Can watching you favourite food shows lead to weight gain?

By Efrosini Costa

Can watching you favourite food shows lead to weight gain?
Could your obsession with food and cooking shows on television cause you to put on weight?

According to a new study published in the journal Appetite, not cooking can actually be more harmful to our weight than cooking.

Go figure! Pun intended.

The researchers surveyed roughly 500 women with an average age of 27 about their measurements, weight and height as well as their cooking habits.

They found that cooking shows as well as social media surrounding food and recipes were both associated with a higher BMI (Body Mass Index).

Interestingly this is not the first time such a study has been conducted.

Previous research has shown that simply watching what someone else eats influences the way you eat – food envy anyone?

In the same way, “the exact situation that may occur when people watch cooking shows on television,” researchers suggest.

But the study was not specific about which foods the omen actually consumed.

Another UK study found that recipes featured on TV are also to blame, as they can be less healthy than eating out. Recipes by chefs featured on television had worse nutritional stats, with more calories, saturated fats and less fibre, than prepared packaged food from supermarkets.

You don’t have to be a scientist or read a journal article to understand this food-obsession that is gripping our culture consumption. A quick glance through social media channels like Instagram, complete with pictures of your friends latest meals, shows how food is becoming a daily obsession.

The authors of the study also speculated that social media was linked to BMI “because people may post their most indulgent “picture-perfect” recipes.”

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