Some of the hottest shows on television today are food-related: Cake Boss, Cupcake Wars, Iron Chef, Top Chef, Rachael Ray and Paula’s Home Cooking. According to Dr. Eric Braverman, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Integrative Medicine in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center and the author of the “Younger Thinner You Diet,” most of these shows popularize unhealthy fare and actually can cause people to gain weight by watching them.
Curious about his suggestion, I asked Dr. Braverman a few questions, via email, about the shows and just how do they make us fat? Here is what he had to say:
Q: How do these popular food-related television shows make us fat?
A: Thinking about food can increase appetite, which is different from hunger. With hunger, you need to eat, whereas with appetite, you just want to eat. Let’s face it; most people enjoy eating, so if you see food, eating is on your mind, which can increase appetite, even though you are not actually hungry.
Q: Are there any shows that are worse than others?
A: Yes! Giada De Laurentiis uses fresh and natural foods. Paula Dean uses fatty and salty foods found in southern cooking.
Q: What can we do to avoid gaining weight and still enjoy our favorite TV shows?
A: To start with, only watch food shows that promote healthy eating. Also, it’s one thing to watch a cooking show to learn techniques in food preparation, but after a while, you’re just watching to kill time. In my book, “Younger Thinner You” we offer excellent recipes and talks about balancing your brain chemistry to control your calorie intake and lose weight, or not gain any more. Only the DEXA scan is the true measure of your body fat (BMI is no longer the test of choice) and your leptin levels are really what govern your calorie intake. So if you have to watch these shows and burn calories at the same time: a leptin lowering diet, along with a good exercise regime is recommended.
Q: Why do you think there is an influx of food shows?
A: Chefs have become rock stars. The cult of the foodie has arrived. On one end of the spectrum, you have gourmets, eating small portions of artistically prepared food, and on the other, people who stuff their faces during food eating contests. Maybe it’s another example of a hedonistic culture. Also, these shows are inexpensive to produce, just like game shows, how-to shows, and other reality shows.
Q: With obesity on the rise, and everyone is well aware of it, why are we producing such “unhealthy” shows?
A: To make money. As stated above, these shows are cheap to produce.
Q: How many more calories are we consuming by watching these shows over shows like sporting events, home improvement shows or the nightly news?
A: I’m not aware of any formal research having been done regarding this. Results would be interesting, though.
Q: What types of foods are we consuming as a result of these shows?
A: Some promote healthy eating (Giada De Laurentiis; fresh and natural foods), as opposed to shows pushing fatty and salty foods (Paula Dean; southern cooking).
I really don’t sit and watch cooking shows, but all I know is that when the Biggest Loser and other weight loss shows or it’s about someone being overweight, I can’t eat a thing. So I could imagine that sitting in front of a chewy, gooey batch of fudgy brownies would make someone swoon enough to reach for the junk food drawer.
What do you think of this declaration? Have you found it to be true?