Bad Science - GMcK

ciagr297

Yesterday, I bought the book Bad Science by Ben Goldacre and was delighted to see an entire chapter devoted to his column's dealings with GMcK's dietary claims...amongst others (list of all of the articles in the column) http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/series/badscience

On the GMcK topic - according to her website credentials (http://www.gillianmckeith.info/aboutgillianmckeith/index.php)

When Gillian began working in the field almost 20 years ago, there were few learning institutions which specialised in Holistic Nutrition, the discipline that Gillian wanted to study. Holistic Nutrition in those days was a pioneering field and not the fashionable topic it is today. Gillian McKeith earned a Doctorate (PhD) in Holistic Nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition, which is now known as the Clayton College of Natural Health, an off-campus learning institution with well respected and renowned graduates in the United States.

according to Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_College_of_Natural_Health

As of 2009[update], Clayton offered five degree programs and seven certificate programs.[4] Because the school was not accredited, degrees earned did not qualify the graduate for any professional license in any state in the United States. Graduates were taught alternative theories of health and nutrition, with varying degrees of truth and accuracy, but graduates should be cautious about violating state laws which license physicians, dietitians and other health professions. Violating these laws can lead to serious legal trouble and fines of several hundred thousand dollars.[5]
Clayton College did not offer clinical training: individual program objectives listed on their website did not include preparing the student to diagnose or treat disease.

anyone feeling a little uncertain about taking her advice now?


GMcK herself says
http://www.gillianmckeith.info/gillianmckeithbooks/index.php

After more than 15 years in clinical practice, I have found that the people who take decent care of their bodies, and eat the right foods, are generally the healthiest specimens. They are stabilised at their natural, healthy weight, plus they are more energised, have better sex lives,are more relaxed about life, enjoy smarter brain function and are even, on balance, happier. This can be you too.

wow, there is a relevation:eek:

whats your favourite dietary myth from GMcK? mine is the chlorophyll "oxygenating" your blood

EileenG

I'm quite fond of the one about your body taking saturated fat and smearing it directly round the inside of your arteries.

But I've got to admit, I really enjoy watching her obsess over poo. A shrink would have a field day with her.

El_Dangeroso

Gillian McKeith's detox diet landed me in hospital, literally. I had been suffering mild stomach pains after eating and poor digestion (which was later diagnosed as IBS) so I thought the macrobiotic diet would help, she spoke about raw plant enzymes helping digestion and it all sounded so convincing as I had no clue about nutrition at the time.

Gillian's plan involved copious amount of raw vegetables which anyone with IBS will tell you are digestive napalm to someone with my condition.

After 3 days of not being able to sleep with the pain, I landed into A&E to spend a day on a trolley getting all the tests in the world done. I told them what I was eating and they said to stop immediately as there was definitely something up with my digestive system and that raw veg is very difficult to digest.

ciagr297

EileenG wrote: »

I'm quite fond of the one about your body taking saturated fat and smearing it directly round the inside of your arteries.

But I've got to admit, I really enjoy watching her obsess over poo. A shrink would have a field day with her.

the scenes in her tv series showing her in a lab coat surrounded by test tubes and examining poo are so incredibly misleading - as stated in wiki link above and indeed her own website, she is not a medically qualified doctor

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Gillian McKeith's detox diet landed me in hospital, literally. I had been suffering mild stomach pains after eating and poor digestion (which was later diagnosed as IBS) so I thought the macrobiotic diet would help, she spoke about raw plant enzymes helping digestion and it all sounded so convincing as I had no clue about nutrition at the time.

Gillian's plan involved copious amount of raw vegetables which anyone with IBS will tell you are digestive napalm to someone with my condition.

After 3 days of not being able to sleep with the pain, I landed into A&E to spend a day on a trolley getting all the tests in the world done. I told them what I was eating and they said to stop immediately as there was definitely something up with my digestive system and that raw veg is very difficult to digest.

OMG! well you can take comfort in how many "panic" attacks she is having in the jungle and apparently her mysterious ingredient for making rice taste better is salt.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/entertainment/exhausted-mckeith-refuses-bushtucker-trial-482693.html

revenge is sweet - wonder how she is managing on the food there. jebus, Bear Grylls would have eaten the ants at this stage!

brianthebard

I do love it when she gives out for five minutes about the fatty burgers and **** that people are eating, then says we'll replace that with lovely healthy salmon....

--Kaiser--

Ghastly harridan

Rockn

Dara O Briain wrote:

If you are what you eat then Gillian McKeith has eaten a shrew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLeMplo7RDs

Sapsorrow

Love that book, I follow Ben Goldacre on twitter, he's a funny f*cker.. That was my favourite chapter too followed closely by the one on Holford. They're one and the same really though, McKeith and Holford. She's not exactly a radiant picture of health, vitality and strength is she.
Not a great role model for her business visually, I wouldn't want to eat macro if it meant looking like something that crawled out of swamp. I'd prefer to like like Carrie Sisson at that age any day.
There's not a pinch of muscle on the woman. Her husband is a big shot lawyer, the whole McKeith industry was incredibly well planned and developed by the pair of them and now they're minted. Clever f*ckers.

ciagr297

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Love that book, I follow Ben Goldacre on twitter, he's a funny f*cker.. That was my favourite chapter too followed closely by the one on Holford. They're one and the same really though, McKeith and Holford. She's not exactly a radiant picture of health, vitality and strength is she.
Not a great role model for her business visually, I wouldn't want to eat macro if it meant looking like something that crawled out of swamp. I'd prefer to like like Carrie Sisson at that age any day.
There's not a pinch of muscle on the woman. Her husband is a big shot lawyer, the whole McKeith industry was incredibly well planned and developed by the pair of them and now they're minted. Clever f*ckers.

will check out the Holford chapter now as well
i like his dry humour in telling the GMcK stories

basically GMcK's husband bullies anyone who broadcasts anything about her. they are clearly trying not to let their web of lies unfold. although her own website does a pretty good job of contradicting itself alot

Sapsorrow

Gross...



She's in trouble for smuggling miso soup into the jungle via her knickers apparently. She can keep those mouldy goods to herself.

ciagr297

she reckons she will survive on Miso soup?

surely there are lots of "leafy green" produce to "oxygenate" her blood in the jungle??

littlefriend

She is such a bad advertisement for her nutritional advice! One of the most unhealthy and weak looking people I have ever seen.

rubadub

littlefriend wrote: »

One of the most unhealthy and weak looking people I have ever seen.

+1, I thought she was a lot older than 51. I was looking at Nigella Lawson scoffing down cakes this morning thinking how good she still looked despite her reputation as a guzzler. Looking on wiki, Nigella is only ~5months younger than McKeith :eek:

WildBoots

I think Gillian offers some good advice at times but ...the poo thing...is it necessary?! She always reminds me of a hungry little weasel too!

I don't see anything wrong with Holford but he does rely on supplements a bit much, I reckon he won't fare too well once the supplement directive kicks in.

Red Cortina

rubadub wrote: »

+1, I thought she was a lot older than 51. I was looking at Nigella Lawson scoffing down cakes this morning thinking how good she still looked despite her reputation as a guzzler. Looking on wiki, Nigella is only ~5months younger than McKeith :eek:

Jeebus but that Nigella Lawson gets my goat though all the same. It's like she can barely talk anymore (did she get a whole load of botox done or something?). I was watching one of her programs a couple of weeks ago where she made a whole bloody wok full of pasta and took it off to the bed(!!) with herself to eat. Huge bloody portion of it all for herself, if you don't mind!
Then she made a pie by crushing up some biscuits and mixing with melted butter and the filling for the pie was made by mixing 3 jars of stuff that she had bought together. Is this really what we are reduced to? Sad state of affairs IMO! Domestic goddess my a!

EileenG

She does seem to start a lot of recipes with "Take a kilo of butter, and cream in 2kg of sugar, and add a full jar of peanut butter...." and you discover it makes a tiny cake that gives three slices.

hollypink

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Love that book, I follow Ben Goldacre on twitter, he's a funny f*cker.. That was my favourite chapter too followed closely by the one on Holford. They're one and the same really though, McKeith and Holford. She's not exactly a radiant picture of health, vitality and strength is she.
Not a great role model for her business visually, I wouldn't want to eat macro if it meant looking like something that crawled out of swamp. I'd prefer to like like Carrie Sisson at that age any day.
There's not a pinch of muscle on the woman. Her husband is a big shot lawyer, the whole McKeith industry was incredibly well planned and developed by the pair of them and now they're minted. Clever f*ckers.

I'm reading Bad Science at the moment - I found the chapter on Patrick Holford very interesting. I've never been very keen on taking vitamin pills so never really paid much attention to what he advises but he has a big profile and he seems to appear in the media very often. I never knew that anyone could call themselves a nutritionist - I thought it was interchangeable with dietitian

The chapter I found upsetting though was the one about Matthias Rath. I knew a little about the AIDS dissidents in South Africa but I'd never heard of him.