This is something that Australian celebrity chef Pete Evans is learning the hard way, after an investigation was launched this week into a cookbook he wrote, aimed at mothers and children.
Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way For new Mums, Babies and Toddlers includes Evans’ tips on introducing the Paleolithic diet into babies’ and young children’s diets, and was scheduled for release last week.
However, publication and release were stalled amid criticism of the content, with many claiming that the recipes could be dangerous for children.
In particular, one chapter on how mothers are encouraged to swap a bone broth recipe for baby formula has raised serious health and safety questions.
Amid the fracas, the Australian federal health department has now stepped in to investigate whether the book is suitable for distribution.
The book was co-written by nutritionist Helen Padarin and blogger Charlotte Carr, who are also long-term advocates of the ‘Paleo’ diet.
With roots tracing back to the period of 2 million BC, and a time when humans relied on hunting, fishing and plant-gathering to survive, the Paleo diet has become incredibly popular among dieters in recent years.
Raising concerns over the content in the book, Professor Heather Yeatman of the Public Health Association of Australia said: “There appears to be recommendations not to use either breast milk or an approved infant formula, but to provide other foods to infants under six months of age, and that really is a big health risk.”
It will be interesting to see what happens over the book.
