Celebrity chef Pete Evans has defended his controversial paleo dietary advice in a lengthy rant about “fake news” on social media.

Evans published an Instagram post sarcastically thanking “lying” journalists, claiming their extensive media coverage had only added to the promotion of his endorsed paleo diet.

“I for one am one of your biggest fans and would love to give you all a big hug and cook you a delicious meal to say thanks,” he wrote.

“Please keep doing what you are doing, as we could never have reached this many people as quickly as we have done without you.

“If you are interested in speaking and researching the TRUTH, then there is a ton of medical experts to speak to, that are getting amazing results by using paleo and LCHF (low-carb, high-fat) as one of their tools for their patients … but again that might not fit your job description as a modern journalist.”

A string of controversies

Evans has a history of making unusual health claims which support his paleo diet mantra and it is not the first time he has lashed out at the “sneaky media”.

Last July, Evans described sunscreen as “poisonous”.

“(People) think that they are safe because they have covered themselves in poisonous chemicals which is a recipe for disaster as we are witnessing these days,” he wrote during a Facebook Q&A.

And one month later he attracted controversy again for advising an osteoporosis sufferer to stop eating dairy products.

This counterintuitive claim was in stark contrast to the advice of Osteoporosis Australia’s website, which states calcium is “essential for building and maintaining bone”, recommending “three to five serves of calcium-rich food daily”.

In 2015 a publisher scrapped Evans’ paleo baby book for encouraging use of a breast milk-substitute bone broth recipe which was slammed as “dangerous” by health experts.

Notably, the celebrity chef failed to clarify his stance on the DIY infant formula in his Instagram post, although he did touch upon some of the other issues.

Pete Evans has built a paleo empire, comprising cook books and products.

“We promote a healthy relationship to the sun to get adequate vitamin D levels and when choosing a sunscreen, then choose the least toxic.

“The addition of fluoride to your famiy’s water supply should be a choice that families make.

“We promote an abundance of vegetables (low carb) with a small to moderate amount of well-sourced animal protein from land and/or sea animals, and enough natural fat to satiate with fermented vegetables and broths for good gut health.”

The paleo diet consists mostly of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, while excluding cereal products, processed food and dairy.

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