is in the chase, too.

Coke last year rolled out pink Tab Energy, a women's drink with the slogan: Fuel to be Fabulous. Among celebrity sightings: ultraskinny Nicole Richie.