The whole pantry : over 80 new recipes with a back-to-basics approach to wellness, lifestyle and nutrition

Melbourne, Victoria : Lantern an imprint of Penguin Books, 2014. Quarto, illustrated wrappers (corners bumped and a few handling creases), pp. 247, illustrated.

The infamous cookbook by convicted conwoman Belle Gibson who faked her own cancer and treatment through healthy eating, to boost book sales. 

‘Social media sensation Belle Gibson is the creator of the world’s first health, wellness and lifestyle app, The Whole Pantry – chosen by Apple as Best App of 2013 in the Food and Drink category. Now Belle brings us her first book, with more than 80 new, delicious and nourishing plant-based recipes (gluten, dairy and corn free) aimed at nuturing the body, including healthy versions of old favourites such as lasagne, burgers and black forest cake. As part of Belle’s ‘whole life’ philosophy, she passes on a wealth of information on how to live a healthier life, with support on everything from natural beauty and superfoods to detoxing.’ – the publisher, at the time of publication.

Gibson’s claims were in fact a lie, the publisher withdrew the book from sale in 2015, and agreed to pay A$30,000 to the Victorian Consumer Law Fund as a penalty for failing to validate the factual content of the book.

‘Annabelle Natalie Gibson (born 8 October 1991) is an Australian convicted scammer and pseudoscience advocate. She is the author of The Whole Pantry mobile app and its later companion cookbook. Throughout her career as a wellness guru, Gibson falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with multiple cancer pathologies, including malignant brain cancer, and that she was effectively managing them through diet, exercise, natural medicine, and alternative therapies. She additionally alleged that she had donated significant proportions of her income and her company’s profits to numerous charities.’ – Wikipedia