CookingLight
CookingLight is a food and fitness media brand, founded in 1987 and based in Birmingham, USA, that delivers dietitian-reviewed recipes, nutrition guidance, meal plans, and healthy-lifestyle content to health-conscious consumers through its digital platform, newsletters, social channels, and print magazine.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CookingLight does
CookingLight is a food and fitness media brand providing innovative recipes, nutrition advice, and food-and-fitness tips to health-conscious consumers. It was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Birmingham, United States, operating as part of the People Inc. publishing family. Its core product is a digital publishing platform backed by a recipe database and nutrition analysis tools (calorie, protein, and fiber data surfaced on recipe cards), supplemented by meal planning content segmented by dietary goals (Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory, high-protein, diabetes-friendly, heart-healthy, weight-loss, gluten-free, and more). Editorial content is reviewed by registered dietitians with M.S. and RD credentials, providing science-backed positioning relative to generic recipe publishers.
The business model is consumer media: the website and recipe database are freely accessible, with revenue likely generated through a mix of print magazine subscriptions, display advertising, newsletters, and affiliate/partner commerce (including Amazon-linked product recommendations). Distribution spans an owned global digital platform, a continuing print subscription product, email newsletters, and active social media channels, with cross-brand infrastructure shared from the People Inc. portfolio (e.g., shared identity with myrecipes.com).
CookingLight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CookingLight
- Legal name
- EatingWell
- Website
- https://cookinglight.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- CookingLight is a food and fitness media brand, founded in 1987 and based in Birmingham, USA, that delivers dietitian-reviewed recipes, nutrition guidance, meal plans, and healthy-lifestyle content to health-conscious consumers through its digital platform, newsletters, social channels, and print magazine.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CookingLight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Health & Wellness Consumer Media
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Meal Planning & Prep Coaching (Macros, Grocery Guidance) (HSADAFAN)
Keywords
Where CookingLight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CookingLight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
CookingLight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CookingLight is a food and fitness media brand that publishes healthy recipes, nutrition advice, meal plans, and food/fitness editorial content to consumers through its website, print magazine, newsletters, and social channels. Its content is reviewed by registered dietitians and tagged for special diets and health conditions (e.g., heart-healthy, diabetes-friendly, Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CookingLight Print Magazine Subscription
Quantifiable outcome
- Recipes include nutritional data (calories, protein, fiber) displayed on recipe cards
Companies that use CookingLight
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CookingLight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CookingLight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CookingLight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EatingWell: EatingWell is a food and nutrition media brand under the same People Inc. publishing family, offering healthy recipes, meal plans, and dietitian-reviewed content. It is the most direct comparable to CookingLight in audience, content format, and distribution model.
- Allrecipes: Allrecipes is a user-generated recipe platform also operated by People Inc., offering recipes, ratings, reviews, and meal planning. It is one of the largest digital recipe destinations and a direct substitute for CookingLight's recipe-and-meal-plan offering.
- Bon Appétit: Bon Appétit is a flagship food and cooking media brand publishing recipes, restaurant coverage, and culinary culture online and in print. It competes head-on with CookingLight for premium food-adjacent audiences, with a similar editorial-led recipe library.
- Food Network Magazine: Food Network Magazine is a monthly consumer food publication covering recipes, cooking tips, and food culture. It directly competes with CookingLight for recipe-discovery readership and advertising dollars, with a similar print-plus-digital footprint.
Emerging players
- Well+Good: Well+Good publishes wellness content covering food, nutrition, fitness, and self-care. It is comparable to CookingLight as a digital-first health-and-food media brand, though it emphasizes lifestyle breadth over recipe depth.
- MyFitnessPal: MyFitnessPal is a calorie-tracking and nutrition app with a large recipe database and meal-planning features. It competes with CookingLight for nutrition-conscious consumers who want meal planning tied to tracking, extending the category into utility software.
- Yummly: Yummly is a digital recipe and meal-planning platform with personalized recommendations and grocery integration. It targets the same home-cook audience as CookingLight but leans more on app/tech-driven personalization rather than editorial content.
Broad incumbents
- Real Simple: Real Simple is a People Inc. lifestyle brand covering food, home, and wellness content. It overlaps CookingLight on healthy recipes and meal planning while extending into broader lifestyle verticals, making it a sister-brand broad incumbent.
Others
- Everyday Health: Everyday Health is a digital health and wellness publisher producing condition-specific and nutrition content. While not primarily a recipe brand, it competes for condition-management audience attention (diabetes, heart health) that CookingLight also targets.
Regional players
- EatingBird Food: EatingBird Food (formerly Healthy Eats) is a Hearst-owned digital food brand featuring dietitian-reviewed recipes and nutrition content. It overlaps CookingLight's healthier-recipe positioning with similar editorial approach and is a regional-category adjacent peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CookingLight social profiles
Digital presenceCookingLight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CookingLight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CookingLight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CookingLight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CookingLight
What does CookingLight do?
CookingLight is a food and fitness media brand that publishes healthy recipes, nutrition advice, meal plans, and food/fitness editorial content to consumers through its website, print magazine, newsletters, and social channels. Its content is reviewed by registered dietitians and tagged for special diets and health conditions (e.g., heart-healthy, diabetes-friendly, Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory).
Is CookingLight a public or private company?
CookingLight is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was CookingLight founded?
CookingLight was founded in 1987.
Where is CookingLight based?
CookingLight is headquartered in Birmingham, United States, in the North America region.
Who are CookingLight's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EatingWell, Allrecipes, Bon Appétit and Food Network Magazine. Emerging players are Well+Good, MyFitnessPal and Yummly. Real Simple is listed as a broad incumbent. Everyday Health is listed as an others. EatingBird Food is listed as a regional player.
Does CookingLight have an API?
No public API is recorded for CookingLight.
What industry is CookingLight in?
CookingLight's product category is Health & Wellness Consumer Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAF, Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines, with a secondary code of HSADAFAN, Meal Planning & Prep Coaching (Macros, Grocery Guidance).