The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

George Calombaris bans his son from eating McDonald's

Annabel Smith
Annabel Smith

George Calombaris at his wholefoods cafe Mastic.
George Calombaris at his wholefoods cafe Mastic.Angela Wylie

MasterChef judge George Calombaris has banned his young child from eating McDonald's.

Instead, the chef has revealed he sends his four-year-old son James to birthday parties at the fast-food chain with a healthy packed lunch.

"My son knows ... we'll drive past a certain fast food chain and he'll go, 'that's bad in there, isn't it, Dad?' and I explain it's not about bad, it's about having choices in life," the chef told News Limited.

Dietitians Association of Australia spokesperson Julie Gilbert said it's important for parents to teach their children about discretion with food.

Advertisement

"If you put a blanket ban on it, kids never understand what that actually means ... and [if] you can actually give them much better understanding about 'ok, this is why we don't choose this food' or 'we only have this in moderation' you'll find they have a much healthier approach long term to food and healthy eating."

Calombaris told the publication he approached food "like my religion".

"In life, we've all got religions. Some are Buddhists, some are this, some are that, whatever, and we respect people in Australia for whatever religion that is. For me, I look at food like my religion and I have my beliefs in food," he said.

The trimmed down chef's latest venue, Mastic, follows his new clean-eating lifestyle. The wholefoods cafe serves acai bowls and salads washed down with on-trend tonic, kombucha. Calombaris' high-low Melbourne restaurant portfolio also includes fine diner The Press Club, and chip-stuffed souvlaki chain Jimmy Grants.

Calombaris told Good Food that the secret behind his slimdown was "mindful eating, more exercise and less of the processed stuff".

Advertisement

Calombaris said a typical lunchbox for his son would include a tuna, cheese and avocado sandwich, yoghurt, pickles and fruit.

While this lunch gets the tick from Gilbert, she said Calombaris risked isolating his son from his friends.

"The occasional birthday party is something that we should enjoy and celebrate, but spend more time working on our everyday eating," Gilbert said.

Dietitian Susie Burrell said that the BYO-lunch was unlikely to concern the child.

"We know cognitively at four [years of age] they're more interested in being with their friends, and the excitement of a party … they're not going to notice, they're not going to care."

Advertisement

She commended Calombaris for taking the stance.

"When they're older they're burning it off, but a [Happy Meal] is a very energy-dense meal for a four-year-old."

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up
Annabel SmithAnnabel Smith is deputy digital editor for Good Food.

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement