Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Stands By Tracy Anderson's Potentially 'Damaging' Extreme Diet

Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop is biting back at critics who claim the company endorsed a potentially harmful extreme diet

Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty

Goop is defending itself from critics who claim it endorsed a potentially harmful extreme diet.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s company came under backlash recently after publishing weight loss advice from celebrity fitness guru Tracy Anderson.

In the Q&A article “How to Lose Weight Fast,” Anderson suggests people wanting to jump-start weight loss should work out every day while adopting a gluten-free, low-carb diet. “You are how you move, you are how you eat,” Anderson said, promising that her food plan could result in a 14-lb. weight loss in just four weeks — or an 8-lb. loss in two weeks if readers went “no carb.”

Among Anderson’s advice was a plug for her own brand of protein bars, which she suggests dieters should eat instead of breakfast. “I believe in protein bars as meal replacements for weight loss and weight management,” Anderson said (The bars, Ultimate CLEAR bars, are available for sale on Goop).

Angela Pham/ BFA

While detractors have been denouncing Anderson’s plan since early summer when the piece was first published, criticism reached a fever pitch on Wednesday when nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert told The Independent that the diet had the potential to be “extremely damaging” and could negatively impact mental and physical health.

“I am in complete shock that this article has been published as this has the potential to harm a lot of relationships with food,” she said. “Quick fixes never last. They are just that: quick and not sustainable. In fact, they may end up affecting how you manage your weight long term.”

“It is not sensible to eliminate whole food groups or make drastic dietary changes which are not sustainable — you may end up deficient in micronutrients and lacking important dietary diversity which aid gut bacteria,” she continued, later pointing out that “some gluten-free products are actually worse than the original item itself as they tend to have added ingredients owed to the lack of the protein gluten.”

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But the backlash didn’t scare Goop. “We would never advocate for an unhealthy diet or extreme routine,” a representative for the company told E! News. “As Tracy said in the interview, you should make choices based on what is best for your individual body.”

Anderson’s spokesperson also stood by her words, telling E! News: “Over the course of her 20-year career, Tracy has consistently practiced owning a 1-2 lb. weight loss per week when someone has unhealthy weight to lose. Owning a 1-2 lb. weight loss per week is different than simply dropping 1-2 lbs. per week, which causes people to hold onto unhealthy weight. Of the 14 lbs. that someone could effectively lose in a month — if they have excess weight on them — the goal is to own 8 lbs. of that, which is aligned with Tracy’s practice of not living on extreme diets.”

“Tracy does not advocate for processed foods existing in a healthy diet,” the spokesperson added.