Jacinta refused to eat Michael and Rielli’s buttered beef tongue.

There’s been a lot of talk about Jacinta and Mel’s dietary requirements on My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025 this year. Jacinta follows a mostly plant-based diet, and Mel has a gluten intolerance. Competitors Michael and Rielli don’t believe vegetarians or vegans should be allowed to compete on MKR, and many fans hold the same opinion, saying that all cooks should be able to taste every dish put in front of them.

However, if producers knew about Jacinta’s plant-based diet before she was chosen to compete on MKR, the whole debate would be moot.

Jacinta tells Chattr she was “very open” about her plant-based diet during the application process, and as a nutritionist, she has no problems with other people eating meat.

“I don’t try to hide anything from people, you know, my clients eat meat, and I just make sure it’s [from] the best sources. So I was very open [with producers],” Jacinta says.

“[Being plant-based on the show] was one of my concerns. I obviously had to think about how I would go about it because… at the end of the day, I deserve to be there, [not excluded] because I don’t eat one certain food.”

The cook says she had no idea it would cause “such a shockwave”, because it’s quite common for people to know about different types of diets in 2025.

“We’re living in the 21st Century. It’s the modern day. There are so many people, like so many famous chefs [who] do Meat-Free Mondays; it’s such a movement right now that we’re all conscious about the environment, what we’re eating, what goes into our bodies,” she explains.

“I just feel like [embracing plant-based food] would take the show to another level and open the audience [up to] even more. I feel like it could actually be a huge benefit.”
Jacinta on MKR. Image: Seven
Mel also disclosed her food allergies to the MKR casting producers, and processes had to be put in place so she could compete.

“We told [producers] everything. So when we applied to the show, [I told them] I get a bit funny with gluten,” Mel says. “When I was filming, I made sure that I had all these different kinds of medications and supplements to sort me through the process, so I understood that I was gonna have to eat a bit of gluten throughout.”

“We did so many different questionnaires [before filming], and we even [had] medical examinations. We went through a crazy amount of tests and questionnaires and doctors’ reports and stuff like that to get on the show, and all that information is there.”

Michael and Rielli think there should be a separate show called MKR Vegetarian

Even though Jacinta and Mel went through the same rigorous application process as Michael and Rielli, the couple don’t think vegetarians or vegans should be allowed on MKR.

“I do not think that vegetarians or vegans should be on MKR. I think that if they want to go on a cooking show, they should make MKR Vegetarian,” Michael tells Chattr.

“I’ve got the most utmost respect for anyone trying any diet out there. I just feel like, on a cooking competition, you should be trying the food that the people put their blood, sweat and tears into to prepare.”
Michael and Rielli during their Instant Restaurant. Image: Seven
Rielli echoes her partner’s words and claims that having people with restricted diets on MKR shouldn’t be allowed.

“Whether we want to admit it or not, it’s a cooking show, and if we’re not all eating the same thing, ultimately it’s not fair,” she says.

Jacinta and Mel are the last to cook in this Instant Restaurant round, so will their healthy fare be up to scratch? We’ll have to see how the (plant-based) cookie crumbles.