Chef's paleo crusade compared to Tom Cruise spruiking Scientology

Pete Evans and his Paleo crusade has been slammed on social media. Photo / Grant Triplow

Celebrity chef Pete Evans' paleo diet crusade has been compared to Hollywood actor Tom Cruise spruiking Scientology.

Evans was given a fairly easy run at promoting his paleo diet in an interview with journalist Mike Willesee on the Seven Network's Sunday Night program.

Willesee shed five kilograms after taking up the paleo diet for 10 weeks, which included giving up soft drink, dairy foods, grains and legumes, and starting an exercise routine.

Viewers and food experts, however, took to social media to denounce the paleo diet and criticise Seven and Evans, who is also a judge on the network's highest rating reality show My Kitchen Rules.

DB wrote on Twitter: "Is Pete Evans the food version of Tom Cruise and Scientology? I just speak the truth!".

Nutrition researcher Dorota Zarnowiecki posted: "Shame on you #sn7 why are you giving Pete Evans any airtime? What a joke! He is not a scientist or an expert!"

Accredited dietician Maree Hall wrote: "@sundaynighton7 Celebrity chef dishing out nutrition advice to the nation? So disappointing #getreal."

Even those without degrees started picking holes in Willesee's report, saying he would have lost five kilograms by just giving up soft drink and taking up exercise.

"#Sundaynight he only lost weight due to cutting processed crap out of diet and exercising. You don't need to go paleo to do that!," Scott Thompson tweeted.

Brodie Smythe questioned how Evans could be such an avid fan of the diet if he consumed meals containing, fat, food and dairy as a judge on My Kitchen Rules.

"If Pete is Paleo for 4 years, why is he on MKR eating pasta, breads, dairy, etc. It makes no sense," he wrote.

Some took aim at Willesee for his gentle approach. It was left to Seven's The Morning Show dietitian Matt O'Neill to rebut Evans on the program.

Brad Atwal described the segment as "pathetic and embarrassing journalism", while Jane Terrane called it as a "joke".

Not everyone ganged up on Evans or took pot shots at the diet.

"Anything that gets people to THINK about what goes in your gob is good in my books," Jenni Gordon wrote.

- AAP