How Gwyneth Paltrow sold diets to a new generation.

Gwyneth Paltrow's aspirational, lean, and golden body photographed for her recent 50th birthday has been garnering a lot of attention for the actor turned wellness entrepreneur. 

While the sleek editorial image showed just how good Gwyneth looks on her milestone birthday, it subtly signalled how we could all look at 50 or indeed any age if only we ate 'clean' foods, used 'clean' serums, and worked out as hard and often as Gwyneth does. 

Gwyneth's consistent personal brand of ultra-slim-and-always-glowing good health has helped build her lifestyle and wellness brand Goop into an influential $430 million global empire.

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There are Goop beauty products, clothing ranges, fragrances, and jewellery that all feature heavily and 'organically' on Gwyneth's Instagram Feed. There are the wacky vagina candles, sex toys, and homeware collections. Then there are the recipes, supplements, and detox programs that take Goop from a lifestyle brand into a healthcare offering.

And there's a fine line (and quite a few million dollars) between an A-list celebrity designing clothes and blogging about banana muffins, to selling diet products to a generation of young people who want to emulate her healthy glow and lean physique. 

Gwyneth shared her first seven-day detox guide as part of her regular Goop newsletter in 2009 and last week she launched the 'G.Tox 7-Day Reset Kit, valued at $195. This new detox kit includes various 'super' powders, teas, a packet of cereal, and a glossy brochure. Oh, and did we mention there's already a wait list to purchase it?

Dietitian and nutritionist Lyndi Cohen passionately believes that the influence Goop has on our perception of 'good' health is actually harmful. 

"The first principal of health is to 'do no harm' and Goop does harm," the host of the No Wellness Wankery podcast tells Mamamia.

"Goop makes us feel like we can't afford to be healthy. There's a perception that health only looks a certain way, and that's thin and white."

Cohen believes that Gwyneth's brand of wellness creates distortion, especially with the detox and 'diet' advice.

"What annoys me most is how starvation is sold to us as wellness, and under the guise of beauty," she says.

"[The Goop detox] is just a new weight loss diet that's been rebranded under the guise of wellness. It's a new form of restriction under a different title.

"It's become really unpopular to label or advertise things as being 'weight loss' products, so a lot of wellness people are talking about 'gut health' or 'detoxing' which is really just another way for them to eliminate a bunch of foods from people's diets."

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But what even is a detox and do our bodies even need one? Rachel Scoular, an accredited practicing dietitian and nutritionist, says not.

"Our bodies do not need any external aids or kits to detox or 'cleanse'," Scoular tells Mamamia.

"In a healthy functioning body, our liver and kidneys do all the hard work to get rid of toxins. Of course, poor diet or an unhealthy lifestyle may make these organs less effective, however a balanced diet is all you need to support these organs to function at their best. There is a lack of scientific evidence showing that detox diets actually reduce toxins from the body or lead to fat loss."

Cohen agrees, adding that celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow have become an unwelcome authority in the health and wellness space. Aside from their obvious lack of expertise and scientific evidence, there's a real issue of elitism.

"There's a demonising of perfectly healthy foods that are accessible and affordable to the majority of people," Cohen explains.

"And as a result, it creates fear mongering and an elitist culture of health and wellness. For example, you can fork out $50 for some protein powder, when a glass of milk is going to give you a great serve of protein. Frozen peas are going to help you get your greens... [in the same way] as celery juice or exotic imported kale.

"[Goop] have a reputation of jumping on board with things before any research can back it up. And because they've got so much influence, many people trust them. I think we have this idea that if someone is beautiful and slim, then they must be an authority on health. And that's really misleading."

Selling pricey detox products while wielding such global influence is particularly concerning considering the amount of people who struggle with eating disorders and disordered eating.

"This detox wellness culture drives people to take even more extreme action. I think this platform gives people - but specifically women - a place to feel like their disordered eating habits are healthy and endorsed by influential people."

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Scoular says that by promoting detoxes, Goop could put women at risk as they miss out on entire food groups and key nutrients.

"Restrictive diets, detoxes, and cleanses are all disordered eating in disguise," Scoular tells Mamamia. 

"Cutting out carbohydrate-rich foods and grains (bread, rice, pasta etc) will leave you feeling lethargic and lacking energy, as well as fibre for a healthy digestive system and valuable b-group vitamins."

Scoular says the messaging behind Goop also lacks consistency and there's that old issue with solid scientific evidence. 

"Gwyneth ultimately epitomises the incredibly destructive diet industry that surrounds us. She continuously advocates and supports different (sometimes conflicting) advice and diets, pushing a whole range of Goop products. She is most definitely advocating for weight loss and promoting a certain aesthetic that is unattainable and unhealthy for the majority of women."

Cohen says it's not just the potential physical health issues that are a risk either. There's also the fact Goop's whole ethos plays into patriarchal notions that keep women focused on their size.

"It's a feminist issue, this whole idea of keeping women small. If your entire headspace is occupied by how much you're allowed to eat, and whether it's healthy or not, then your capacity is limited. 

"The saying is you can't live a full life on an empty stomach and I feel like Goop is very happy for women to starve themselves and pretend it's under the guise of their wellbeing."

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So what can we do to avoid being sucked into the vortex of Goop's clever wellness marketing tactics and detox product launches? Both Scoular and Cohen have some good advice.

"Think of what $195 could get you instead," Scoular says of Goop's expensive G.Tox kit. 

"A trolley of fresh fruits and vegetables, an eight-week gym membership, or an appointment or two with a qualified dietitian?"

Cohen also suggests always questioning any health or wellness expert's credentials before taking advice.

"Question why they're an authority on this topic. What degrees do they have? If you're ever told to cut out whole food groups that should raise alarm bells in your brain as it simply isn't sustainable."

Cohen also suggests asking yourself three questions before seriously considering any sort of wellness product or approach to your health and wellbeing. 

"The first question is, 'Can I do this for the rest of my life?' You might detox for a couple of weeks, but if you can't maintain it for the rest of your life, then it's just a quick fix, and will probably cause more harm in the long term. 

"The second question is, 'Is this helping me become closer to the person I'd like to be?' And the third question is, 'If this didn't impact my weight, would I still do it?' 

"We need to be doing healthy habits for the sake of health and accumulate these healthy habits bit by bit."

Scoular says that while it might not sound particularly sexy, the best way to achieve long-lasting results is to maintain consistent, sustainable changes to our diet and lifestyle. 

"Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. It is an ongoing commitment that requires regular healthy diet and lifestyle choices.

"Like most dietitians, I advocate for a food-first approach, promoting the choice of nutrient-dense foods to help fuel our bodies and allowing them (including our detoxifying organs) to function at their best. This means plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fat choices. 

"Healthy eating should be affordable, accessible, and not overly complicated."

Gwyneth might look good and she may work hard for her lean figure, but her extreme wealth and privilege really sets her apart from the rest of us and as Cohen says, it would be much better if she just owned that fact.

"Gwyneth has her own gym, a private sauna, and I think she even has wellness centre in her house. If I had those things in my home and a private chef and personal trainer, I'm sure I'd be a 'healthier' version of myself too!  

"I just think she's very out of touch with how the majority of people live and she's not really willing to acknowledge that."

For help and support for eating disorders, contact the Butterfly Foundation’s National Support line and online service on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673).

Laura Jackel is Mamamia's Family Writer. For links to her articles and to see photos of her outfits and kids, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

Feature Image: Canva / Instagram @gwynethpaltrow.