Activated almond-enthusiast and My Kitchen Rules judge Pete Evans has posted a lengthy rejoinder to Dr Tony Bartone, after the new AMA President urged Netflix to take down the controversial new diet documentary The Magic Pill.
The documentary, which was produced and narrated by Evans, suggests that the modern diet can be blamed for a variety of chronic diseases, and that a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet can alleviate health conditions ranging from asthma to autism and even cancer.
Earlier today, Fairfax published a piece in which Dr Bartone raised serious concerns over the documentary, saying that it might influence people with chronic health conditions to ignore the advice of their doctors, and urging the streaming service to pull it. He said:
“All forms of media have to take a responsible attitude when trying to spread a message of wellness. Netflix should do the responsible thing. They shouldn’t screen it. The risk of misinformation … is too great.”
Bartone cautioned that while eliminating certain food groups from your diet can lead to weight loss, it can “make certain other conditions worse”, adding:
“I respect Pete Evans’ ability and expertise in the kitchen, but that’s where it begins and ends. I would never dream of telling him how to prepare a meal. However, when it comes to the trusted health of our patients, everyone should turn to a health professional. That is, in the first instance, your GP.”
Fairfax spoke to Pete Evans for their piece, and he told them that modern medicine is “fabulous and vitally needed”, but maintained that “70 to 80 per cent of illness is dietary or lifestyle related.” After the article appeared today, Evans took to Instagram to post a lengthier statement, saying:
“Does the head of the AMA believe that eating vegetables and fruit with a side of well sourced meat/seafood/eggs to be a dangerous way of life? If so can they please share the evidence that this way of eating is detrimental to the health of human beings. Perhaps the bigger question to ask would be, ‘is the head of the AMA fearful of people in Australia becoming healthy? What would this mean to their industry?’”
Evans went on to criticise the practice of making referrals to dietitians, saying that the Dietitians Association of Australia has “multinational food companies as partners”, and also took aim at the medical profession, saying that it “relies” on a large percentage of the population being sick.
You can read Pete Evans’ post below, and presumably you can look out for another wild Facebook live stream in the not-too-distant future.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjifHOInjHR/?hl=en&taken-by=chefpeteevans
