EXCLUSIVE Food expert says you should ditch fiber
Retired academic Bart Kay spent decades working across 10 universities around the world, specializing in the fields of human nutrition, cardiovascular pathophysiology and exercise physiology.
He has published a number of scientific papers and was a consultant to the famed New Zealand All Blacks rugby union team, the Australian Defence Force, the New Zealand Army and NRL referees' association.
Professor Kay claimed the carnivore diet was superior and even argued fiber should be cut out because no actual 'evidence' existed that it was beneficial.
His beliefs fly in the face of longstanding advice that a diet should consist of an equal balance of red meat, fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates.
Dietitians Australia president Dr Fiona Willer warned the carnivore diet was not 'healthy' and that fiber was beneficial as it was proven to lower the risk of developing certain diseases and cancers.
Professor Kay told DailyMail.com labelled fruits and vegetables 'plants' and went as far as to call them 'toxins'.
'Plant material is not helpful in any way to us as a source of food or nutrient. In fact, it's the exact opposite, it's anti-nutrient, it's toxin, it's irritant,' he said.
'Plants basically don't want to be eaten and the only way they can fight back is chemically, which they do, and the wool has been pulled over our eyes for generations to think we should eat a diet rich in plants and we shouldn't.'
The carnivore diet includes meat, fish, and other animal products like eggs and some dairy.
It excludes all other foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds.
Professor Kay claimed that the public has been 'indoctrinated' and led to 'believe their entire lives that they must eat the rainbow'.
'When I say the correct diet for a human being is hyper-carnivore, with as little plant material as possible, that's my opinion based on my significant understanding of human physiology, human nutrition science and cardiovascular pathophysiology,' he said.
Professor Kay added the average person could go even more extreme and live on what's called the 'Lion Diet' which consists of only red meat, salt and water.
'As long as they eat enough fat with the red meat,' he said.
'The closer you can get to 100 per cent carnivore and zero plant material the better.'
Professor Kay also took aim at fiber, labelling it a 'health myth'.
'The exact amount of evidence anywhere that proves that fiber is beneficial for human health, or any hard health outcomes of any kind, is none whatsoever. It does not exist,' he claimed.
'It's astonishing that we have this narrative that's accepted without question by almost everyone in the industry that says fibre is great.
'Fiber keeps you regular, no it doesn't. If anything, fiber tends to be associated with idiopathic constipation.'
Professor Kay has been on a carnivore diet for nearly 10 years and despite consuming virtually no fiber, he claimed he has a regular bowel movement once a day.
Dr Fiona Willer rejected Professor Kay's claims.
'The carnivore diet is certainly not aligned with the best evidence of a healthy diet, certainly for long-term health outcomes,' Dr Willer claimed.
'There are ways we can reduce our health risks and bump up longevity, but the carnivore diet doesn't tick those boxes.
'Meat itself is fine but the issue is in exclusion of all other kinds of foods.'
Dr Willer slammed the anti-fiber rhetoric, saying fiber intake was associated with many health benefits and was 'healthy for our bowel bacteria'.
'We know that eating enough fiber is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes and bowel cancer as well,' she said.
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