Star diets: Nutritious or nuts?
Many celebrities will do anything to stay in shape but are the fad diets they follow as fantastic as they sound? LUCY BENYON asks the experts...
THE GREAT LIFE PYRAMID DIET
CELEBRITY ADVOCATES: Singer Madonna (inset) and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Otherwise known as the macrobiotic diet, this regime originated in Japan and was based on using wholefoods to balance yin and yang. It promotes a diet of fresh food and eliminates anything that might be processed or full of additives.
GOOD FOR: The seriously committed dieter. “If I had to recommend a celebrity diet it would probably be this one, as the recommended food is pure and easy to digest,” says nutritional therapist Joanna Lyall (www. nutritio.co.uk).
“It is a diet bursting with goodness and if you followed it, you would probably have lots of energy, glowing skin, shiny hair and a very lean physique.
“Advocates of this lifestyle also recommend eating very slowly and never to excess, which is obviously good for digestion and gives your body the best chance of absorbing nutrients.”
BAD POINTS: “It’s not realistic for people with little time and active social lives as you have to plan very carefully what you can eat,” points out Joanna.
Because it is so prescriptive, dieters may get bored of trying to stick to the daily ratio of 60 per cent of whole grains, 30
per cent of fruit and vegetables and 10 per cent of beans and pulses.
As portions of poultry, red meat and dairy are all limited, adherents may well end up being deficient in minerals such as
iron, zinc and calcium as well as vitamins B and D.
THE CAVEMAN DIET
CELEBRITY ADVOCATES: Actress Elizabeth Hurley (left) and reality TV star Rebecca Loos.
HOW DOES IT WORK? A Palaeolithic or Stone Age diet of berries, nuts, lean meat and fish cuts out all cereal, bread, butter, cheese, sugar, pasta, rice, fruit juice, alcohol and tea and coffee.
On average, dieters lose 5lb in the first three weeks and are reportedly full of energy.
GOOD FOR: People who like basic foods. Our Stone Age ancestors suffered less from afflictions such as cancer, heart disease and allergies because they stuck to the diet that their bodies had been designed to eat. Some research suggests that a diet like this will reduce blood pressure and lower your risk of heart disease.
BAD POINTS: “This is actually a very healthy diet as it is low in salt and fat and high in fruit and vegetable intake,” says Nicola Lowe, senior nutritionist at the University of Central Lancashire. “However, the calorie intake is too low to be sustainable for very long and eliminating dairy products could raise your chances of osteoporosis.
“I would recommend it for only a short time. It is definitely not one for teenagers who need plenty of calcium and enough calories to help them grow.”
THE MAPLE SYRUP DIET
CELEBRITY ADVOCATES: Singer Beyonce Knowles (left) and actress Lindsay Lohan (inset).
HOW DOES IT WORK? Madal Natural Tree syrup, made from the sap of maple and palm trees, is a meal replacement (a glass contains 26 calories) and is drunk mixed with lemon juice, cayenne pepper or ginger and hot or cold water. It is most effective as a full-on 10‑day detox.
GOOD FOR: Fans of extreme dieting and detoxing. You’ll eat less than 400 calories a day. The pepper will increase your metabolism by 15 per cent for at least a few hours after your meal.
Most people lose at least a stone during the detox. The makers claim the syrup also produces greater resistance to illness, increased energy, shinier hair and stronger nails.
SIDE EFFECTS: At £39.99 per litre, about a week’s supply, it isn’t cheap. More worrying is its effect on your body. “As a nutritionist, it is impossible to say anything positive about a crash diet like this,” says
Fleur Borrelli. “Although lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C and maple syrup contains magnesium which is good for energy production, this diet will lead to fatigue, extreme irritability and hunger.
“It deprives the body of essential nutrients, particularly calcium for healthy bones and zinc for a strong immune system. It lacks in B vitamins which support the brain.”
It would be impossible to concentrate while on a diet like this.
Finally, because it is impossible to maintain, you’re likely to gain the weight as quickly as you lost it.
THE BABY FOOD DIET
CELEBRITY ADVOCATES: Actresses Jennifer Aniston (left) and Reese Witherspoon.
HOW DOES IT WORK? This puréed food frenzy was created by Hedi Slimane, Christian Dior chief designer, to help celebs squeeze into their skinny jeans. Replace one or two meals a day with tiny jars of fruit or vegetable-flavoured baby food and you are “guaranteed to shed the pounds”.
GOOD FOR: Budget dieters and slimmers who don’t want to count calories.
SIDE EFFECTS: “Anyone trying to follow this sort of eating regime will be hungry and irritable most of
the time,” says nutritional therapist Joanna Lyall. “It could lead to terrible cravings. To satisfy your hunger you would have to eat masses of baby food. That would mean eating too much sugar.
“This is totally lacking in protein and will not provide an adult with a sufficient supply of nutrients such as iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium and vitamins B and C. It could also leave you with terrible diarrhoea and possibly the need for tooth fillings as we need solid food to keep our teeth strong.”
