Cookery shows could cause you pile on pounds

If you often source your recipes from TV cookery shows, you are likely to weigh about 11 pounds more, a new study suggests.
People who often cook from scratch and source their recipes from TV are likely to weigh more than if they watch cooking shows for entertainment and do not often cook, researchers said.
"One reason for this phenomenon may be that often the recipes portrayed on TV are not the healthiest and allow you to feel like it is ok to prepare and indulge in either less nutritious food or bigger portions," said co-author Brian Wansink, Professor and Director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab.

The team surveyed 501 women ages 20-35 to assess their cooking habits and how they obtained new recipes.
They found that those who obtained recipe information from cooking shows and often cooked from scratch weighed an average of 11 pounds more than those who watched food TV but did not often cook and those who looked for new recipes in print, online or from in-person sources.
The findings, published in the journal Appetite, indicate that it is advantageous for cooks to gather recipe information from sources other than television.
"Because many cooking shows normalise overconsumption and gratification, it comes as no surprise that viewers' culinary habits are negatively influenced," said lead author, Lizzy Pope, now Assistant Professor and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the University of Vermont.

"This is why it is so important for cooks who enjoy watching these shows to recognise these influences and learn to modify recipes to be more healthful or find recipes from other sources," Pope added.