Like cooking shows? You'd better not read this.

Sourcing recipes online, in print and in person may be healthier than from television could shed light on marketing opportunities for food and beverage companies with healthier or better-for-you
options.

A team researchers found that of the 501 women aged 20-35 years they surveyed those who obtained recipes from cooking shows and cooked from scratch weighed an average of 11 pounds more
than those who watched television shows about food but did not often cook. In addition, the mean body mass index of cooking show viewers and doers was 27.48 compared to only 25.66 for those
who watched the shows but did not cook, according to the study published in Appetite.

This finding contradicts the common belief that cooking from scratch results in healthier eating and slimmer waistlines, but the correlation also makes sense given that many cooking shows feature high fat, indulgent meals that have excessive calories, the researchers noted.

The findings are important for food and beverage manufacturers because understanding where young women obtain information about new foods may be important when attempting to influence or shape their food preferences. Furthermore, it may be that watching a ‘healthy’ cooking show or viewing ‘health’ recipes from social media could nudge viewers toward preparing healthy meals, which could be a powerful tool for improving public health.

This was the idea behind baby carrot and fresh juice company Bolthouse Farms’ recent social media “Fruit and Veggie Takeover” campaign , which encouraged people to post about eating fruits and veggies instead of unhealthy foods.