FASHIONABLE diets that encourage people to cut out entire food groups such as grains or sugar are nothing but “a new eating disorder”, Donna Hay says.
The celebrated Aussie foodie believes it’s sad that so many people are taking up extreme diets that focus on eliminating foods, rather than embracing moderation.
In her crosshairs: fad revolutions with huge followings like the so-called paleo diet that eschews processed foods including bread, and the I Quit Sugar movement that frowns on sweets.
“Dairy-free, sugar-free — I think some of them are just a new eating disorder,” Hay told Daily Mail Australia.
“There’s the I Quit Sugar program. And so many people quitting carbs, quitting drinking ... It’s ‘I quit’, ‘I quit’. For me it’s about a lifestyle choice.”
She said there were enough rules in life without restricting the food we ate, and it made her “sad” that people deprived themselves of “balance”.
... And Hay’s apple and almond cake. Source: Supplied
Whose kitchen rules? Pete Evans’ harira soup ... Source:Supplied
Celebrity chef Pete Evans is a vocal advocate of the paleo diet, publicly endorsing the regimen in a 2100-word Facebook post last month.
Evans insists the diet is often incorrectly maligned because of misconceptions about it in the public.
“They say it is expensive, which I can prove it isn’t. They also say it is hard, which I can prove it isn’t,” he said, referring to criticism from the Dietitians Association of Australia.
GETTING HEATED: Evans v DAA on foodie front
He completed a seven-city tour of Australia earlier this year to promote the diet. But the DAA sides with Hay when it comes to strict elimination diets.
“Some proponents of paleo suggest we avoid all grains, legumes, certain dairy products, conventionally raised meats, non-organic produce, and genetically modified and processed foods. This simply isn’t practical for many Australians,” chief executive Claire Hewat said.
Family man ... Pete Evan’s newest read. Source: Supplied
Giving up the sweet life ... Sarah Wilson’s popular book.Source: Supplied
While Hay reckons restrictive eating is a dud, she has some common ground with Evans’ food philosophy when it comes to a ban on processed foods and certain fats.
“When it comes to Pete, any kind of healthy guidelines about eating better and incorporating more vegetables in your diet is a good thing,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“But I think extreme shift in eating should be about processed foods and trans fats. It’s not about cutting out whole food groups like dairy.”
Practising what she preaches ... Donna Hay fights fit with a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Source: Supplied
Hay knows a thing or two about healthy eating. She shed three dress sizes in 2011 and has kept the kilos off the old school way: diet and exercise.
“I run. I enjoy food, I eat well but I still treat myself.”
Paleo Diet: Donna Hay slams restrictive diets as eating disorders
The celebrated Aussie foodie believes it’s sad that so many people are taking up extreme diets that focus on eliminating foods, rather than embracing moderation.
In her crosshairs: fad revolutions with huge followings like the so-called paleo diet that eschews processed foods including bread, and the I Quit Sugar movement that frowns on sweets.
“Dairy-free, sugar-free — I think some of them are just a new eating disorder,” Hay told Daily Mail Australia.
“There’s the I Quit Sugar program. And so many people quitting carbs, quitting drinking ... It’s ‘I quit’, ‘I quit’. For me it’s about a lifestyle choice.”
She said there were enough rules in life without restricting the food we ate, and it made her “sad” that people deprived themselves of “balance”.
... And Hay’s apple and almond cake. Source: Supplied
Whose kitchen rules? Pete Evans’ harira soup ... Source:Supplied
Celebrity chef Pete Evans is a vocal advocate of the paleo diet, publicly endorsing the regimen in a 2100-word Facebook post last month.
Evans insists the diet is often incorrectly maligned because of misconceptions about it in the public.
“They say it is expensive, which I can prove it isn’t. They also say it is hard, which I can prove it isn’t,” he said, referring to criticism from the Dietitians Association of Australia.
GETTING HEATED: Evans v DAA on foodie front
He completed a seven-city tour of Australia earlier this year to promote the diet. But the DAA sides with Hay when it comes to strict elimination diets.
“Some proponents of paleo suggest we avoid all grains, legumes, certain dairy products, conventionally raised meats, non-organic produce, and genetically modified and processed foods. This simply isn’t practical for many Australians,” chief executive Claire Hewat said.
Family man ... Pete Evan’s newest read. Source: Supplied
Giving up the sweet life ... Sarah Wilson’s popular book.Source: Supplied
While Hay reckons restrictive eating is a dud, she has some common ground with Evans’ food philosophy when it comes to a ban on processed foods and certain fats.
“When it comes to Pete, any kind of healthy guidelines about eating better and incorporating more vegetables in your diet is a good thing,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“But I think extreme shift in eating should be about processed foods and trans fats. It’s not about cutting out whole food groups like dairy.”
Practising what she preaches ... Donna Hay fights fit with a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Source: Supplied
Hay knows a thing or two about healthy eating. She shed three dress sizes in 2011 and has kept the kilos off the old school way: diet and exercise.
“I run. I enjoy food, I eat well but I still treat myself.”
Paleo Diet: Donna Hay slams restrictive diets as eating disorders
