Special diets on MasterChef Australia
A recent episode of MasterChef Australia (22 June) involved contestants cooking meals for ‘special diets’. This episode has sparked much discussion among Australian dietitians.
The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is pleased the show highlighted the need for the food service industry to be aware of and cater for different dietary needs.
But DAA is disappointed that an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) was not involved in providing evidence-based information on ‘special diets’ to viewers of this diet-focussed episode. People affected by food allergies and those diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease need clear, accurate information on what to eat – and an APD is best-placed to do this.
DAA is also concerned that the dietary information presented on the show may result in some viewers unnecessarily restricting their diets, which may mean missing out on important nutrients. For example, DAA does not recommend low carbohydrate diets, and sugar intolerance is very rare – so it was disappointing to see these ‘diets’ profiled on the popular show.
The Association encourages people who are diagnosed with a food allergy (such as a milk, egg or peanut allergy) or intolerance (such as coeliac disease), or those with a health condition requiring a special diet, to see an APD for individual, expert dietary advice.