Is Master Chef making Us Fat?

The other day I read something which really took my attention. I pathetically admit I was once again reading a weight loss book. This one was written by none other than that straight-shootin’, tough lovin’ Dr Phil. Yes, he of scary U.S. daytime television where ‘regular’ people expose their deepest, darkest souls to the scrutiny -- and often ridicule -- of the studio audience and a few million viewers worldwide. As you do if you want to keep your affairs private and maintain some measure of dignity.

Anyway, the good doctor has written a very detailed and sensible book, if I may say so, on the ‘ultimate’ way to lose weight. Essentially he says we need to take responsibility for our eating habits and get our heads together before we can possibly lose weight. Nothing so surprising there, really.

What was surprising is that Dr Phil claims scientists now believe that when we look longingly at food (drooling over a cream cake for example) our bodies begin to release insulin which accelerates the uptake of fat into our cells for storage. Meaning of course, that we might very well be gaining weight without even eating a bite! Yikes!

I started thinking about the possible implications of this in the context of our current national love affair with all things gastronomic. Specifically, I was thinking about the incredibly high-rating TV show ‘Master Chef’.

Apparently, in its last season, over two million viewers were tuning into every episode of the show. Therefore, on the basis of the aforementioned science, that would mean every time they looked lovingly at the food being cooked on the show, these same two million viewers were exposing themselves to insulin release and possible fat uptake. That’s a lot of flab!

Taking this idea a little further, think about all the people who wander around bakeries and delicatessens; greedily eyeing off the various delicious-looking treats on offer. Surely, they too, are in the firing line for a little insulin mischief, are they not?

And then there is advertising. Every second ad on television is promoting food – often fatty, salty, sugary fast-food portrayed as mouth-wateringly as possible. While we dieters sit despondently on the couch nibbling on cardboard crackers and lusting silently over the Big Mac with fries sizzling tantalisingly on the screen (and congratulating ourselves on our fabulous willpower) could it be that are our dastardly hormones are busily whipping up a little fat-storing frenzy?

And what about all the kids who watch these ads? Do their bodies produce insulin in the same way as adult bodies supposedly do? Are we inadvertently fattening up our kids by letting them even just view tempting food?

It really does make you wonder. I mean, we all know that obesity is becoming a serious problem amongst kids today. You only need visit a fast food joint near you to see whole kilos of garbage being inhaled by pudgy-faced kids. Couple this with our more sedentary lifestyles and it’s probably not surprising that we are raising a nation of fatties.

But, thanks to Dr Phil and his terrifying little revelation, I now wonder if it’s the whole story? Maybe it’s not just ‘a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips’ but also ‘a moment in your eye and the scales go sky-high!’

Well, anyway, I’m taking no chances. Next time I watch Master Chef, I will be covering my eyes.

After all, I have enough problems with real, live, in-my-mouth food expanding my girth without having sneaky insulin hormones hijacking me from the side-lines as well!