Controversial Pete Evans, known for his wacky conspiracy theories, is now saying that eating “three meals a day” is just propaganda for food companies and is actually unhealthy. Evans’ claims have often been criticized by food experts, and accused of giving “potentially dangerous advice.”
What He Said
Pete Evans, the Australian chef and author, has made another controversial comment on nutrition, arguing that “three meals a day” is actually bad for you, and just propaganda for food manufacturers.
“The whole notion of eating three meals a day,” he said to his 1.5m followers,” was created to help the multinational food industry stay in business by keeping the population craving carbs and not being able to maintain a healthy weight or to stay healthy.”
Evans said this as he was promoting his 10-week Paleo program, which suggested fasting regularly and skipping meals. “Once you are fat adapted, you stop the hunger cravings for food, as you are supplying the body its key nutrients in the most natural way, which in turn makes this way of eating cheaper and quicker,” he said.
“Fasting could play a part in the prevention of many conditions, especially obesity and type 2 diabetes,” he said.
He also specifically criticized the “Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA),” for recommending three meals per day.
Experts’ Comments
DAA spokesperson, Melania McGrice, called his advice nonsense. She did say that there indeed is interesting research regarding intermittent fasting, but argued that the “one size fits all” approach has never worked.
Associate Professor and diabetes expert Sof Andrikopoulos said that there is no evidence for Evans’ claim.
He also said that Evans should be careful about what he says. “He is well-intentioned but he needs to make sure he understands the implications of his advice. If you have certain conditions, intermittent fasting may be dangerous,” he said.