Give ‘em Health William Weir

Country singer Trisha Yearwood and perpetually angry chef Gordon Ramsay are bad for your health.

So say the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, who surveyed the year’s cookbooks. Ramsay and Yearwood’s contributions to home cooking are among the most most unhealthy of 2010. Also high on the list is Ina Garten, aka the Bareoot Contessa, who has a show on the Food Network. The Bravo TV show «Top Chef» also has its own book, and it also finds a place on the organization’s list.

«They use some of the worst possible ingredients in terms of nutritional profiles,» says Susan Levin, nutrition education director for the nonprofit organization. «They’re using lots of heavy cream and butter and going all out in tems of fat and calories.»

The organization points to a few prime examples: Yearwood’s book includes a dish that calls for eight large eggs, a pound of bacon, a pound of sausage, cheese tortellini, cheddar cheese, tater tots, and (of course) butter. The Top Chef book has a recipe for deep-fried bacon doughnuts. Ramsay instructs us on British Pheasant Casserole — two pheasants, smoked bacon, butter, and double cream.

Levin says cookbooks in recent years have gone to two extremes — one toward the healthful and the other toward things like deep-fried bacon doughnuts.

Part of it, she says, is due to a backlash about health concerns. Part of it, she admits, is that a lot of these recipes taste great.

«Of course, something with tons of fat and tons of butter and sugar are going to be appealing to the tastebuds,» she says. «And all of these cookbooks use all of that stuff. To me it’s like cheating.»

Here are the five worst cookbooks of the year:

«World Kitchen’, by Gordon Ramsay

«Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?» by Ina Garten

«Home Cooking», by Trisha Yearwood

«How to Cook Like a Top Chef from the makers of Top Chef»

«The Primal Blueprint Cookbook» by Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier