Hugh: I love veg, so why am I at risk of diabetes?
hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall fashions himself as a healthy eating champion who enjoys celery as much as sirloin steak.
But despite eating well, the 53- year- old celebrity chef has revealed that doctors have warned him that alcohol and his sweet tooth have left him overweight and at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
As part of a documentary on obesity in the UK, Fearnley-Whittingstall discovered that his weekly intake of wine contains the same number of calories as 22 cans of coke.
A GP who checked his height, weight and stomach size found that, at 12 stone 8lb, his body mass index (BMI) was 26.2 – meaning the River Cottage presenter was classified as overweight. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25.
Dr JP Kent told the chef that his abdominal circumference was ‘worrying’ and warned he could develop type 2 diabetes in the next ten years if he did not lose weight.
Fearnley-Whittingstall said: ‘That’s a surprise and a bit of a wake-up call. I’ve been quite chubby – got the chunky tummy, a lot of double chins flying around in pictures from the mid to late 1990s. Now I’m in my 50s and I’m told I’m going in the wrong direction – that is a bit alarming.’
he added: ‘I cook a lot, I eat a lot of veg but I do have a sweet tooth. I drink cider, wine almost every day and probably more than a glass. Sometimes more than two glasses.’
he admitted his weight has been ‘up and down’ over the years and that he often comfort eats chocolate when stressed.
The chef has published a number of healthy- eating books. his most recent creation is last year’s River Cottage Much More Veg with which he promised to make vegetables ‘irresistible’. The book contains 175 vegan recipes, such as seared summer cabbage and baked celery.
his other books include River Cottage Light & Easy: healthy Recipes For Every Day, and a book dedicated to fruit.
But the star accepted that eating vegetables does not counteract consuming calorific snacks and drinks.
he said: ‘I thought I knew my weaknesses: cheese and biscuits, chocolate and puddings generally, and wine with my dinner.
‘But it is still a shock when I work out that, in terms of calories, my weekly wine intake is roughly equivalent to 22 cans of coke.’
The BBC1 documentary, Britain’s Fat Fight with hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, is shown tonight at 9pm.