Gillian McKeith
Gillian McKeith (born 28 September 1959) is a Scottish television presenter and writer. She is the former host in the UK of Channel 4's You Are What You Eat and Granada Television's Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever, and as of 2010 presents Eat Yourself Sexy on the W Network in Canada. She is the author of several books about nutrition, including You Are What You Eat (2004), and Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan (2006).
McKeith advocates a pescetarian 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.
McKeith's work has met with commercial success. You Are What You Eat has sold over two million copies, and in 2005 she was awarded a Consumer Education Award by the Soil Association. At the same time, the validity of her approach and the safety of her recommendations have been strongly criticized by health professionals.
Numerous dieting and lifestyle plans supported by McKeith, such as the concept of the detox diet and the value of colonic irrigation, are not supported by mainstream scientific research, nor are her claims that through examining people's tongues and stool samples she can identify their ailments and dietary needs. McKeith possesses no qualifications in nutrition or medicine from accredited institutions, and in 2007 agreed with the Advertising Standards Authority to stop using the title "Doctor".