An Australian self-proclaimed diet guru claims that she lost 42 pounds (3st / 19kilos) by eating single-food feasts such as five pounds of potatoes in one sitting.

Known as Freelee the Banana Girl, the diet guru isn’t the first person to turn to the humble spud to lose weight. In 2010 Chris Voigt the head of the Washington State Potato Commission lost 21 pounds in two months and dropped his cholesterol by 60 points on a potato only diet. He did it to prove to health officials in the state that potatoes were rich in all the right kind of nutrients and should not be banned from school meals, but Freelee’s diet is a life choice.

Freelee believes that meals of just one ingredient, known as “mono meals” are the key to a lean body. She claims that she went from 156 pounds to 112 pounds and a slender size 8 by eating a high-carbohydrate, low-fat, raw and vegan diet. Freelee regularly eats five pounds of potatoes and can eat up to 51 bananas in a day. She also maintains that the diets cleared up her acne, chronic fatigue syndrome, low thyroid function and terrible digestion.

Freelee told the Daily Mail, “I would say 90 percent of my meals are mono meals.

“Eating one type of fruit/plant food only for a meal is very healthy because it simplifies and optimizes digestion.”

The woman with a washboard stomach and lean limbs says she eats between 2,500 and 5,000 calories per day.

While potatoes are her favorite she keeps a raw until four (4pm) rule and also eats a lot of fruit.

She said, “When you eat simply (like one type of fruit only at a time) vitamin and mineral absorption is maximized therefore more nutrition becomes available to the brain which in turn satisfies the body's nutritional requirements and stops cravings for junk foods.

“Most of the body's energy goes towards digesting food so when we eat meals that contain several different foods the body has to work harder not only to process the complicated combination but to extract the nutrition it needs."

Freelee also makes a point that not all calories are created equally. She explained, “Take twins for instance, put one on a daily diet of 3000 calories from McDonalds/junk food and put the other one on 3000 calories from clean fruits and vegetables. All other variables stay the same. Do you think they will be the same slimness? No way!

“The fruit and veg eater will always be slimmer and of course healthier. Insulin levels need to be taken into account as well. This diet keeps insulin levels very low and that's why all long term RT4er's are very slim regardless of fitness levels.”

However, medical experts don’t agree with Freelee’s ideas on diets. British Dietetic Association spokesperson, Chris Cashin said, “It is an unusual concept just eating one food at a meal.

“It is likely that it would result in meals being based around one nutrient.

“As an example, eating only bananas would provide carbohydrate, a small amount of protein and no fat.

“It would also mean that there would not be a broad spread of micro nutrients. It would not make eating or pleasurable experience.”

Still that’s hardly going to put us off our spuds.

Read more: Ireland’s super-food, top ten potato recipes with a twist