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The Daily Dish Top Chef

Padma Lakshmi Just Started Filming Top Chef in Kentucky... And She Already Needs a "Cleanse"

As host of Bravo's Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi has a lot of eating-related responsibilities. 

By Alesandra Dubin
Top Chef Judges Rate the Unicorn Food Trend

It was not so long ago that Padma Lakshmi arrived in Kentucky to begin filming the next edition of Bravo's Top ChefPadma has said she tends to gain an average of 10 to 15 pounds per season — she's also said she's comfortable just owning that reality — and this season's filming location has got her off to a highly indulgent start.

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Shortly after she landed in Louisville, she headed right to Feast BBQ and ordered a table full of delights, including loaded tater tots, pork cakes, ribs — and a salad for moderation, she joked. She documented that meal on Instagram, including a slo-mo tribute to the food soundtracked by D'Angelo's sexy song "Brown Sugar." 

Padma also showed off a visit to Royal's Hot Chicken to try the famous hot chicken offered there. She shared on her Instagram Stories that she was afraid to get the extra hot version, but she devoured a regular hot chicken sandwich happily. "I didn't get the extra hot because... well I was a little chicken," she said. Zing! And she also taste tested an array of sugary beverages to go along with that meal. 

So where does that leave Padma? Well, rather overindulged... already. Padma shared on Instagram a short video of her visit to Louisville's Lueberry Acai, where she scooped up a colorful fruit-filled acai bowl to help moderate her fatty food intake. She captioned her post: When all of the loaded tater tots & hot chicken catches up with you." And she used hashtags including #cleanse and #healthyish. 

We feel you Padma: It can be super hard to pace yourself for summer eating, no matter what you do for work!

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