What Nutritionists And Fitness Experts Have To Say About Pregnant Blogger Loni Jane Who Promoted Fruit And Raw Diet

'There Are No Benefits To A Strict Fruit Diet'
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Loni Jane Anthony is the blogger at the centre of an online controversy, after details of her fruit and vegandiet were published online in a feature on news.com.au.

The article, which describes her as 'killing it' (we assume this is a good thing), is largely favourable about her 80:10:10 diet, which is a diet that is based on 80% carbohydrates, 10% protein and 10% fat. It is very low fat and largely plant-based, and Anthony claims it revolutionised her life after her fast food and fast living lifestyle made her feel poorly.

The reason for the controversy is that the 25-year-old is also pregnant, yet still posting the 'body inspirational' selfies she takes on her Instagram account, promoting her diet and lifestyle. She has gained about 30,000 followers since the article was aired - with over 110,000 people following her every move.

Alice Mackintosh, nutritionist at The Food Doctor says: "Getting plenty of fruit and veg is one thing, but living off it is quite another. Though it will contain lots of goodness, there are things that fruit and veg will not contain, namely protein, which is fundamental for the functioning of the body.

From Anthony's Instagram account:

"Supporting foetal development requires high levels of many nutrients that won’t be provided in veg and fruit alone. Zinc, essential fats, B vitamins and magnesium are but a few that fruits and veg alone will not supply and so essentially you put the foetus at risk."

Anthony eats about 10 bananas a day and starts the day with two to three litres of warm water with lemon. On the Australian website, she said: "I also always have oranges in the morning being pregnant. I'm obsessed with eating oranges.

"At lunch I usually like to have a mono meal, meaning one type of fruit, which is really good for digestion and goes straight through you. At the moment it's mangoes I'm hooked on so my meal for lunch will be at least five or six mangoes. I might then have a salad later depending on how active I am that day.

"Dinner is always a huge salad with a tahini dressing. If I decide to have something cooked I'll have it on the side like at the moment my crispy no-fat potatoes are divine."

A key concern for people is that pregnant women need to make sure they are eating properly as the growing baby is entirely dependent on the mother for nutrients. In Anthony's case, this may not be happening.

HuffPost UK Lifestyle spoke to fitness expert and HuffPost blogger Sam Feltham, to ask what he thought of Anthony's diet.

He said: "For me there are no benefits of a strict fruit diet, especially if you're pregnant, although it appears in this case she does get small amounts of protein and fat from avocados and coconut but not a full nutrient profile of protein or fat. The danger with this type of diet is that you lack essential nutrients such as cholesterol, saturated fat and vitamin D. This might sound odd right now but these nutrients are particular important during pregnancy for optimal development of the baby, particularly for the brain.

"If you look at a nutritional breakdown of breast milk it's primarily fat, with about 50% of that coming from saturated fat. Nature hasn't made a "mistake" we need these essential fatty acids to help us function optimally in infancy and adult hood. I appreciate that this women has turned her life around from drinking and partying every night to focusing on her health with real foods but for me she may not be going about it in the best way, especially for her baby."

One aspect of the diet that most nutritionists would agree with is that fruit converts to fructose, which is sugar. Too much of this kind of sugar can send your blood sugar spiking, which has been known to be linked to diabetes.

Jo Travers at The London Nutritionist adds: "This diet is high in sugar from all the fruit, low in protein which is essential for cell structure, and hormone and enzyme production, both critical for health - and doubly so in pregnancy. The human body during pregnancy protects the foetus at the expense of the mother so she is risking all sorts of nutrient deficiencies including calcium and iron which can have lasting consequences."

Sam adds: "I appreciate that she may be a vegan for ethical reasons, however I would encourage her to at least put some butter or cream in her diet to be sure to get the essential fatty acids her baby needs to lead a healthy life when they come into the world."