The Celebrity Shopping Trolley - Steve Meyerowitz

Steve Meyerowitz Is The Sprout Man

After a long, hard look at his diet I have to ask myself if this is a Health Guru that any sane person should follow?

Sprouted seeds are great as part of a mixed and varied diet, but are not in any way "miracle food"; wheat-grass juice is not "Nature's Finest Medicine" and Klamath Lake blue green algae have been the cause of sickness and infection in the past.

Following a vegetarian, organic diet is fine but to advocate an 80% raw, 90% vegan diet is, to my scientific mind, a far from healthy option. Consider also that in the past Steve has followed both a fruitarian diet - only raw fruit, berries and maybe nuts - and a breatharian regime - no food, just the air you breathe and water, you will understand why I think this man's approach to nutrition is more than a bit suspect!

Starting his day with a fresh juice of kale, celery, parsley, lemon, and ginger is excellent and I should know as the author of Superjuice, a World best seller. Following this with snacks of nuts, seeds, berries or health bars is also good; but why expensive, exotic Goji, pomegranate, açai, mangosteen, cranberries, Brazil nuts, dates and agave nectar? Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, all the currants and honey are a fraction of the price and just as healthy.

Steve avoids lunch but has a drink of green tea or a cereal "coffee", though what could possibly be decadent about a roasted grain drink that includes roasted barley, barley malt, and chicory, I cannot imagine.

There are no dairy foods in the Meyerowitz diet so any "mylk" comes from grass, nuts or coconuts. But Steve does visit the supermarket to buy toilet paper, food storage bags, biodegradable trash bags, but not his dog's food - that's organic and comes from the health store and so does mine.

His store cupboard always has a selection of sesame seeds, tahini, sea weeds, organic brown rice in many different varieties and flavours, olives, olive oil and avocados.

Steve has one vice and that is ice-cream, but not as you know it. His non-dairy version is made from coconut and he describes it as "satisfying, rewarding and sin-free."

How this man chooses to live is his business, but to try convincing other people, especially the sick and desperate, that his is the way to health and salvation, is wrong.

The vast majority of humans thrive best on a mixed diet. The absence of fish based omega 3 and vitamin D, complex fibre from good cereals, calcium for strong bones and the nutrients most available from some foods only when cooked, makes his eating habits a nightmare for most qualified dieticians and nutritionists.

Worst of all is to regard any food as a sin - even an occasional Big Mac, plate of chips, glass of wine or cup of good, strong fair trade coffee. It's how you eat MOST of the time that really matters.