Healthy eating: Australians confused over fad diets

IT might not get as serious as needing hospitalisation, as did pilates instructor Kylie Tabrett, but millions of Aussies are falling for fad diets without medical advice. DO YOU KNOW YOUR PALEO FROM YOUR KETO?

Kylie Tabrett found herself hospitalised after going on a green juice diet. Picture: Jonathan Ng

MILLIONS of Aussies are falling for fad diets without adequate information or medical advice and putting their health on the line in the process.

Alarming new research has revealed that 67 per cent of us have gone gluten-free — cutting out wheat and grains — without even being diagnosed with an intolerance. And 65 per cent have dumped an entire food group without any kind of diagnosis.

The survey results released b Kellogg’s to coincide with today’s launch of the Gut Bacteria Zoo exhibition at Wild Life Sydney also reveals that more than half of us say we don’t even know what foods are healthy.

Pilates instructor Kylie Tabrett, 33, landed herself in hospital after going on a green juice detox.

“The diet put me into hospital because I could not digest what they were giving to me,” Ms Tabrett said. She said she was also among one-in-three Australians who buy the trendy “superfoods” without knowing their benefits.

TV presenter and Sydney GP Dr Sam Hay said fad diet followers were putting themselves at risk.

“The longer you stay on these ultra-restrictive diets the more your body will shut down really making you sick — you’re putting yoursef into a starvation state,” he said.

“Kidney issues, liver issues, growth and development, it impacts all of it.

“Superfoods”: What are they, exactly? Could the term be merely a marketing tool?

Plenty of fruit and veg are just as healthy as “superfoods” but at half the price.

“The number of people restricting gluten is nuts, by doing that you’re missing out on grain fibre and putting the nation’s gut health at risk,” Dr Hay said.

He said different diets became popular in different areas.

“The most popular diets vary across Australia depending upon the proportion of hippies you’ve got in your area.

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“The eastern suburbs are all about avocado and kombucha and paleo. Australians are getting very caught up in influential media personalities who really push particular eating plans or fads and most don’t have any science behind them,” Dr Hay said.

Dietitian Gabrielle Maston said consumers needed to be careful.

“Currently, there’s a trend of high-fat Ketogenic diet which encourages butter, fatty meats and coconut oil which is known to impact on heart health,” Ms Maston said.

“People get caught up with the hype of superfoods not realising that there are equally just as good fruit and vegetables that are half the price.”

She said fasting diets could push people into an “eating disorder pattern” while juice detoxes created a “semi starvation response”.

“I’m not a fan of fad diets. Instead of overhauling your diet completely, try to think about the little things that will have a big impact,” Ms Maston said.

Originally published as Healthy eating: Australians confused over fad diets