Celebs know about diets…. not?  Well, no. They don’t necessarily. They are under extreme and constant pressure to look perfect and they will go to extremes to achieve their goals. After all, it’s often their looks more than their talent that puts the bacon on the table – sadly – many of them can only look at the bacon.

We want to kick off this week by demystifying celeb diets and see what works and what doesn’t. These are the opinions of  South African and international dieticians who have assessed the celeb diets.

This time without pictures of celebrities. Remember, some celebs (and some of us) are naturally skinny and the way we look is not necessarily an indication of how well the diet works. Without before and after pics of the celebs, it is really impossible to say that they lost weight on a certain diet. Additionally, when you scratch around the world wide web, you will find that most of these diets have no scientific basis.

Top Celeb Diets Demystified

 

Celeb Diet #1:  The Lemonade Diet

Celebs who follow this diet:  Anne Hathaway, Beyonce and Naomi Campbell

How it works: The lemonade diet or master cleanse program involves drinking a mixtures of maple syrup, lemon juice, filtered water and red pepper for 10 days. During those 10 days you won’t be eating anything.

The Verdict: You will consume as much as 2520 kcal per day, but very little nutrition. You are bound to experience detox symptoms and consume no carbohydrates or protein. It is unhealthy to cut out any food-groups.

Celeb Diet #2:  The Clean Program

Celebs who follow this diet:  Donna Karan and Gwyneth Paltrow

How it works:  You will eat two liquid meals per day that consist of soup or a smoothie. Unlike most detox programs, you can eat a little solid foods too.

The Verdict:  Liquid diets are usually good, however you need some dairy (protein) and oat bran (fiber) with your liquid meals to make it more complete.

Celeb Diet #3:  The Blood Group Diet

Celebs who follow this diet:  Liz Hurley, Sir Cliff Richards, Courtney Cox-Arquette  and Cheryl Cole

How it Works: People in the A-group will eat more vegetarian foods, people in the B-group will eat more diary products and people in the AB group can use a combination of the two. People in the O-group must eat a lot of meat.

The Verdict: It is bad for your health to cut out foods from a certain food-group. While this works for some people, it is dependent more on your genes than on your blood group. The reason why it works is directly based on reducing calories by learning to eat more healthy.

Celeb Diet #4:  The Atkins-2 Diet

Celebs who follow this diet:  Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Gerri Halliwell, Robbie Williams

How it works:  Based on the original Atkins diet, it involves cutting out carbs and eating more protein. This is better than the original eating plan, as it allows small portions of complex carbs like brown rice and wholewheat bread.

The Verdict:  It is slightly better than the original Atkins diet.

Celeb Diet #5:  The Raw Food Diet

Celebs who follow this diet:  Demi Moore, Jason Mraz, Alicia Silverstone, Carol Alt, Woody Harrelson

How it works:  The theory says that food cooked above 46 degrees Celcius loses essential enzymes that affect the absorption of nutrients. Eighty percent of foods on the raw food diet list are not cooked and they use soaking processes to activate enzymes in the food.

The Verdict:  While heat does destroy some nutrients, eating all your foods raw is a myth. Some vegetables are healthier when they are cooked.  This diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Some vitamins require heat to be absorbed into the body. Since it cuts out important food-groups like proteins (essential for cell building) it is unsuitable for children and pregnant women.

Celeb Diet #6:  The 30% Fat Diet

Celebs who follow this diet:  Marcia Cross

How it works:  Cutting fat from your diet is beneficial to remaining at your ideal weight for longer. The fat content of food in this diet is either calculated at every meal or they simply buy low-fat foods only.

The Verdict: While it can work well since it reduces your calorie intake. However, you need good fats in your diet to function properly. Also remember that low-fat foods often contain harmful additives that may be worse for your health than the full-fat version of the same food.

Celeb Diet #7:  The Dukan Diet

Celebs who follow this diet:  JLo, Kate Middleton

How it works:  Similar to the Atkins diet, the Dukan diet involves cutting out carbs and eating lots of protein. During the first phase of this diet you will eat only protein for 10 days. In the 2nd phase you will alternate between protein and vegetable and protein-only days for 10 days. During the 3rd phase you will slowly re-introduce carbs and fruit. During the maintenance phase, you can eat any combination of these foods, but you can only eat protein for 1 day a week.

The Verdict: Protein keeps you fuller for longer and helps balance your blood-sugar levels. However, you need enough liquids to flush out excessive protein. It requires a lot of planning and preparation to follow this diet properly. Few people can stick it out.

Celeb diet #8:  The Herbalife Nutritional Program

Celebs who follow this program:  Nelly Furtado, Leo Messi, David Beckham, Elsa Lautala (fitness competitor, Miss Fitness World)

How it works:  Herbalife is customizable according to your needs, so whether you want to lose, gain or maintain your weight, you can do so with Herbalife. You will have a trained personal coach who will suggest the best program for your needs. Typically, you will enjoy a delicious protein shake at breakfast and lunch, along with a delicious Aloe drink and herbal beverage. You will enjoy a normal, balanced main meal. You can enjoy 2 delicious snacks during the day (eg. protein bar, Herbalife tomato / chicken soup, roasted nuts, etc.) and drink H3O (isotonic drink), Lift-Off (effervescent) and Herbal Beverage in 4 delicious flavors. A typical dinner would be salad and chicken breast or fish.

The Verdict:  With more than 80 million happy customers, 160 doctors and scientists, and 30+ years in the market in 81 countries, no other program can compete.  It contains all the nutrition you need in each meal and is low in calories with a perfect balance from all the food groups. Best of all, it is convenient. It even caters to those who have food allergies and it is safe for the whole family. Contact us for your free assessment and to find out if we can supply to your country of residence. Or,  enter your information here to receive a free brochure:

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