‘My zero-sugar diet could have killed me’

EVE SIMMONS, 27, A WRITER FROM LONDON, SAYS, “I know that Nigella’s comments are spot on, because using clean eating to cover up an eating disorder is exactly what I did. Growing up, food had always been a big part of my family and mealtimes were treasured. But in 2015, in a bid to become more healthy and slim down, I obsessively scrolled through clean-eating hashtags for recipes to help me control calories. I hung on to every word Instagram stars said, believing them when they hailed the purity of a sweet potato brownie. Soon, I’d cut out meat, dairy, gluten and sugar and would just eat cauliflower rice and kale. In six months, I’d dropped from a healthy size 8-10 to a size 4 – losing over 2st. I weighed the same as an average 11-year-old, tiny for my 5ft 4 frame. It soon spiralled into a crippling fear of the foods I’d always loved.

“By the time my friends and family recognised that my new healthy eating hobby had turned deadly, it was too late. It took six weeks in hospital and a lot of counselling before I was ready to reintroduce foods back into my diet. Three years on, I’m happier and healthier and have finally learnt to eat anything I want. If we didn’t live in a culture where dodging nutritious carbs and dairy is considered ‘healthy’, I wouldn’t have been able to hide my illness for so long. If everyone was as honest as Nigella, millions of young people, like me, could be spared an eating disorder.”

● Eve is the co-founder of Notplantbased.com, for people who have suffered issues with food