Nutritionist calls pregnant vegan "deluded" & "irresponsible"

Six months pregnant woman, 25, branded 'irresponsible' for promoting radical fruit-based diet to her 100,000 Instagram followers

A naturally slender woman, who is 26 weeks pregnant with her first child, has come under fire for promoting an extreme diet which sees her eat predominantly bananas.

Loni Jane Anthony, 25, from Australia, reveals on her blog that she eats up to 20 per day, raw and in smoothies, for breakfast, often lunch and sometimes mixes it up by having salad for dinner.

After opening up about her fruit-based meal plan to news.com.au, commentators deemed the pretty blonde 'irresponsible' and 'narcissistic' - especially as her Instagram account, which boasts almost 100,000 followers, features dozens of 'selfies' showcasing her svelte figure.

Nutritionist Fiona Hunter examined Ms Jane Anthony's diet as she describes it on her site, and has this to say: 'In my opinion, Lori is deluded if she thinks this diet is healthy. It could not only jeopardise her own health but also that of her unborn baby.'

'It’s desperately short in protein which is needed for growth and repair of tissues and several key vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium and zinc.
'Because her diet only provides a small fraction of the calcium she needs – her baby will take calcium from her bones to build his or her bones which will leave Lori a greatly increased risk of osteoporosis later in life.'

One commentator wrote: 'The human body cannot survive on fruit alone, it is incredibly dangerous for your health not to have variety in your diet.
'I applaud anyone who makes a positive change in their lifestyle but fad diets like this one will only work for so long.'

Shona Wilkinson, Head Nutritionist at www.nutricentre.com told Mail Online: 'This isn't a diet I would recommend to a pregnant woman. Protein and fats are important in our diet especially during pregnancy.'

'The amino acids that make up protein are the building blocks of your body's cells – and of your baby's body as well. It's important to get enough protein throughout your pregnancy, but especially during the second and third trimesters, when your baby is growing the fastest.'

'Some fats are particularly important during pregnancy because they support your baby's brain and eye development – both before and after birth. Fats also help the placenta and other tissues grow, and studies show that some fats may help prevent and low birth weight.'

However, Ms Jane Anthony, insists that she has never felt better and has never suffered from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

She said she first got into eating fruit after getting sick and tired of her 'party lifestyle' which saw her binge on junk food and alcohol.

'It wasn’t for weight loss or for a quick fix. I was internally really sick; I was killing myself slowly. If I’d kept living that lifestyle I would have ended up with a disease like cancer or early aging. So giving up that food was really quite simple for me,' she said.

Originally she adopted the low-fat vegan diet created by Dr Douglas M. Graham known as the 80/10/10, which is popular among athletes.

It takes its name from its recommended dietary intake: 80per cent fruits and vegetables, ten per cent protein and ten per cent fat.

Over the past three years Ms Jane Anthony has adapted the plan to suit her tastes - despite many of her friends deeming her 'nuts' for gorging on so many bananas.

Asked by a fan how many bananas she usually eats per day, the full-time designer and photographer for an action-sports brand responded: 'Depends on the day! The other day I had 15, some days I can have 20. Some days five!'

Although they are a good source of potassium and fiber, Med-Health.net states that 'most health experts' recommend no more than two bananas per day. It says that overdosing can cause headaches, sleepiness, nausea and tooth decay.

Miss Jane Anthony, however, appears to be unaffected by these issues.

While many have criticized her for encouraging young girls to adopt an 'unhealthy' approach to food, others have congratulated her.