London – If your waistband feels tighter than you’d like, blame Jamie or Nigella.
Research shows that women who make the dishes they see on TV shows are fatter than others.
They are on average 11lb (5kg) heavier – the equivalent of two dress sizes.
It isn’t known why but one explanation could be that butter, cream and other ‘naughty’ ingredients that make dishes look so tasty on TV cause us to pile on the kilos when eaten regularly at home.
The US researchers said that while meals made by celebrity chefs may be highly tempting, they are not necessarily very healthy.
Indeed, previous British research concluded that recipes by some of our favourite cooks, including Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall were Less healthy than supermarket ready meals.
The chefs’ dishes contained more calories and were higher in fat but lacking in fibre.
For the latest study, researchers from Cornell University in New York state asked 500 young women where they got new recipes from. Options included word of mouth, magazines, cookery classes and TV shows.
The women were also asked how often they cooked from scratch and how much they weighed.
The survey focused on women aged between 20 and 35 – an age range at which they are likely to cook for a young family as well as for themselves.
It found that women those watched TV cookery shows weighed 11lb more on average – but only if they tried to make the dishes themselves.
Those that watched celebrity chefs but didn’t follow their recipes were no fatter than those that didn’t watch the shows.
In other words, the problem seems to lie in the ingredients that TV chefs encourage us to use.
Researcher Professor Brian Wansink said: ‘One reason for this phenomenon may be that often the recipes portrayed on TV are not the healthiest.’
Writing in the journal Appetite, he added that our admiration of celebrity chefs may blind us to the nutritional value of the food they are preparing.
Plus, the thought that people all around the country are watching the same thing may make ingredients that are indulgent seem normal.
Finally, we may simply eat more of something when we have gone to all the effort of making it ourselves.
Dr Vicky Pope, the study’s lead author, said: ‘Because many cooking shows normalise over-consumption and gratification, it comes as no surprise that viewers’ culinary habits are negatively influenced.
‘This is why it is important for cooks who enjoy watching these shows to recognise these influences and learn to modify the recipes to be more healthy or find recipes from other sources.’
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said he doubts whether most viewers ever attempt to make the dishes shown.
But those that do may not realise that the recipes can be high in fat, salt or sugar.
They may also regularly serve up a rich dish designed to be reserved for special occasions.
Daily Mail