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{{short description|Scottish television presenter and writer}}
{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] -->
| name = Gillian McKeith
{{for|the song by Brett Domino|Gillian McKeith (song)}}
{{pp-pc1}}
| image = GillianMcKeithwindow.jpg
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
| birthdate = {{Birth date and age|1959|09|28|df=y}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
| birthplace = [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], Scotland
{{Infobox person
| occupation = nutritionist, television presenter and author
| name = Gillian McKeith
| spouse = Howard Magaziner
| image = GillianMcKeithwindow.jpg
| children = two
| credits = ''[[You Are What You Eat]]''<br>''Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever''
| caption = McKeith {{circa}} mid-'00s
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|09|28|df=y}}<ref name=STimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article562288.ece|title=A spoonful of cruelty helps the weight go down|work=The Sunday Times|date=4 September 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906124233/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article562288.ece|archivedate=2008-09-06}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], Scotland
| occupation = {{hlist|Television personality|writer}}
| alma mater = [[University of Edinburgh]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
[[University of Pennsylvania]] ([[Master's degree|MA]])
| television = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[You Are What You Eat]]''
* ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]''
* ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever''
* ''Eat Yourself Sexy''}}
| spouse =
| children = 2
| website = {{URL|https://gillianmckeith.com/}}
}}
}}
'''Gillian McKeith''' (born 28 September 1959) is a Scottish television personality and writer. She is known for her promotion of various [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] ideas about health and nutrition. She is the former host of [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[You Are What You Eat]]'' (2004–2006), [[Granada television|Granada Television]]'s ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever'' (2009–2010), and [[W Network]]'s ''Eat Yourself Sexy'' (2010). In 2008, McKeith regularly appeared on the [[E4 (TV channel)|E4]] health show ''[[Supersize vs Superskinny]]'', and in 2010, she was a contestant on the [[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British series 10)|tenth series]] of the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] show [[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'']]


Numerous practices supported by McKeith are pseudoscience not supported by scientific research, such as the [[Detoxification (alternative medicine)|detox diet]], [[colon hydrotherapy|colonic irrigation]], and her claims that examining the tongue and stool samples can be used to identify ailments and dietary needs.<ref name="Cooke" /><ref name="NYU-detox">{{cite web|title=Detoxification|url=http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=37404|access-date=10 May 2014|publisher=NY Langone Medical Center}}</ref><ref name="DebunkingDetox">{{cite web|date=5 January 2009|title=Debunking Detox|url=http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/debunking-detox.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826124704/http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/debunking-detox.html|archive-date=26 August 2013|access-date=10 May 2014|publisher=Sense About Science}}</ref> McKeith has no qualifications in nutrition or medicine from [[Higher education accreditation|accredited institutions]], and in 2007 agreed with the [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] to stop using the title "[[Doctor of Philosophy|Doctor]]".<ref name=phd>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/feb/12/advertising.food|title=What's wrong with Gillian McKeith|author=[[Ben Goldacre]]|work=The Guardian|date=11 February 2007}}</ref>
'''Gillian McKeith''' (born 28 September 1959) is a [[Scotland|Scottish]] nutritionist, television presenter and writer. She previously hosted [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[You Are What You Eat (UK TV show)|You Are What You Eat]]''<ref name="cancelled">{{cite web|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/channel4/story/0,,2155594,00.html|title=Channel 4 rests Celebrity Big Brother - Special reports - MediaGuardian.co.uk|accessdate=2007-09-01}}</ref> and [[Granada Television]]'s ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever'' in the UK<ref name="c4bio"/> for several series. She writes a weekly column for ''Reveal'' magazine and is the author of a number of books about [[nutrition]], including ''You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life'' (2004).


McKeith has written several books about nutrition, including ''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), which sold more than two million copies, and ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan'' (2006). The validity of her approach and the safety of her recommendations have been strongly criticised by health professionals.<ref name=Cooke>{{cite news|last=Cooke|first=Rachel|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/jun/12/foodanddrink.features|title=The vegetable monologues|work=The Observer|date=12 June 2005|access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> She faced criticism during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] for promoting [[COVID-19 misinformation]] and [[COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy|anti-vaccine views]], and was described as a [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
McKeith's programme takes a [[Holistic health|holistic]] approach to nutrition and ill health, promoting exercise, a [[Pescetarianism|pescetarian]] diet high in organic fruits and vegetables, and suggesting the avoidance of processed and high-calorie foods.<ref name=mealplans>[http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/mealplans.html "You are what you eat: Meal Plans"], Channel 4.</ref> She recommends [[detox diet]]s<ref name=detox>[http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/detoxfacts.html "You are What you Eat: Detox Facts"], Channel 4.</ref><ref name=FAQ>[http://www.drgillianmckeith.com/about-faqnutrition.php "Frequently Asked Nutrition Questions"], Gillian McKeith's website.</ref> [[Enema#In alternative medicine|colonic irrigation]] and supplements, also making statements that yeast is harmful, that the colour of food is nutritionally significant, and about the utility of lingual and [[Human feces|faecal]] examination.


==Early life and education==
Her nutritional advice and the validity of her qualifications have been questioned by health professionals.<ref name=observer>Cooke, Rachel. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1501833,00.html "The vegetable monologues"], ''The Observer'', June 12, 2005, accessed November 29, 2006.</ref> One TV advertisement of her book was cited by the [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] in 2005 as misscheduled for a commercial TV break.<ref name=ASA1>[http://www.asa.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EFF75D3-C489-4DB1-BE7B-B9712782CC4F/0/Broadcastrulings8June05.pdf Broadcasting Advertising Adjudications], Advertising Standards Authority, June 2005.</ref> Another issue was "informally resolved" in 2007 by the ASA following a complaint that her use of the title 'Doctor' was misleading because her PhD was from a college not accredited by "any recognised educational authority".<ref name=Gibson>Gibson, Owen. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2011151,00.html "TV dietician to stop using the title "Dr" in adverts], ''The Guardian'', February 12, 2007.</ref> She then agreed to stop using the title 'Doctor' on her products, claiming she understood the complaint to be about one leaflet's failure to note her PhD "without the usual disclaimer she was not a medical doctor".<ref>[http://www.asa.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EFF75D3-C489-4DB1-BE7B-B9712782CC4F/0/Broadcastrulings8June05.pdf Broadcast Advertising Adjudications], ''Advertising Standards Authority'', p.5, 8 June 2005</ref>
McKeith was born in [[Perth, Scotland]], and grew up on a council estate.<ref name=Sweet/> Her father, Robert, was a shipyard worker and her mother an office worker. She has said that she was raised eating the [[junk food]] she now advises against: "We all know the kind of food I grew up with—a typical Scottish diet. We'd have meat three times a day. I certainly never ate a mango, and had no idea what macrobiotic meant." Her father was a long-term smoker and died of cancer of the oesophagus in 2005.<ref name=Christie>Christie, Janet. [http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/spectrum/Gillian-McKeith-interview-Fighting-fit.4831688.jp "Gillian McKeith interview: Fighting fit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110090540/http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/spectrum/Gillian-McKeith-interview-Fighting-fit.4831688.jp |date=10 January 2009 }}, ''Scotland on Sunday'', 4 January 2009.</ref>


She obtained a degree in linguistics from the [[University of Edinburgh]] in 1981, before moving to the United States, where she worked in marketing and international business. In 1984, she received an MA in international relations from the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref name=McKeithwebsite>{{cite web |url=http://www.gillianmckeith.info/aboutgillianmckeith/gillianmckeithcredentials.php |title=Gillian McKeith's Credentials |access-date=2017-09-14 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420191818/http://www.gillianmckeith.info/aboutgillianmckeith/gillianmckeithcredentials.php |archive-date=20 April 2008}}, ''gillianmckeith.info''. Retrieved 5 December 2010.</ref> She claims to have received an MA in holistic nutrition in 1994 and a PhD in that same field in 1997, both via distance-learning programmes from the [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|non-accredited]] American Holistic College of Nutrition, later the [[Clayton College of Natural Health]] in Birmingham, Alabama, since closed. She is a member of the [[American Association of Nutritional Consultants]], but this association runs no checks on the qualifications of its members; this allowed British physician [[Ben Goldacre]] to register his dead cat for the same membership held by McKeith.<ref name=Goldacre2004>{{cite news|last1=Goldacre|first1=Ben|author-link=Ben Goldacre|title=Dr Gillian McKeith (PhD) continued|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/sep/30/badscience.research|access-date=31 March 2010|work=The Guardian|date=30 September 2004}}</ref>
In 2005, McKeith was given the Best Organic Businesses 2005 Consumer Education Award by the [[Soil Association]].<ref name=soil_association/>


In February 2007, she agreed to stop using the academic title "Doctor" in advertisements, after a complaint to the UK's [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]].<ref name="Sanderson">{{cite news |last=Sanderson |first=David |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/food-guru-agrees-to-slim-her-name-0cf0k0fgln7 |title=Food guru agrees to slim her name |work=[[The Times]] |date=12 February 2007}}
==Personal life and early career==
* For the ASA request, see {{cite web|title=Adjudications|url=http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/Show+TracFusion+Adjudications.htm?dai=705|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226060008/http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/Show+TracFusion+Adjudications.htm?dai=705|archive-date=26 February 2008|website=Advertising Standards Authority |date=14 February 2007 |access-date=5 December 2010}} (click on "Informally resolved complaints").<!-- Archive link not working for Informally resolved complaints -->
McKeith was born in [[Perth, Scotland]] in 1959<ref name=observer>Cooke, Rachel. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1501833,00.html "The vegetable monologues"], ''The Observer'', June 12, 2005. Accessed November 29, 2006.</ref> and grew up on a council estate.<ref name=mail/> Her father was a civil servant and her mother an office worker. She has said that she was raised eating the [[junk food]] she now advises against;<ref name=mail>Cook, Fidelma. [http://www.fmwf.com/newsarticle.php?id=402&cat=5 "Is Channel 4's latest food guru Dr Gillian really a Quack and a danger to our health?"], ''Mail on Sunday'', August 22, 2004. Accessed November 29, 2006.</ref> her father also smoked for many years and died of [[lung cancer]] at the age of 74.<ref name="hendry">Hendry, Steve. [http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17670156&method=full&siteid=64736&headline=exclusive--sad-gill-s-battle-name_page.html "Sad Gill's Battle"], ''The Sunday Mail'', September 3, 2006. Accessed January 23, 2009.</ref>
* For a previous, unrelated, ASA case concerning McKeith and a violation of scheduling rules for advertising and programmes, see {{cite web|title=Broadcasting Advertising Adjudications|url=http://www.asa.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EFF75D3-C489-4DB1-BE7B-B9712782CC4F/0/Broadcastrulings8June05.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928041200/http://www.asa.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EFF75D3-C489-4DB1-BE7B-B9712782CC4F/0/Broadcastrulings8June05.pdf|archive-date=28 September 2007|website=Advertising Standards Authority |date=June 2005 |access-date=5 December 2010}}</ref> Responding to criticism that her use of her qualifications in linguistics and language and international relations, subjects entirely unrelated to diet and nutrition, are misleading to the public, McKeith said she was challenging orthodox medical opinions. She rejected the claim that using the title to promote her theories on nutrition was unethical.<ref name="herald">Bannerman, Lucy. "TV health guru admits buying doctorate by post," ''The Glasgow Herald'', 4 August 2004.</ref>


McKeith and her husband have alleged defamation but failed to initiate threatened legal action against critics. [[Ben Goldacre]] speculated that parts of her PhD thesis may have been published as a 48-page pamphlet entitled "Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae"; he called the pamphlet [[cargo cult science]], describing it as full of "anecdote, but no data."<ref name="Goldacre3Feb2007">Goldacre, Ben. [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/feb/03/badscience.uknews "Brought to book: the poo lady's PhD"], ''The Guardian'', 3 February 2007.
She has [[scoliosis]] (curved spine).<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1021669/Food-guru-Gillian-McKeith-reveals-agony-deformed-back.html Food guru Gillian McKeith reveals the agony of her deformed back], [[Daily Mail]], [[May 25]], [[2008]]</ref>
*Also see Goldacre, Ben. [https://www.theguardian.com/life/badscience/story/0,12980,1315472,00.html "Dr Gillian McKeith (PhD) continued"], ''The Guardian'', 30 September 2004.</ref> In his book ''[[Bad Science (Goldacre book)|Bad Science]]'' (2008) Goldacre dedicates a chapter to an analysis of her scientific credibility.<ref name="badscience" /> In July 2010, on Twitter, McKeith described Goldacre's book as "lies"; Goldacre requested a correction.<ref>Goldacre, Ben. [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/jul/18/ben-goldacre-gillian-mckeith-twitter "Ben Goldacre: why I'm battling it out with Gillian McKeith again"], ''The Guardian'', 18 July 2010.</ref><ref>Chivers, Tom: [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095630/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tomchivers/100044914/gillian-mckeith-should-have-a-phd-in-how-not-to-use-twitter/ "Gillian McKeith should have a PhD in how not to use Twitter"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 14 July 2010.</ref>


==Career==
According to the ''Mail on Sunday'', "McKeith met her American husband, [[lawyer]] Howard Magaziner, in [[Edinburgh]] where he was spending a year studying. At the time he ran an extremely successful chain of health food shops in the United States with which she was to become involved. The couple now live in London and have two daughters, Skylar (born 1994) and Afton (born 2000).<ref name="c4bio">[http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/gillian.html "You are what you eat"], Channel 4 website.</ref> According to McKeith's Channel 4 biography, she was "celebrity health reporter" for the [[Joan Rivers]] Show in the U.S.,<ref name="c4bio"/> but this claim is disputed by the ''Mail on Sunday''.<ref name="mail"/> Her mission, according to her website, is to empower people to "improve their lives through information, food and lifestyle".<ref name="McKeithwebsite" />
According to her [[Channel 4]] biography, McKeith was celebrity health reporter for the [[Joan Rivers]] show,<ref name="c4bio">{{cite web|title=You are what you eat|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/gillian.html|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509105158/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/gillian.html|archive-date=9 May 2008|access-date=2006-01-30}}, Channel 4. Retrieved 5 December 2010.</ref> and when McKeith first moved to the United States she co-presented a syndicated radio show called ''Healthline Across America''.<ref name=Sweet/>


Prior to the [[2002 United Kingdom local elections]], McKeith applied to become a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] candidate in the [[London Borough of Camden]]. It was said that McKeith wished to become a councillor so that she could be the MP for [[Hampstead]] (then part of the [[Hampstead and Highgate (UK Parliament constituency)|Hampstead and Highgate]] constituency). However, McKeith withdrew her application a few weeks later, and did not stand at the [[2002 Camden London Borough Council election|2002 Camden elections]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wauchope |first=Piers |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/652089306 |title=Camden: A political history |date=2010 |publisher=Shaw Books |isbn=978-0-9565206-0-9 |location=Tunbridge Wells |oclc=652089306 |author-link=Piers Wauchope}}</ref>
==Education and qualifications==
McKeith obtained a degree in linguistics from the [[University of Edinburgh]] in 1981,<ref name="c4bio"/> later moving to the United States, where she worked in [[marketing]] and international business. In 1984, she received a [[Master's degree|master's]] in [[international relations]] from the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref name=McKeithwebsite>[http://www.drgillianmckeith.com/about-mid2.php "About Dr. Gillian McKeith"], ''drgillianmckeith.com''.</ref> In 1994, she obtained a master's degree, and in 1997, a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]], both in holistic nutrition via a [[distance-learning]] programme from the non-[[School accreditation|accredited]]<ref name=Lowry>Lowry, Bob. [http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/116972045783030.xml&coll=1&thispage=1 "Beware of online diploma mills"], ''The Huntsville Times'', January 25, 2007.</ref> American Holistic College of Nutrition, now the [[Clayton College of Natural Health]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]]. McKeith is a member of the [[American Association of Nutritional Consultants]].<ref name=Goldacre2004>Goldacre, Ben. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,1315472,00.html "Dr Gillian McKeith (PhD) continued"], ''The Guardian'', September 30, 2004.</ref> Her website lists post-graduate membership of The Centre for Nutrition Education and certificates from the London School of Acupuncture and the Kailash Centre of Oriental Medicine among her qualifications. Also her website states that she, "After two years of study and exams, recently achieved a Master Herbalist Diploma (Honors) from The American College of Healthcare Sciences (USA), successfully completing all requirements and examinations."<ref name="McKeithwebsite" />


===''You Are What You Eat''===
Physician [[Ben Goldacre]], writing in the ''The Guardian's'' "Bad Science" column, speculated on rumours that parts of McKeith's PhD thesis may have been published as a 48-page pamphlet entitled "Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae" and ridiculed the pamphlet as [[Cargo cult science|Cargo Cult science]] full of "anecdote, but no data."<ref name=phd_poolady>Goldacre, Ben. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,,2004999,00.html "Brought to book: the poo lady's PhD], ''The Guardian'', February 3, 2007.</ref> Goldacre applied on-line to the American Association of Nutritional Consultants in the name of his dead cat and succeeded in getting the same "certified professional" membership as that possessed by McKeith. The price was $60.<ref>[http://www.badscience.net/2007/02/ms-gillian-mckeith-banned-from-calling-herself-a-doctor/ Ms Gillian McKeith – Banned From Calling Herself A Doctor!] [[Ben Goldacre]]</ref> In 2004, professor emeritus of nutrition, [[John Garrow]], questioned McKeith's credentials and her earlier claims to be "...a scientist doing research and studies."<ref name=mail/>
{{See|You Are What You Eat}}
Her book ''You Are What You Eat'' had sold over two million copies by 2006,<ref>[http://search.barnesandnoble.com/You-Are-What-You-Eat/Gillian-McKeith/e/9780452287174 "''You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122104353/http://search.barnesandnoble.com/You-Are-What-You-Eat/Gillian-McKeith/e/9780452287174/ |date=22 January 2010 }}, Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 5 December 2010.</ref> and was the most borrowed non-fiction library book in the UK between July 2005 and June 2006.<ref name="bbc_plr">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6345749.stm ''TV diet expert in borrowing boom''], BBC News, 9 February 2007.</ref> The book derived from the [[Channel 4]] show she presented, ''[[You Are What You Eat]]'', broadcast until 2007, in which she attempted to motivate people to lose weight and change their lifestyle.<ref name="Conlan">Conlan, Tara and Tryhorn, Chris. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/aug/24/channel4.bigbrother "Channel 4 rests Celebrity Big Brother"], ''The Guardian'', 24 August 2007.</ref> [[Ian Marber]], a nutritionist, described her in 2006 as fervent in her beliefs and considers herself a sort of health [[Televangelism|televangelist]].<ref>Marber, Ian. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060209010031/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&xml=/health/2006/01/23/hmarb23.xml "It must have been something I ate: dieting"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 23 January 2006.</ref> In each episode of the fourth series, called ''Gillian Moves In: You Are What You Eat'', two people were chosen to stay with McKeith at a house in London "with no escape".<ref name="yawye">{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/index.html?intcmp=lifepage_box6|title=Channel 4: You Are What You Eat: Gillian Moves In}}</ref> She first showed each of the subjects their typical week's food consumption. The food was laid out on a table in a cold, congealed and unpleasant state. The subjects were often shown emptying the display into refuse sacks. According to [[Jan Moir]] in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', she was seen "shouting at sobbing, fat women while forcing them to eat [[quinoa]] and undergo frequent sessions of [[Colon cleansing|colonic irrigation]] enthusiastically administered by her good self."<ref name="Muir">Muir, Jan. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071125062001/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/02/14/nosplit/do1403.xml "How odd that diet has become a dirty word"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 14 February 2007.</ref> She then offered advice on diet and exercise, and forbade alcohol. Once trained, the participants were able to return home, and were expected to stick to their new regime for eight weeks. If they failed to stick to it, McKeith moved in with them to make sure they followed her advice.<ref name="yawye" /> The participants were shown at the end of the eight weeks to have lost [[body mass]], and said they felt healthier.<ref name="episode4">[http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/series3.html "Episode 4 – Reverend Brian Statham"], ''You Are What You Eat'', Channel 4.</ref>


She often attributed some of the featured clients' health problems to a [[Vitamin deficiency|vitamin]] or [[mineral deficiency]]. There are certain foods she considered to be particularly nutritious, and these were often mentioned in her programmes. These can be unusual foods, some of which are available only from health food shops or from McKeith's own range of products.<ref name="yawye" /> A spokesperson for [[Celador]], the television production company responsible for McKeith's series, said that the criticism of her is reflective of her rejection of traditionalist approaches to nutrition: "You have to realise that when someone takes a holistic approach, there is always going to be an old school of traditionalists who are going to be sceptical and besmirch that. That's what's going on."<ref name="herald" />
When questioned by the Glasgow ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|Herald]]'' about her doctorate, McKeith said: "I have nothing to be ashamed of. My qualifications are second to none. People out there would love to have my qualifications and expertise."<ref name="herald">Bannerman, Lucy. "TV health guru admits buying doctorate by post," ''The Herald'' (Glasgow), August 4, 2004.</ref> Responding to criticisms of her degrees from Clayton College, she said: "I could have gone anywhere I wanted but I chose Clayton. There was cutting-edge research being put forward by people who were pioneers at the time."<ref name="herald"/> Her PhD thesis remains "unavailable", unlike PhD theses produced at accredited universities.<ref name=phd_poolady/>


===Diagnostic techniques===
On 12 February 2007, it was reported that McKeith agreed to cease using the academic title "Dr." in advertisements. A spokesman for British [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] (ASA),<ref name=Sanderson>Sanderson, David. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1370214.ece "Food guru agrees to slim her name"], ''The Times'', February 12, 2007.</ref> the UK's [[advertising]] industry's self-regulatory body, said: "The complainant was challenging whether Gillian McKeith was a qualified, accredited doctor. We put the complaint to the advertiser McKeith Research and they agreed to remove it." ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that ASA had concerns that her use of the title "Doctor" was "likely to mislead the public."<ref name=Gibson>Gibson, Owen. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2011151,00.html "TV dietician to stop using the title Dr in adverts"], ''The Guardian'', February 12 2007.</ref> McKeith told ''The Guardian'' she understood the offending ad was a leaflet without the usual disclaimer she was not a medical doctor. She said she understood the honorific had to go from leaflets, but not from all adverts.<ref name=Gibson/> [[Max Clifford]], McKeith's PR representative, said that she had not misled the public: "This was one complaint in relation to one leaflet from one trade show, and it was withdrawn. I hardly think that's misleading."<ref name=Clout>Clout, Laura. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/12/nmckeith112.xml " Gillian McKeith agrees to drop title of 'Doctor'"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', February 13, 2007.</ref>
In her book ''You Are What You Eat'', McKeith advocates examination of the tongue, the mapping of pimples, and detailed scrutiny of faecal matter and urine as indicators of health.<ref name=McKeith2004p42>''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), pp. 51–52.</ref> She asserts that many exterior parts of the body provide insight into illness: "I always think of the tongue as being like a window to the organs. The extreme tip correlates to the heart, the bit slightly behind is the lungs. The right side shows what the gallbladder is up to and the left side the liver. The middle indicates the condition of your stomach and spleen, the back the kidneys, intestines and womb."<ref name="yawyep33">''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), p. 33.</ref> These claims have no scientific basis.<ref name=badscience>Goldacre, Ben. ''Bad Science''. Pages 112–135. London: Fourth Estate, 2008.</ref>


She assesses people's nutritional needs based on the appearance of their nails, hair, lips, and skin.<ref>''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), p. 38.</ref> She also attributes the presence of depression or [[PMS]] to mineral deficiencies, and maintains that the location of pimples can suggest the source of health problems.<ref name=autogenerated1>''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), pp. 42, 51–52.</ref> McKeith also argues that the appearance, smell and consistency of faeces can give clues to bodily malfunction.<ref>''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), pp. 44–45.</ref> She frequently took up this practice during her television shows, a technique that led Ben Goldacre, a physician who wrote for ''The Guardian'' at the time, to dub her "the awful poo lady".<ref name=Goldacre3Feb2007/>
==McKeith's products==
[[Image:Shelled hemp seeds.jpg|thumb|right|Gillian McKeith's organic shelled hemp seeds]]McKeith is a popular author; her book ''You Are What You Eat'' reportedly sold just under one million copies up to August 2005,<ref name="observer_bestsellers">"The Observer Bestsellers List", ''The Observer'', August 7, 2005. Book sales data from [[Nielsen BookScan]].</ref> and was the most borrowed [[non-fiction]] library book in the UK between July 2005 and June 2006 according to the British [[Public Lending Right]] organisation.<ref name="bbc_plr">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6345749.stm ''TV diet expert in borrowing boom''], BBC News, February 9, 2007. Accessed February 21, 2007.</ref> At her website she sells books, advice, club membership, food (e.g. [[Wolfberry|Goji berries]], hemp seeds, "Living Food Energy Powder", "Immune Defence" pills, weight loss pills, "Raw and unprocessed wild blue green algae", etc.), and accessory equipment (blender, juicers, sprouters, and a mini-trampoline).<ref> [http://www.drgillianmckeith.com/ Gillian McKeith's website]</ref>


===Nutritional advice===
In November 2006 McKeith was censured by the [[Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency]] (MHRA) for selling unproven herbal sex aids. The products, "Fast Formula Wild Pink [[Yam (vegetable)|Yam Complex]]" and "Fast Formula [[Horny goat weed|Horny Goat Weed]] Complex" were both advertised as having been shown to promote sexual satisfaction in a controlled "study". The MHRA found that McKeith was guilty of "selling goods without legal authorisation whilst making medicinal claims about their efficacy" i.e. advertising and selling unlicensed medicines. The products have since been withdrawn.<ref>[http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON2025275 "Press release: MHRA order removal of Gillian McKeith's illegal products"], Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, November 21, 2006. Accessed November 29, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6167064.stm ''TV diet guru rapped by regulator''], BBC News, November 21, 2006. Accessed November 29, 2006.</ref>
McKeith's advice is primarily [[alternative medicine]] without any scientific basis. She recommends a [[Detoxification (alternative medicine)|detox diet]] in which the "top 12 toxic terrors to avoid" are: smoking; caffeine; alcohol; chocolate and sweet snacks; pub snacks such as crisps, nuts, and pork scratchings; processed meat; white bread, white pasta, white rice; products containing [[added sugar]]; takeaways and ready meals; table salt; saturated fats; and fizzy drinks.<ref name=detox>[http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/detoxfacts.html "You are What you Eat: Detox Facts"], Channel 4.</ref> McKeith advocates a [[Pescetarianism|pescetarian]]—sea foods—diet high in fruits and vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, and tofu, and the avoidance of processed and high-calorie foods, sugar and fat, red meat, alcohol, caffeine, white flour, and additives.<ref name=Sweet>Sweet, Lucy. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article460625.ece "Why she's moved by bowels"]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''The Times'', 25 July 2004.</ref>


Goldacre writes that he finds it offensive that the British media is "filled with people who adopt a cloak of scientific authority while apparently misunderstanding the most basic aspects of biology." He offers as an example McKeith's recommendation to eat darker leaves because they are rich in [[chlorophyll]], writing that her claim that it will "really [[Oxygen saturation (medicine)|oxygenate your blood]]" is erroneous as sunlight usually is absent inside the human bowel.<ref name="bg_bmj">Goldacre, Ben. [http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/334/7588/292 "Tell us the truth about nutritionists"], ''British Medical Journal'', vol 334, no. 7588, 10 February 2007, p. 292.</ref> McKeith's advice in her book ''Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae'' is also disputed. Jan Krokowski of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency wrote a letter to ''New Scientist'', as a private individual, saying "blue-green algae—properly called [[cyanobacteria]]—are able to produce a range of very powerful toxins, which pose health hazards to humans and animals and can result in illness and death."<ref>Krokowski, Jan. {{cite web |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18925340.500.html |title=Blue-green for danger |access-date=2007-02-13 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505045641/http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18925340.500.html |archive-date=5 May 2008}}, ''New Scientist'', 14 January 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010.</ref> In response to the criticism, McKeith argues: "I am on a crusade to change the nation and fortunately, or unfortunately, that is going to put me in the limelight. But you cannot have change without a bit of resistance."<ref name="herald"/>
McKeith's website suggested the sex aids had been withdrawn "[d]ue to the new [[European Union|EU]] licensing laws regarding herbal products". According to McKeith, "the EU bureaucrats are clearly concerned that people in the UK are having too much good sex."<ref name="heraldmhra">Churchill, Carolyn. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/1166343611.html?dids=1166343611:1166343611&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+22%2C+2006&author=CAROLYN+CHURCHILL&pub=The+Herald&edition=&startpage=7&desc=Regulator+raps+TV+diet+guru%27s+firm+over+sex+remedy "Regulator raps TV diet guru's firm over sex remedy"], ''The Herald'', November 22, 2006.</ref> The MHRA disagreed, according to Ben Goldacre: "The [MHRA] press office were very helpful and told me: 'This has nothing to do with new EU regulations.' And just to be absolutely clear: 'They were never legal for sale in the UK.' They also point out that there's no excuse for not knowing about the regulations, and that … the MHRA’s Medicines Borderline Section offers free advice on the phone."<ref name="phd_poolady"/> The MHRA said that "As Dr McKeith’s organisation had already been made aware of the requirements of medicines legislation in previous years there was no reason for all the products not to be compliant with the law."<ref name="mhra">[http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON2025275 Press release: MHRA order removal of Gillian McKeith's illegal products]</ref>


===Products===
==Television shows==
[[File:Shelled hemp seeds.jpg|thumb|right|alt=photograph|McKeith's organic shelled hemp seeds]]
McKeith was the presenter of ''[[You Are What You Eat (UK TV show)|You Are What You Eat]]'', a [[Celador]]-produced television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 until it was cancelled in 2007<ref name="cancelled" /> in which she attempted to motivate the people featured in the programme to lose weight and change their lifestyle. Ian Marber, a nutritionist, describes her as very fervent in her beliefs and thinks of her as a sort of health televangelist.<ref>Marber, Ian. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&xml=/health/2006/01/23/hmarb23.xml "It must have been something I ate: dieting"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', January 23, 2006.</ref> In each episode of the fourth series, called ''Gillian Moves In: You Are What You Eat'', two people are chosen to stay with McKeith at a house in London "with no escape".<ref name="yawye">{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/index.html?intcmp=lifepage_box6|title=Channel 4: You Are What You Eat: Gillian Moves In}}</ref> She first shows each of the subjects a display of their typical week's food consumption. The food is laid out on a table in a cold, congealed and unpleasant state. McKeith often makes comments at this point about this [[Fat|high-fat]] diet putting the subjects at risk of an early death. The subjects are often videoed emptying the display into refuse sacks.
McKeith's website sells books, advice, club membership, food (e.g. [[Wolfberry|goji berries]], hemp seeds, "Living Food Energy Powder", "Immune Defence" pills, weight loss pills, "Raw and unprocessed wild blue green algae", etc.), and accessory equipment (blender, juicers, sprouters, and a mini-trampoline).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drgillianmckeith.com/|title=drgillianmckeith.com Web site — seems unrelated to Gillian McKeith as of 2021}}</ref> She was censured in November 2006 by the [[Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency]] (MHRA) for selling unproven herbal sex aids. The products, "Fast Formula Wild Pink [[Yam (vegetable)|Yam Complex]]" and "Fast Formula [[Horny goat weed|Horny Goat Weed]] Complex" were both advertised as having been shown, in a controlled study, to promote sexual satisfaction. The MHRA found McKeith had been "selling goods without legal authorisation whilst making medicinal claims about their efficacy." The products have since been withdrawn.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6167064.stm ''TV diet guru rapped by regulator''], BBC News, 21 November 2006.
*Also see [http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON2025275 "Press release: MHRA order removal of Gillian McKeith's illegal products"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609094934/http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON2025275 |date=9 June 2008 }}, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, 21 November 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010.</ref> McKeith's website suggested the sex aids had been withdrawn because of [[European Union]] regulations.<ref>Churchill, Carolyn. [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/1166343611.html?dids=1166343611:1166343611&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+22%2C+2006&author=CAROLYN+CHURCHILL&pub=The+Herald&edition=&startpage=7&desc=Regulator+raps+TV+diet+guru%27s+firm+over+sex+remedy "Regulator raps TV diet guru's firm over sex remedy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071126070658/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/1166343611.html?dids=1166343611:1166343611&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+22%2C+2006&author=CAROLYN+CHURCHILL&pub=The+Herald&edition=&startpage=7&desc=Regulator+raps+TV+diet+guru%27s+firm+over+sex+remedy |date=26 November 2007 }}, ''The Herald'', 22 November 2006.</ref> Goldacre contacted the MHRA, who said the removal had nothing to do with any EU regulations.<ref name=Goldacre3Feb2007/>


===Other television===
According to [[Jan Moir]] in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', she is seen "shouting at sobbing, fat women while forcing them to eat [[quinoa]] and undergo frequent sessions of colonic irrigation enthusiastically administered by her good self."<ref name=Muir>Muir, Jan. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/02/14/nosplit/do1403.xml "How odd that diet has become a dirty word"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', February 14, 2007.</ref> She then imparts advice on diet and exercise and forbids [[alcoholic beverage]]s. Once trained, the participants can return home and are expected to stick to their new regime of diet, exercise and abstinence for eight weeks. If they fail to stick to the diet, McKeith moves in with them to ensure they follow her advice.<ref name="yawye" /> The participants are shown at the end of the eight weeks to have lost [[body mass]], and say that they feel healthier.<ref name=episode4>[http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/series3.html "Episode 4 - Reverend Brian Statham"], ''You Are What You Eat'', Channel 4.</ref>
In 2007, McKeith presented ''Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress'' for Channel 4, a competitive version of the ''You Are What You Eat'' format in which three women compete for a designer wedding dress. In addition to presenting her own TV shows, she occasionally appears in other programmes. She competed in ''[[The X Factor: Battle of the Stars]]'', singing her rendition of "[[The Shoop Shoop Song]]".<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5032418.stm "Diet guru McKeith out of X Factor"], BBC News, 31 May 2006.</ref> She also appeared in a health show transmitted on E4 called ''[[Supersize vs Superskinny]]''. In 2009, she appeared on the W Network in Canada on ''Eat Yourself Sexy'', in which participants claimed to have a diminished sense of sex appeal or sex drive, with McKeith employing the same practices as in ''You Are What You Eat''.<ref>[http://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/Eat-Yourself-Sexy.aspx "Eat Yourself Sexy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829065949/http://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/eat-yourself-sexy.aspx |date=29 August 2011 }}, W Network. Retrieved 5 December 2010.</ref> In November 2010, she became a contestant on the UK version of ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!]]''.<ref>Deans, Jason. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/nov/22/im-a-celebrity-gillian-mckeith "I'm a Celebrity: Gillian McKeith drama draws 10m"], ''The Guardian'', 22 November 2010.</ref> In January 2016, McKeith appeared on [[Celebrity Big Brother 17|''Celebrity Big Brother'']] as a short-term housemate, sent in to 'detox' the contestants.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-01-27|title=Christopher Evicted From 'CBB' As New House Guest Arrives|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/01/27/celebrity-big-brother-christopher-maloney-evicted-gillian-mckeith-enters_n_9085932.html|access-date=2021-08-07|website=HuffPost UK|language=en}}</ref> In 2023, she appeared in ''[[I'm a Celebrity... South Africa]]'', once again causing controversy with contraband smuggled into camp in her ''spicy knickers''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-26 |title=I'm A Celebrity Unveils Line-Up For Upcoming All Stars Series In South Africa |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/im-a-celebrity-south-africa-all-stars-series-unveils-line-up_uk_641feb28e4b03793a8b004ec |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=HuffPost UK}}</ref>


===COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories===
She often attributes some of the featured clients' health problems to a [[vitamin]] or [[Dietary mineral|mineral]] deficiency. There are certain foods she considers to be particularly nutritious, and these are often mentioned in her programmes. These can be unusual foods, some of which are available only from healthfood shops or from McKeith's own range of products.<ref name="yawye" />
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], McKeith opposed [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]] and promoted [[COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy|anti-vaccination]] and [[COVID-19 misinformation|COVID-19 conspiracy theories]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brewis |first1=Harriet |title=12 of the best takedowns of Gillian McKeith's cryptic new Covid conspiracy |url=https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/gillian-mckeith-covid-conspiracy-acrostic-twitter-b1888423 |access-date=26 August 2021 |work=www.indy100.com |date=22 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> She expressed her belief in a conspiracy of impending "martial law" and "fascist tyranny".<ref name=":0" /> She urged followers to [[COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy|refuse vaccines]], referring to them as "clotshots", and instead suggested without evidence that nutrition could provide immunity against infection, prompting criticism from the [[British Nutrition Foundation]] and [[British Dietetic Association]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Horne |first1=Marc |title=Gillian McKeith: Eat yourself immune, says Covid-sceptic TV presenter |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gillian-mckeith-eat-yourself-immune-says-covid-sceptic-tv-presenter-bqs8nsnn7 |access-date=26 August 2021 |work=The Times |date=3 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-09-04|title=From Congo to the Capitol, conspiracy theories are surging|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/international/2021/09/04/from-congo-to-the-capitol-conspiracy-theories-are-surging|access-date=2021-09-13|issn=0013-0613}}</ref> In May 2021 she took part in an [[COVID-19 protests in the United Kingdom|anti-vaccine protest]] at the [[Westfield London|Westfield]] shopping centre in, London.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Edmonds |first1=Tammy Hughes, Lizzie |title=Anti-vaccination protesters storm Westfield and clash with police |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/thousands-join-antivaccination-protest-in-central-london-b937927.html |access-date=26 August 2021 |work=Evening Standard |date=30 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref> She spoke at another protest in July 2021 alongside the conspiracy theorists [[David Icke]] and [[Piers Corbyn]]<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Stubley |first1=Peter |title=Thousands of anti-vaccine protesters gather in London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lockdown-protests-london-covid-vaccine-b1889966.html |access-date=26 August 2021 |work=The Independent |date=24 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> and again at a London protest that December.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-18 |title=Police suffer minor injuries in London scuffles with anti-vax protesters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/18/police-suffer-minor-injuries-in-london-scuffles-with-anti-vax-protesters |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} </ref> In November 2021 she posted on Twitter implying that the sperm of vaccinated men was inferior, with no medical basis.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-11-16|title=Gillian McKeith is urging unvaxxed men to 'name the price' of their sperm|url=https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/gillian-mckeith-unvaccinated-men-sperm-b1958451|access-date=2021-11-29|website=www.indy100.com|language=en}}</ref>


==Personal life==
Asked about McKeith's advice, Amanda Wynne, senior dietician with the [[British Dietetic Association]], said: "We are appalled. I think it is obvious she hasn't a clue about nutrition. In fact her advice, if followed to the limit, could be dangerous. Her TV programme takes obese people and puts them on a [[crash diet]] that is very hazardous to health."<ref name="mail"/> A spokesperson for [[Celador]], the production company behind McKeith's television series, said that McKeith had never claimed to be a medical doctor, and that the criticism of her is reflective of her rejection of traditionalist approaches to nutrition: "[Y]ou have to realise that when someone takes a holistic approach, there is always going to be an old school of traditionalists who are going to be sceptical and besmirch that. That's what's going on."<ref name="herald"/>


McKeith met her husband, the American lawyer Howard Magaziner, in Edinburgh, where he was spending a year studying. At the time he ran a chain of health food shops in the United States, with which she became involved. The couple now live in London and have two daughters.<ref name="c4bio" /> McKeith suffers from [[scoliosis]], and has said there is not a moment in her life when she is not in pain because of it.<ref name=Christie/>
The ''[[Daily Mail]]'' reports that Lorna Slater took part in McKeith's programme in 2005, lost twenty-one pounds, but regained it afterwards. Slater said, "she demoralised me totally ... she gave me a balloon - put two drinking straws underneath it and said: "That's what you look like" &mdash; I ended up in tears. Then she gave me a completely unrealistic eating plan which involved very little meat or fish and lots of food that disagreed with my system like avocado &mdash; which makes me sick &mdash; and cucumber. I had to boil [[mung bean]]s all day long, which took hours, made the flat smell horrible and tasted more like the gravel at the bottom of a fish tank than food. Although I tried hard and did lose weight, it was totally unrealistic."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=447834&in_page_id=1879|title=How TV diet shows made us FATTER - the Daily Mail|accessdate=2007-04-25}}</ref>


== Filmography ==
In 2007, McKeith presented ''Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress'' for Channel 4. The series is a competitive version of the ''You Are What You Eat'' format in which three women compete for a designer wedding dress. In addition to presenting her own TV shows, McKeith occasionally appears in other programmes: she competed in ''[[The X Factor: Battle of the Stars]]'', singing her rendition of "[[The Shoop Shoop Song]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5032418.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2006-05-31 |title=Diet guru McKeith out of X Factor}}</ref> She was the second act to be eliminated.


* ''[[You Are What You Eat]]'' (2004–2006)
McKeith appeared in the first series of a health show transmitted on E4 called [[Supersize vs Superskinny]].
* ''You Are What You Eat - Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress'' (2007)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mangan |first1=Lucy |title=Last night's TV: 3 Fat Brides, 1 Thin Dress |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/jun/27/theisleofwightis |access-date=30 November 2022 |work=the Guardian |date=27 June 2007 |language=en}}</ref>
* ''[[Supersize vs Superskinny]]'' (2008)
* ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever'' (2009–2010)
* ''Eat Yourself Sexy'' (2010)
* [[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'']] (2010)
* ''[[I'm a Celebrity... South Africa]]'' (2023)


== Bibliography ==
There is currently (2009) a program running on W Network in Canada entitled "Eat Yourself Sexy",<ref>http://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/Eat-Yourself-Sexy.aspx</ref> where McKeith employs basically the same practices as "You Are What You Eat," except the (Canadian) participants are claiming a diminished sense of sex appeal or sex drive.
*(1996) ''Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae: the nutrient powerhouse that stimulates the immune system, boosts brain power and guards against disease''. {{ISBN|0-87983-729-2}}
*(2004) ''Gillian McKeith's living food for health: 12 natural superfoods to transform your health''. {{ISBN|0-7499-2673-2}}
*(2004) ''You Are What You Eat''. {{ISBN|0-452-28717-0}}
*(2005) ''You Are What You Eat Cookbook''. {{ISBN|0-7181-4797-9}}
*(2006) ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan: The Diet Programme That Will Keep You Slim for Life''. Michael Joseph. {{ISBN|0-7181-4891-6}}
*(2006) ''Dr Gillian McKeith’s Shopping Guide.'' Michael Joseph. {{ISBN|0-7181-4954-8}}
*(2007) ''Slim for Life''. Plume. {{ISBN|0-452-28925-4}}
*(2009) ''Gillian McKeith's Food Bible: How to Use Food to Cure What Ails You''. Plume. {{ISBN|0-452-28997-1}}
*(2009) ''Gillian McKeith's Boot Camp Diet: Fourteen Days to a New You!''. Penguin. {{ISBN|0-14-103716-4}}
*(2010) ''Women's Health: A Practical Guide to All the Stages and Ages of the Female Life Cycle''. Michael Joseph. {{ISBN|0-7181-5435-5}}


==References==
==Diagnostic techniques==
{{Reflist}}
In her book ''You Are What You Eat'', McKeith advocates a variety of diagnostic techniques not regarded as valid among those with medical qualifications. Among these are examination of the [[tongue]], the mapping of pimples, and detailed scrutiny of faecal matter and [[urine]].<ref>''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 51</ref> Many exterior parts of the body she says provide insight into illness: "I always think of the tongue as being like a window to the organs. The extreme tip correlates to the [[heart]], the bit slightly behind is the [[lung]]s. The right side shows what the [[gallbladder]] is up to and the left side the [[liver]]. The middle indicates the condition of your [[stomach]] and [[spleen]], the back the [[kidney]]s, [[intestine]]s and [[womb]]."<ref name="yawyep33">''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 33</ref>
{{commons category}}


{{Authority control}}
McKeith also assesses people's nutritional needs based on the appearance of their [[finger nail|nail]]s, hair, [[lip]]s, or [[skin]].<ref name="yawyep33">''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 38</ref> The presence of depression or [[PMS]] she also attributes to mineral deficiencies.<ref name="yawyep33">''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 42</ref> McKeith maintains that the locations of [[pimple]]s provide a means of locating the source of health problems.<ref name="yawyep45">''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 52</ref> John Garrow says of McKeith's diagnostic abilities: "One of the programmes showed her prodding at the abdomen of a very large lady saying she could feel her intestines were inflamed. That is impossible. There is a large layer of fat between you and any intestines – it would be like trying to guess what's under a mattress."<ref name=mail/>


{{DEFAULTSORT:McKeith, Gillian}}
McKeith argues that the appearance, smell and consistency of faeces can give clues to bodily misfunction.<ref name="yawyep45">''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 45</ref><ref>''You Are What You Eat'' (2004), page 44</ref> She frequently engages in this activity during her television shows. The technique has led to Ben Goldacre dubbing her "the awful poo lady (TAPL)".<ref name=phd_poolady/> Her management company, NCI, boasts that "[i]n ''You Are What You Eat'', Gillian literally gets to the bottom of some of the country's worst eaters."<ref name=nci>[http://www.nci-management.com/clients/gillianmckeith.shtml NCI website]. Accessed 5 February, 2007.</ref>

==Nutritional advice==
McKeith's advice is based on both standard and non-standard medicine, including common sense tips, such as avoiding shopping when hungry, eating fruit and vegetables instead of cakes or buns, and preferring fresh fish over fish-fingers.<ref>McKeith, Gillian. [http://www.drgillianmckeith.com/Pressreleases/Daily-Mail-Jan-16.php "You are what you buy"]. ''Daily Mail''. January 16, 2007.</ref> She recommends a [[detox diet]] in which the "top 12 toxic terrors to avoid" are: smoking; caffeine; alcohol; chocolate and sweet snacks; pub snacks: crisps, nuts, [[pork scratchings]]; processed meat; the white stuff: [[white bread]], white [[pasta]], [[white rice]]; added [[sugar]]; lazy food: [[take-away|takeaways]] and [[ready meal]]s; [[Salt#Table salt|table salt]]; bad fats – [[saturated fat]]s; and [[Soft drink#Fizzy drinks|fizzy drinks]].<ref name=detox/>

Dr Ben Goldacre writes in a ''Media Watch'' column in the ''[[British Medical Journal]]'' that he finds it offensive that the British media is "filled with people who adopt a cloak of scientific authority while apparently misunderstanding the most basic aspects of biology."<ref name="bg_bmj">Goldacre, Ben. [http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/334/7588/292 "Tell us the truth about nutritionists"], ''British Medical Journal'', vol 334, no. 7588, February 10, 2007, p. 292.</ref> As an example, he discusses McKeith's recommendation of eating darker leaves because they are rich in [[chlorophyll]], quoting her claim that it will "really [[oxygen]]ate your blood" as erroneous.<ref name="bg_bmj"/>

Criticizing statements made by McKeith in 2007, independent charity [[Sense About Science]] said they 'had low expectations about some of the self-styled nutritionists... but they appear to be straying more
into medical advice... Gillian McKeith has unfortunately extended her poor performance on
nutritional science into the area of obesity'.[http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/celebrityreview2007.pdf]

McKeith's advice in her book ''Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae'' is disputed. Jan Krokowski of the [[Scottish Environment Protection Agency]] wrote a letter to ''[[New Scientist]]'' as a concerned expert, warning readers that "[b]lue-green algae &mdash; properly called [[cyanobacteria]] &mdash; are able to produce a range of very powerful toxins, which pose health hazards to humans and animals and can result in illness and death."<ref> Krokowski, Jan. [http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18925340.500.html "Blue-green for danger"], ''New Scientist'', January 14, 2006. Accessed February 13, 2007. See also [http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/cyanobacteria-cyanobacteries_e.html] [http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/algae.html] [http://www.mlmwatch.org/05FDA/kclabs.html] [http://www.life.ca/nl/68/algae.html]</ref>

In response, McKeith argues:

<blockquote>I am on a crusade to change the nation and fortunately, or unfortunately, that is going to put me in the limelight. But you can't have change without a bit of resistance. They can try to attach stigma to me, but it will bounce off, back on to them. I refute anyone who is trying to bring me down. I'm proof that if you're trying to forge a new way ahead, you're going to ruffle a few feathers.<ref name="herald"/></blockquote>

Many claims she presents, however, are disputed as lacking scientific evidence.<ref name=phd_poolady/>

==Legal actions and threats==
McKeith commenced legal action against ''[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]'' over comments made about her in 2004. She has also threatened legal action against:
* Nutrition professor [[John Garrow]], who questioned her nutrition research in a medical newsletter
* [[Google]], for linking to a critical web site
* Dr. [[Dorothy King]] for writing on a blog called PhDiva for questioning claims by nutritionists that mentioned McKeith
* Eclectech, a website, for hosting a humorous animation of her.

Discussing such cases in ''[[The Guardian]]'', physician and journalist Dr [[Ben Goldacre]] criticized McKeith for using such legal threats to silence critics.<ref name=GoldacreFeb12>Goldacre, Ben. [http://guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2011095,00.html "A Menace to Science"], ''The Guardian'', February 12, 2007. Accessed February 13, 2009.</ref> His Book ''Bad Science'' dedicates a chapter to an analysis of McKeith's scientific credibility.<ref>Goldacre, Ben (2009). Bad Science.</ref>

==Awards==
In May 2005, McKeith was given the Best Organic Businesses 2005 Consumer Education Award by the [[Soil Association]], a British [[Charitable organization|charity]] promoting [[organic food]] and standards, in recognition of her work in "tackling obesity, championing healthier eating and promoting the contribution that organic fruit, vegetables and other products can make to sound nutrition."<ref name=soil_association>[http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/librarytitles/1E6CE.HTMl Best organic businesses 2005 announced by Soil Association], Soil Association, May 17, 2005. Accessed February 13, 2007.</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae: the nutrient powerhouse that stimulates the immune system, boosts brain power and guards against disease'' (1996) ISBN 0-879-83729-2
* ''Gillian McKeith's living food for health: 12 natural superfoods to transform your health'' (2004) ISBN 0-749-92673-2
* ''You Are What You Eat'' (2004) ISBN 0-452-28717-0
* ''You Are What You Eat Cookbook''(2005) ISBN 0-7181-4797-9
* ''Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan: The Diet Programme That Will Keep You Slim for Life'' (Michael Joseph 2006) ISBN 0-718-14891-6
* ''Dr Gillian McKeith’s Shopping Guide.'' (Michael Joseph, London, 2006) ISBN 0-718-14954-8

==See also==
* [[Colon hydrotherapy]]
* [[Detox diet]]
* [[Food intolerance]]
* [[Organic food]]
* [[Pseudoscience]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.mckeithinteractive.com Gillian McKeith's website], accessed November 29, 2006.
* [http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/gillian.html "You Are What You Eat"], website of the television programme, accessed November 29, 2006.
* [http://www.nci-management.com/clients/gillianmckeith.shtml McKeith's entry on her management company's website]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2011095,00.html Ben Goldacre's Guardian article criticising McKeith's scientific image and methods]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackeith, Gillian}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Perth, Scotland]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Nutritionists]]
[[Category:Alternative detoxification promoters]]
[[Category:Writers from Perth, Scotland]]
[[Category:Pseudoscientific diet advocates]]
[[Category:People using unaccredited degrees]]
[[Category:Scottish non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Scottish non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Scottish television presenters]]
[[Category:Scottish television presenters]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Scottish women television presenters]]
[[Category:The X Factor (UK) contestants]]
[[Category:British anti-vaccination activists]]
[[Category:COVID-19 conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:British conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:People from Perth, Scotland]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish women]]

Latest revision as of 16:26, 31 December 2024

Gillian McKeith
McKeith c. mid-'00s
Born (1959-09-28) 28 September 1959 (age 65)[1]
Perth, Scotland
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MA)
Occupations
  • Television personality
  • writer
Television
Children2
Websitegillianmckeith.com

Gillian McKeith (born 28 September 1959) is a Scottish television personality and writer. She is known for her promotion of various pseudoscientific ideas about health and nutrition. She is the former host of Channel 4's You Are What You Eat (2004–2006), Granada Television's Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever (2009–2010), and W Network's Eat Yourself Sexy (2010). In 2008, McKeith regularly appeared on the E4 health show Supersize vs Superskinny, and in 2010, she was a contestant on the tenth series of the ITV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Numerous practices supported by McKeith are pseudoscience not supported by scientific research, such as the detox diet, colonic irrigation, and her claims that examining the tongue and stool samples can be used to identify ailments and dietary needs.[2][3][4] McKeith has no qualifications in nutrition or medicine from accredited institutions, and in 2007 agreed with the Advertising Standards Authority to stop using the title "Doctor".[5]

McKeith has written several books about nutrition, including You Are What You Eat (2004), which sold more than two million copies, and Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan (2006). The validity of her approach and the safety of her recommendations have been strongly criticised by health professionals.[2] She faced criticism during the COVID-19 pandemic for promoting COVID-19 misinformation and anti-vaccine views, and was described as a conspiracy theorist.[6][7]

Early life and education

[edit]

McKeith was born in Perth, Scotland, and grew up on a council estate.[8] Her father, Robert, was a shipyard worker and her mother an office worker. She has said that she was raised eating the junk food she now advises against: "We all know the kind of food I grew up with—a typical Scottish diet. We'd have meat three times a day. I certainly never ate a mango, and had no idea what macrobiotic meant." Her father was a long-term smoker and died of cancer of the oesophagus in 2005.[9]

She obtained a degree in linguistics from the University of Edinburgh in 1981, before moving to the United States, where she worked in marketing and international business. In 1984, she received an MA in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.[10] She claims to have received an MA in holistic nutrition in 1994 and a PhD in that same field in 1997, both via distance-learning programmes from the non-accredited American Holistic College of Nutrition, later the Clayton College of Natural Health in Birmingham, Alabama, since closed. She is a member of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, but this association runs no checks on the qualifications of its members; this allowed British physician Ben Goldacre to register his dead cat for the same membership held by McKeith.[11]

In February 2007, she agreed to stop using the academic title "Doctor" in advertisements, after a complaint to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority.[12] Responding to criticism that her use of her qualifications in linguistics and language and international relations, subjects entirely unrelated to diet and nutrition, are misleading to the public, McKeith said she was challenging orthodox medical opinions. She rejected the claim that using the title to promote her theories on nutrition was unethical.[13]

McKeith and her husband have alleged defamation but failed to initiate threatened legal action against critics. Ben Goldacre speculated that parts of her PhD thesis may have been published as a 48-page pamphlet entitled "Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae"; he called the pamphlet cargo cult science, describing it as full of "anecdote, but no data."[14] In his book Bad Science (2008) Goldacre dedicates a chapter to an analysis of her scientific credibility.[15] In July 2010, on Twitter, McKeith described Goldacre's book as "lies"; Goldacre requested a correction.[16][17]

Career

[edit]

According to her Channel 4 biography, McKeith was celebrity health reporter for the Joan Rivers show,[18] and when McKeith first moved to the United States she co-presented a syndicated radio show called Healthline Across America.[8]

Prior to the 2002 United Kingdom local elections, McKeith applied to become a Conservative Party candidate in the London Borough of Camden. It was said that McKeith wished to become a councillor so that she could be the MP for Hampstead (then part of the Hampstead and Highgate constituency). However, McKeith withdrew her application a few weeks later, and did not stand at the 2002 Camden elections.[19]

You Are What You Eat

[edit]

Her book You Are What You Eat had sold over two million copies by 2006,[20] and was the most borrowed non-fiction library book in the UK between July 2005 and June 2006.[21] The book derived from the Channel 4 show she presented, You Are What You Eat, broadcast until 2007, in which she attempted to motivate people to lose weight and change their lifestyle.[22] Ian Marber, a nutritionist, described her in 2006 as fervent in her beliefs and considers herself a sort of health televangelist.[23] In each episode of the fourth series, called Gillian Moves In: You Are What You Eat, two people were chosen to stay with McKeith at a house in London "with no escape".[24] She first showed each of the subjects their typical week's food consumption. The food was laid out on a table in a cold, congealed and unpleasant state. The subjects were often shown emptying the display into refuse sacks. According to Jan Moir in The Daily Telegraph, she was seen "shouting at sobbing, fat women while forcing them to eat quinoa and undergo frequent sessions of colonic irrigation enthusiastically administered by her good self."[25] She then offered advice on diet and exercise, and forbade alcohol. Once trained, the participants were able to return home, and were expected to stick to their new regime for eight weeks. If they failed to stick to it, McKeith moved in with them to make sure they followed her advice.[24] The participants were shown at the end of the eight weeks to have lost body mass, and said they felt healthier.[26]

She often attributed some of the featured clients' health problems to a vitamin or mineral deficiency. There are certain foods she considered to be particularly nutritious, and these were often mentioned in her programmes. These can be unusual foods, some of which are available only from health food shops or from McKeith's own range of products.[24] A spokesperson for Celador, the television production company responsible for McKeith's series, said that the criticism of her is reflective of her rejection of traditionalist approaches to nutrition: "You have to realise that when someone takes a holistic approach, there is always going to be an old school of traditionalists who are going to be sceptical and besmirch that. That's what's going on."[13]

Diagnostic techniques

[edit]

In her book You Are What You Eat, McKeith advocates examination of the tongue, the mapping of pimples, and detailed scrutiny of faecal matter and urine as indicators of health.[27] She asserts that many exterior parts of the body provide insight into illness: "I always think of the tongue as being like a window to the organs. The extreme tip correlates to the heart, the bit slightly behind is the lungs. The right side shows what the gallbladder is up to and the left side the liver. The middle indicates the condition of your stomach and spleen, the back the kidneys, intestines and womb."[28] These claims have no scientific basis.[15]

She assesses people's nutritional needs based on the appearance of their nails, hair, lips, and skin.[29] She also attributes the presence of depression or PMS to mineral deficiencies, and maintains that the location of pimples can suggest the source of health problems.[30] McKeith also argues that the appearance, smell and consistency of faeces can give clues to bodily malfunction.[31] She frequently took up this practice during her television shows, a technique that led Ben Goldacre, a physician who wrote for The Guardian at the time, to dub her "the awful poo lady".[14]

Nutritional advice

[edit]

McKeith's advice is primarily alternative medicine without any scientific basis. She recommends a detox diet in which the "top 12 toxic terrors to avoid" are: smoking; caffeine; alcohol; chocolate and sweet snacks; pub snacks such as crisps, nuts, and pork scratchings; processed meat; white bread, white pasta, white rice; products containing added sugar; takeaways and ready meals; table salt; saturated fats; and fizzy drinks.[32] McKeith advocates a pescetarian—sea foods—diet high in fruits and vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, and tofu, and the avoidance of processed and high-calorie foods, sugar and fat, red meat, alcohol, caffeine, white flour, and additives.[8]

Goldacre writes that he finds it offensive that the British media is "filled with people who adopt a cloak of scientific authority while apparently misunderstanding the most basic aspects of biology." He offers as an example McKeith's recommendation to eat darker leaves because they are rich in chlorophyll, writing that her claim that it will "really oxygenate your blood" is erroneous as sunlight usually is absent inside the human bowel.[33] McKeith's advice in her book Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae is also disputed. Jan Krokowski of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency wrote a letter to New Scientist, as a private individual, saying "blue-green algae—properly called cyanobacteria—are able to produce a range of very powerful toxins, which pose health hazards to humans and animals and can result in illness and death."[34] In response to the criticism, McKeith argues: "I am on a crusade to change the nation and fortunately, or unfortunately, that is going to put me in the limelight. But you cannot have change without a bit of resistance."[13]

Products

[edit]
photograph
McKeith's organic shelled hemp seeds

McKeith's website sells books, advice, club membership, food (e.g. goji berries, hemp seeds, "Living Food Energy Powder", "Immune Defence" pills, weight loss pills, "Raw and unprocessed wild blue green algae", etc.), and accessory equipment (blender, juicers, sprouters, and a mini-trampoline).[35] She was censured in November 2006 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for selling unproven herbal sex aids. The products, "Fast Formula Wild Pink Yam Complex" and "Fast Formula Horny Goat Weed Complex" were both advertised as having been shown, in a controlled study, to promote sexual satisfaction. The MHRA found McKeith had been "selling goods without legal authorisation whilst making medicinal claims about their efficacy." The products have since been withdrawn.[36] McKeith's website suggested the sex aids had been withdrawn because of European Union regulations.[37] Goldacre contacted the MHRA, who said the removal had nothing to do with any EU regulations.[14]

Other television

[edit]

In 2007, McKeith presented Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress for Channel 4, a competitive version of the You Are What You Eat format in which three women compete for a designer wedding dress. In addition to presenting her own TV shows, she occasionally appears in other programmes. She competed in The X Factor: Battle of the Stars, singing her rendition of "The Shoop Shoop Song".[38] She also appeared in a health show transmitted on E4 called Supersize vs Superskinny. In 2009, she appeared on the W Network in Canada on Eat Yourself Sexy, in which participants claimed to have a diminished sense of sex appeal or sex drive, with McKeith employing the same practices as in You Are What You Eat.[39] In November 2010, she became a contestant on the UK version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.[40] In January 2016, McKeith appeared on Celebrity Big Brother as a short-term housemate, sent in to 'detox' the contestants.[41] In 2023, she appeared in I'm a Celebrity... South Africa, once again causing controversy with contraband smuggled into camp in her spicy knickers.[42]

COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories

[edit]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, McKeith opposed lockdowns and promoted anti-vaccination and COVID-19 conspiracy theories.[43] She expressed her belief in a conspiracy of impending "martial law" and "fascist tyranny".[6] She urged followers to refuse vaccines, referring to them as "clotshots", and instead suggested without evidence that nutrition could provide immunity against infection, prompting criticism from the British Nutrition Foundation and British Dietetic Association.[6][44] In May 2021 she took part in an anti-vaccine protest at the Westfield shopping centre in, London.[45] She spoke at another protest in July 2021 alongside the conspiracy theorists David Icke and Piers Corbyn[7] and again at a London protest that December.[46] In November 2021 she posted on Twitter implying that the sperm of vaccinated men was inferior, with no medical basis.[47]

Personal life

[edit]

McKeith met her husband, the American lawyer Howard Magaziner, in Edinburgh, where he was spending a year studying. At the time he ran a chain of health food shops in the United States, with which she became involved. The couple now live in London and have two daughters.[18] McKeith suffers from scoliosis, and has said there is not a moment in her life when she is not in pain because of it.[9]

Filmography

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • (1996) Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae: the nutrient powerhouse that stimulates the immune system, boosts brain power and guards against disease. ISBN 0-87983-729-2
  • (2004) Gillian McKeith's living food for health: 12 natural superfoods to transform your health. ISBN 0-7499-2673-2
  • (2004) You Are What You Eat. ISBN 0-452-28717-0
  • (2005) You Are What You Eat Cookbook. ISBN 0-7181-4797-9
  • (2006) Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan: The Diet Programme That Will Keep You Slim for Life. Michael Joseph. ISBN 0-7181-4891-6
  • (2006) Dr Gillian McKeith’s Shopping Guide. Michael Joseph. ISBN 0-7181-4954-8
  • (2007) Slim for Life. Plume. ISBN 0-452-28925-4
  • (2009) Gillian McKeith's Food Bible: How to Use Food to Cure What Ails You. Plume. ISBN 0-452-28997-1
  • (2009) Gillian McKeith's Boot Camp Diet: Fourteen Days to a New You!. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-103716-4
  • (2010) Women's Health: A Practical Guide to All the Stages and Ages of the Female Life Cycle. Michael Joseph. ISBN 0-7181-5435-5

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "A spoonful of cruelty helps the weight go down". The Sunday Times. 4 September 2005. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b Cooke, Rachel (12 June 2005). "The vegetable monologues". The Observer. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Detoxification". NY Langone Medical Center. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Debunking Detox". Sense About Science. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  5. ^ Ben Goldacre (11 February 2007). "What's wrong with Gillian McKeith". The Guardian.
  6. ^ a b c Horne, Marc (3 August 2021). "Gillian McKeith: Eat yourself immune, says Covid-sceptic TV presenter". The Times. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b Stubley, Peter (24 July 2021). "Thousands of anti-vaccine protesters gather in London". The Independent. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Sweet, Lucy. "Why she's moved by bowels"[dead link], The Times, 25 July 2004.
  9. ^ a b Christie, Janet. "Gillian McKeith interview: Fighting fit" Archived 10 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Scotland on Sunday, 4 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Gillian McKeith's Credentials". Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), gillianmckeith.info. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  11. ^ Goldacre, Ben (30 September 2004). "Dr Gillian McKeith (PhD) continued". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  12. ^ Sanderson, David (12 February 2007). "Food guru agrees to slim her name". The Times.
    • For the ASA request, see "Adjudications". Advertising Standards Authority. 14 February 2007. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (click on "Informally resolved complaints").
    • For a previous, unrelated, ASA case concerning McKeith and a violation of scheduling rules for advertising and programmes, see "Broadcasting Advertising Adjudications" (PDF). Advertising Standards Authority. June 2005. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ a b c Bannerman, Lucy. "TV health guru admits buying doctorate by post," The Glasgow Herald, 4 August 2004.
  14. ^ a b c Goldacre, Ben. "Brought to book: the poo lady's PhD", The Guardian, 3 February 2007.
  15. ^ a b Goldacre, Ben. Bad Science. Pages 112–135. London: Fourth Estate, 2008.
  16. ^ Goldacre, Ben. "Ben Goldacre: why I'm battling it out with Gillian McKeith again", The Guardian, 18 July 2010.
  17. ^ Chivers, Tom: "Gillian McKeith should have a PhD in how not to use Twitter", The Daily Telegraph, 14 July 2010.
  18. ^ a b "You are what you eat". Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Channel 4. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  19. ^ Wauchope, Piers (2010). Camden: A political history. Tunbridge Wells: Shaw Books. ISBN 978-0-9565206-0-9. OCLC 652089306.
  20. ^ "You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life" Archived 22 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  21. ^ TV diet expert in borrowing boom, BBC News, 9 February 2007.
  22. ^ Conlan, Tara and Tryhorn, Chris. "Channel 4 rests Celebrity Big Brother", The Guardian, 24 August 2007.
  23. ^ Marber, Ian. "It must have been something I ate: dieting", The Daily Telegraph, 23 January 2006.
  24. ^ a b c "Channel 4: You Are What You Eat: Gillian Moves In".
  25. ^ Muir, Jan. "How odd that diet has become a dirty word", The Daily Telegraph, 14 February 2007.
  26. ^ "Episode 4 – Reverend Brian Statham", You Are What You Eat, Channel 4.
  27. ^ You Are What You Eat (2004), pp. 51–52.
  28. ^ You Are What You Eat (2004), p. 33.
  29. ^ You Are What You Eat (2004), p. 38.
  30. ^ You Are What You Eat (2004), pp. 42, 51–52.
  31. ^ You Are What You Eat (2004), pp. 44–45.
  32. ^ "You are What you Eat: Detox Facts", Channel 4.
  33. ^ Goldacre, Ben. "Tell us the truth about nutritionists", British Medical Journal, vol 334, no. 7588, 10 February 2007, p. 292.
  34. ^ Krokowski, Jan. "Blue-green for danger". Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), New Scientist, 14 January 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  35. ^ "drgillianmckeith.com Web site — seems unrelated to Gillian McKeith as of 2021".
  36. ^ TV diet guru rapped by regulator, BBC News, 21 November 2006.
  37. ^ Churchill, Carolyn. "Regulator raps TV diet guru's firm over sex remedy" Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Herald, 22 November 2006.
  38. ^ "Diet guru McKeith out of X Factor", BBC News, 31 May 2006.
  39. ^ "Eat Yourself Sexy" Archived 29 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, W Network. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  40. ^ Deans, Jason. "I'm a Celebrity: Gillian McKeith drama draws 10m", The Guardian, 22 November 2010.
  41. ^ "Christopher Evicted From 'CBB' As New House Guest Arrives". HuffPost UK. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  42. ^ "I'm A Celebrity Unveils Line-Up For Upcoming All Stars Series In South Africa". HuffPost UK. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  43. ^ Brewis, Harriet (22 July 2021). "12 of the best takedowns of Gillian McKeith's cryptic new Covid conspiracy". www.indy100.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  44. ^ "From Congo to the Capitol, conspiracy theories are surging". The Economist. 4 September 2021. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  45. ^ Edmonds, Tammy Hughes, Lizzie (30 May 2021). "Anti-vaccination protesters storm Westfield and clash with police". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 August 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ "Police suffer minor injuries in London scuffles with anti-vax protesters". the Guardian. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  47. ^ "Gillian McKeith is urging unvaxxed men to 'name the price' of their sperm". www.indy100.com. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  48. ^ Mangan, Lucy (27 June 2007). "Last night's TV: 3 Fat Brides, 1 Thin Dress". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2022.