Pete Evans slammed again for saying 3 meals/day diet is unhealthy

Australian chef Pete Evans is once again under fire for claiming eating three times a day is not healthy. The “My Kitchen Rules” judge, who is a passionate advocate of the paleo diet, told his online followers that the concept of eating three meals a day was just a myth perpetuated by the food industry.

“The whole notion of 3 small meals throughout the day and snacking in between (recommendation of the Dietitians Association of Australia) is not based on evolutionary science but created to help the multinational food industry stay in businesses by keeping the population craving carbs and not being able to maintain a healthy weight or to stay healthy,” he wrote on his Facebook page last week. He added that he only eats two “good meals a day” or sometimes just one meal, depending on whether he is hungry.

Evans was talking about a new “fasting protocol” in his 10-week paleo diet program. He added pointers on how to fast, saying they had success in helping people with metabolic diseases with their fasting and low-carb lifestyle pairing programs.

But just like before, Evans’ diet advice has again been slammed by health experts, who said his “one size fits all” approach is dangerous. Melanie McGrice, DAA spokeswoman, told news.com.au that his three meals a day conspiracy claim was nonsense. Associate professor Sof Andrikopoulos, a diabetes expert, also said there was no evidence a three-meal day was not healthy.

“It’s not the meals; it’s the size of the meals,” he said. “You can have one meal of 4,000 calories and you will still put on weight.” He added that Evans should think about the potential repercussions of his views before dishing out advice.

Dr Nick Fuller, an obesity expert from the Sydney University, also said that skipping meals could be dangerous, especially for diabetics. He said that weight loss diets do not succeed simply because they are unrealistic.

Evans has been known to get on the nerves of health experts for dishing out questionable health advice. Last year, he claimed sunscreen was full of poisonous chemicals, saying he generally did not use sun protection. A Cancer Council rep told The New Daily that not only was Evans “totally incorrect” in saying sunscreens were poisonous, he was also sending out a dangerous message.

“The scientific evidence is quite clear that sun protection does help protect against skin cancers,” the spokesperson said. “We know that sunscreen is an important part of that.”

Evans also advised an osteoporosis sufferer to remove dairy from his diet and eat “the paleo way” because the calcium from dairy could remove the calcium from the bones. He added, “Most doctors do not know this information.” His advice, again, were discredited by medical doctors.

“You are a chef, not a doctor,” Brad Robinson, obstetrics and gynaecology specialist, wrote in an open letter to Evans on Facebook. He also slammed the chef for telling another person to cease using anti-cholesterol medication. “Can we make a deal? You don’t give medical advice and I won’t tell you how to best shuck oysters? Agreed?”

In 2015, Evans’ baby paleo diet cookbook was put on hold after health organisations expressed their concerns over a DIY baby formula found in the book. The “Bubba Yum: The Paleo Way for New Mums, Babies and Toddlers” had a recipe that claims “mimics the nutrient profile of breast milk.” The formula was feared to cause a baby’s death.