Jamie Oliver

I've written about some celebrity chefs before. I've mentioned Paula Deen at least twice and talked about how some chefs have weight issues. I understand that they're around food constantly and that it may be difficult for them to maintain a healthy weight. I even understand that a celebrity chef compounds those issues with hectic travel and appearance schedules. A life like that may make it even harder to stay at a healthy weight.

Jamie Oliver was asked about his weight gain, and responded very defensively. He lashed out at the reporter and denied any knowledge of weight gain. His publicist went on to deny the weight gain. I think that denial is really hard to buy if you look at the before and after pictures.

Jamie's main claim to fame is his campaign to improve the food and health of everyone. Once you've set yourself up as the beacon of truth about these issues, your own weight is going to be noticed and reporters are being professional for asking about it. I wish someone would have asked him about his hypocrisy with his cook books. In 2011, his book was listed as one of the least healthy published. He's talking out of both sides of his mouth. He wants people do be healthy, but some of the tools he's providing will sabotage that effort.

Cooking

Cooking at home is one of the best ways to take control of your diet. Not only do you get to control all the ingredients that you consume, but you're fully aware of what you're eating. It's really easy to be removed from your food and ignorant of the ingredients when you're dining out. That does not mean that all home-cooked food is good for you. In fact, some cookbooks are downright dangerous. Luckily, there are people who analyze the recipes and let you know which cookbooks to avoid and which to seek out. Here are there list of the five worst for 2011.
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Cookbook	Nutritional Shocker
Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes	One serving of the Meatball Sandwich contains more fat than a Big Mac and more than double the calories, cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat.
Guy Fieri Food	Jambalaya Sandwich contains bacon, smoked sausage, and Andouille sausage; such processed meats raise colon cancer risk.
Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible	One serving of Hot Buffalo Wings (three wings) contains 910 calories and 85 grams of fat; meat-heavy diets raise obesity risk.
The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook	More than 50 pages of recipes featuring grilled meat, which increases cancer risk.
The Neelys’ Celebration Cookbook	Bourbon Bread Pudding is saturated with butter, half-and-half, and whole milk; high-fat diets increase heart-disease risk.

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I am not surprised to see

the Neelys,



























Paula Deen and Guy Fieri on the list, but Jamie Oliver's name really surprised me. It just goes to show that you really need to check out the nutritional information on recipes before making them at home. Many cookbooks contain that information on the recipe page. If not, you can go online and calculate for yourself.