Health experts are disapproving of Gwyneth Paltrow's alarming "wellness routine". Photo / Netflix
Health experts are disapproving of Gwyneth Paltrow's alarming "wellness routine". Photo / Netflix
Experts are warning people not to follow Gwyneth Paltrow’s diet advice after she revealed everything she eats in a day – and it’s not a lot.
The Hollywood actress detailed her current “wellness routine” on the latest episode of The Art of Being Well with Dr Will Cole,sharing everything from her food intake to her exercise regimen.
But while Paltrow and the podcast host, a functional medicine practitioner, talk positively about the 50-year-old’s strict lifestyle – which drastically restricts her eating – experts are warning people not to follow celebrity advice.
Australian dietitian Kim Lindsay, who specialises in disordered eating, said she was “worried” about the effect Paltrow’s comments will have on others, adding it was alarming that diets were now being labelled “wellness routines”.
“Gwyneth is promoting dieting and packaging it as ‘wellness’,” Lindsay told news.com.
“She talks about restrictive dieting practices like intermittent fasting and the paleo diet. This is concerning because we know that dieting is unsustainable for the vast majority of people and can lead to negative health consequences like eating disorders, weight cycling (when your weight fluctuates) and heart disease.”
Lindsay, an accredited practising dietitian who takes a non-diet approach to health and nutrition based in Canberra, added the star’s listed food intake was also problematic.
“She is eating too little food to fuel her day. Bone broth has very little nutrition in it and should not be seen as a complete, balanced meal,” Lindsay said.
“Coffee is often used to suppress appetite, thereby ignoring her natural hunger cues. There is also no evidence that the paleo diet is healthy.
“We do not need to detox, our body detoxes itself every day through our liver and kidneys.” She added: “This is another example of diet culture misinformation making people think they need to go on restrictive diets in the name of health.”
Another point Lindsay was keen to stress was the danger of promoting diet culture, stating there’s “so much diet culture in this ‘wellness routine’”.
“Diet culture equates our weight with health and idolises the pursuit of thinness. Gwyneth’s diet is promoting restrictive eating patterns (intermittent fasting, paleo, bone broth),” she said.
“Spreading the message that these behaviours are beneficial to our health is not true and dangerous as it can lead to disordered eating.
“Our body thrives off a regular intake of food. Having a balanced diet that includes all types of food is beneficial for our health and important for a healthy relationship with food.”
In a video shared to TikTok, Lindsay shared this message publicly, stating: “I worry about how many people will follow this. Please remember to eat regularly over the day and enjoy all foods as part of a balanced diet.”
US-based dietitian Lauren Cadillac shared similar concerns, stating “this isn’t wellness, this is disordered”.
“THIS IS NOT ENOUGH FOOD especially for someone that is 5′9″ (175cm),” Lauren explained in a video shared on TikTok.
“Please stop following and listening to celebrities for your health and wellness advice.”
In the 41-second clip, a snippet from an hour-long podcast, Gwyneth explains she eats “dinner early in the evening” before intermittent fasting until well into the next day.
Viewers were outraged by the bad health advice. Photo / Instagram
“I usually eat something about 12. In the morning I’ll have things that won’t spike my blood sugar, so I have coffee.
“I really like soup for lunch, I have bone broth for lunch a lot of the days.”
Gwyneth, who owns wellness brand Goop, went on to state she does “one hour of movement every day” before having a 30-minute infra-red sauna followed by dinner – a paleo meal with “lots of vegetables”.
“It’s really important for me to support my detox,” the clip concludes.
The comments section of the video, shared by Dear Media which produces a multitude of podcasts in the US, quickly blew up.
Many were frustrated such “bad advice” could be shared so easily, asking how Cole could be promoting the star’s detox.
“What is she detoxing Dr Cole? This is a serious question. I realise wellness looks different for everyone ... this doesn’t sound like optimal wellness,” one raged.
I’m sorry but this is basically starving and that’s why her skin is falling off the bone….You need food and oils to live.Eating bone broth is not a meal I’m sorry. Idgaf what y’all say. Gwyneth Paltrow is pushing disordered eating. Why does my 3 year old nephew eat more than her pic.twitter.com/ESCZgzVbhH
“Coffee on an empty stomach spikes cortisol,” one said.
“Coffee literally spikes your blood sugar and cortisol without food,” another agreed.
Some said they were pleased to see the reaction to Gwyneth’s diet was overwhelmingly negative, showing education around nutrition has changed.
“The comments here really show how much the narrative has changed and how much people are aware that this is NOT IT. Veggies and bone broth? No,” one posted.
“I couldn’t cope on this diet, it sounds dangerous,” another said.
Gwyneth is no stranger to spruiking weird and extreme diets, prompting many to label the latest instalment “insufferable”.
#duet with @dearmedia #gwynethpaltrow So much diet culture in this ‘wellness routine’. I worry about how many people will follow this. Please remember to eat regulalry over the day and enjoy all foods as part of a balanced diet xx #dietculture#wellness#dietitian
