I Quit Sugar founder Sarah Wilson has shared why her new life in Paris is superior to her time in Australia.
The entrepreneur, who made millions documenting her sugar-free lifestyle, appeared on The Project on Friday night and said she felt more validated as a middle aged woman in the French city.
‘As an older woman, 50 plus, it is a really wonderful place because there is a real appreciation of different age groups’ the 50-year-old said.
‘You don’t turn 50 and become invisible. There is the food. There is this culture of people being on the streets and there is a conversation that happens.
‘It is the least lonely I’ve been. It is a wonderful place if you’re an older woman on her own.’
I Quit Sugar founder Sarah Wilson (pictured) has shared why her new life in Paris is superior to her time in Australia
Wilson explained that she had been ‘cut down’ in Australia as an opinionated woman, and that ‘anyone in Australia who doesn’t fit into the stereotype’ of a ‘larrikin’ persona is treated as suspect.
‘For anyone who is outspoken on climate issues or the issues which are affecting Australians and Australia as a nation and our cultural identity, it is a place that’s hard to get an idea out’ she said.
‘If you rock that boat, that larrikin mythology, it is easy to be shot down’.
Wilson last week revealed she didn’t feel supported in Australia and was never able to land another television gig after hosting one season of MasterChef Australia in 2009.
The entrepreneur, who made millions documenting her sugar-free lifestyle, appeared on The Project on Friday and said she felt more validated as a middle aged woman in the French city
‘I think that we haven’t created the space yet for discussions that push boundaries,’ the journalist and broadcaster told Stellar Magazine.
She said Australian TV lacks a ‘space for women to be able to talk big political ideas that might create a bit of a stir’, before adding pointedly: ‘I’ll be honest, a bit of the reason why I’m here and not in Australia is because I don’t feel held in Australia.’
She continued: ‘I did feel ostracised to a certain extent and rather than stay and complain and be upset, I left so that I can still love my country and still feel that I can come back.
‘I hope one day I can come back to a country where women like me can be on mainstream television talking big topics.’
Wilson said she had been ‘cut down’ in Australia as an opinionated woman, and that ‘anyone in Australia who doesn’t fit into the stereotype’ of a ‘larrikin’ persona is treated as suspect
Wilson now lives in Paris, where she says she has a ‘simple life’ without many of the luxuries she enjoyed at the height of her career.
The journalist explained that she doesn’t lead a ‘lavish lifestyle’, instead choosing to live frugally by staying in a small apartment and cooking most of her own food.
She now runs her own Substack, which boasts 50,000 subscribers, where she writes about a variety of topics from health and wellness to politics, climate change, and transgenderism.
Wilson has been particularly outspoken on the topic of gender dysphoria among teens and children.
She also hosts her own podcast called Wild with Sarah Wilson, which features in-depth interviews with experts on a variety of polarising topics.
Wilson revealed how she didn’t feel supported in Australia and was never able to land another television gig after briefly hosting season one of MasterChef Australia back in 2009 (pictured)
Wilson is known for her best-selling 2012 book I Quit Sugar and has since published more than 30 others.
Back in February 2018, she made headlines when she announced she was selling her I Quit Sugar empire.
The health guru, who became popular for her cookbooks filled with sugar-free recipes, gave the funds from her tidy profit to charity.
Wilson sold her treasure trove of recipes to Sam Wood’s 28 program, owned by former Bachelor star Sam Wood, for an undisclosed amount.
After closing the business, Sarah travelled the world, embarking on a journey of self-reflection with a hiking trip.
‘I don’t think there’s much of a space for women to be able to talk big political ideas that might create a bit of a stir. I’ll be honest, a bit of the reason why I’m here and not in Australia is because I don’t feel held in Australia’ she says. (Pictured on MasterChef Australia in 2009)
She revealed her discoveries in her book, This One Wild And Precious Life, which was published in 2020.
Sarah told Body+Soul of her travels: ‘I explored everywhere, from Slovenia to Greece to Jordan to the Australian desert. I’d go on wild adventures to work out the theories, practices and life hacks to help us change the world now.’
The avid traveller, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, went on to reveal the mental health benefits of being out in nature.
‘I will get really discombobulated,’ she said of staying in the urban environment.
‘I’ll also feel quite stuck in myself. We’re a culture that doesn’t go to our edge and I find it suffocating.
Wilson now lives in Paris, where she says she has a ‘simple life’ without many of the luxuries she enjoyed at the height of her career. ‘I don’t have a lavish lifestyle. I live in a tiny apartment here in Paris, which is way cheaper than Australia’ she says
‘When you go out into nature, you take risks. You have to jump over logs and navigate around rocks, so all of your senses are heightened – and that brings me to life.’
Despite making her name quitting the stuff, Wilson now says that she eats eats sugar daily.
‘I personally eat sugar every single day,’ Wilson said on the podcast Can’t Live Without You.
‘I eat and don’t count it out, I don’t weigh it, but I intuitively know how much my body can handle and what’s the appropriate amount.’
Wilson is known for her best-selling 2012 book I Quit Sugar (pictured) and has since published over 30 others. Back in February 2018, she made headlines when she announced she was selling her I Quit Sugar empire
For Wilson, the right amount of sugar amounts to ‘a glass or two of red wine’ every evening, a couple of pieces of fruit and chocolate – between 75 and 80 per cent strength – each day.
She said that she eats within the World Health Organisation guidelines of between six and nine teaspoons of sugar a day.
‘Whenever I eat more, I always realise that’s why I feel like cr*p,’ Wilson said
Prior to writing I Quit Sugar, she said she discovered she was having as many as 30 teaspoons of sugar every day.
After closing the business, Sarah travelled the world, embarking on a journey of self-reflection with a hiking trip. She revealed her discoveries in her book, This One Wild And Precious Life
‘There’s a lot of misinformation out there – a lot of people think I still don’t eat any sugar or drink any alcohol,’ Wilson said on the podcast.
However, now she said that she knows what her body can manage with regard to sugar, she has re-introduced a little bit into her diet.
Wilson has also reaped the huge benefits of ditching excessive amounts of excess sugar, including more energy, brighter skin and better overall health.
She is currently writing a new book, which she tells Stellar is, ‘about the collapse of a lot of stuff going on’ and touches on politics and the environment.
She is currently writing a new book, which she tells Stellar is, ‘about the collapse of a lot of stuff going on’ and touches on politics and the environment
