The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is calling on celebrity chef Pete Evans and the co-authors of his controversial Paleo cookbook for babies and toddlers to reconsider a plan to release a digital publication of their book.
The peak body representing more than 5700 nutrition and dietetic professionals urged the authors of ‘Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way for new mums, babies and toddlers’ who “do not have formally-recognised medical or health qualifications” to rethink the move.
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The call comes after publisher Pan Macmillan Australia announced it will not publish the cookbook, which was originally due for release on March 13.
“The authors of ‘Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way - for new mums, babies and toddlers’ have decided to release a digital version of the book very shortly, and will, therefore, no longer publish the book, in any format, with Pan Macmillan Australia,” it said.
Evans, a judge on My Kitchen Rules, confirmed on his
Facebook page that the book will go ahead.
“Charlotte, Helen and I are thrilled to announce that ‘Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way’ will be a proudly independent digital worldwide release in April with print to follow,” he said.
“We didn't want to wait, too many people are wanting this beautiful treasure trove of nutritional recipes and we are extremely thankful to all our followers and colleagues for their support.”
The
DAA has been working to review the cookbook with the publisher since the end of February.
The association recently joined other health groups in raising concerns about the book’s recipes, particularly its DIY baby formula based on a liver, cod liver oil and bone broth.
The DAA states an independent analysis of the baby milk formula reveals that it’s not comparable to breast milk, as claimed in the cookbook.
Tests showed the DIY formula was 749 per cent higher in Vitamin A, 2326 per cent higher in Vitamin B12, 220 per cent higher in protein, 1067 per cent higher in iron, and 879 per cent higher in sodium.
“This formula could be very harmful to infants, their immature immune and digestive systems could not cope with this formulation and the levels of these nutrients it contains,” the DAA stated.
“In a newborn, the formulation could cause permanent damage and possibly result in death.”
The DAA has also raised concerns about the cookbook using ingredients, such as honey, runny eggs and raw liver, not recommended for infants in the first year of their life due to microbiological risks.
“We congratulate Pan Macmillan for making this very difficult decision,” DAA CEO Claire Hewat said in a statement.
“DAA, together with a number of health agencies, has provided evidence-based materials to highlight some serious issues with the content of this book.”
Ms Hewat said the issue also posed wider concerns about the increasing number of “self-appointed ‘experts’” providing health advice to Australians.
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DAA has previously criticised the Paleo diet for dishing up a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet with no dairy products or grains that’s at odds with the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
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