Clean eating goddesses seize on Corbyn’s vegan aspirations

Jeremy Corbyn’s interest in veganism has excited far more interest than is necessary, given most people probably assumed the Labour leader was already a follower of this plant-based diet (in between the odd pleasurable shortbread). It has gone down particularly well with the ‘clean eating’ lobby, who hope that the endorsement of a Labour leader who was cheered at Glastonbury will boost the appeal of their trendy diets.

Today’s Evening Standard carries a piece by Camilla Fayed, the founder of ‘Notting Hill clean-eating restaurant Farmacy’ (though the ‘clean-eating’ line is only in the paper, not the online copy, which suggests that Fayed doesn’t like being lumped with other clean eaters) who says Corbyn’s latest dietary pronouncement was ‘music to my ears’ as she is a ‘strong supporter of using eduction and information to create conversations on wellness, conscious eating and sustainability’. ‘Knowledge is power’, she adds, without explaining what the benefits of a plant-based diet is or indeed the science behind it.

Perhaps this is because the science behind clean eating or plant-based eating or whatever else you want to call this phenomenon is a bit like the science behind homeopathy, in that it is in fact much more about belief and anecdote than it is rigorously-researched dietary advice.