All the major media organisations both print and digital in the UK have recently been reporting news on how an investigation is suggesting that TV Chefs are encouraging us to eat unhealthy dishes and therefore making us fatter and adding to the obesity crisis.
This outbreak of news articles came from an investigation into nutritional values of randomly selected recipes from celebrity chefs. Though specific celebrity chef names weren’t used Nigel Lawson’s image was most frequently plastered across the articles because of her naughty food TV persona. The department of Health Professions at Coventry University which was supported by the Department of Health Professions found that:
- Recipes from 22 of the 26 chefs had fat content on average above the ‘high fat content’ criteria.
- Recipes from 24 of the 26 chefs had saturated fat content on average above the ‘high saturated fat content’ criteria.
- Recipes from 16 of the 26 chefs had sugar content on average above the ‘high sugar content’ criteria.
- Recipes from seven of the 26 chefs had salt content on average above the ‘high salt content’ criteria.
The angle the press has taken really isn’t a reliable conclusion to come to as no one knows how often these recipes are being cooked. As a one off treat or for a special occasion even the worst recipes culprits wouldn’t harm your health as long as you maintained a balanced diet normally. There is also the obvious problem that a lot of supermarket stock similar products that we all know are bad for our health yet it’s still our own decision to cook or purchase them. Are we not therefore capable of making the same decisions with these celebrity chef recipes too?
Many Celebrity and TV Chefs are actively promoting a healthy lifestyle and have had a positive impact on the nation’s diet. It’s unfortunate then that they have now been tarnished with the press’s coverage of this inconclusive investigation.
Thanks to the NHS for the stats & information.
