Health and Beauty - Snack like a celeb without piling on the pounds
Snack like a celeb without piling on the pounds
Sneaky daytime snacking can be a real weight loss saboteur – you’d be amazed at how those iced coffees and mid-afternoon chocolates add up. But you’re not alone – our favourite celebrities don’t make it through the day without a foodie pick-me-up either. The key is to be food-savvy so you don’t end up ballooning from boredom eating. Find out how…Celeb: Charlotte Church
Snack: Charlotte blamed her recent weight gain on her crisps intake during filming of her new show.
Calories: The average bag of crisps contains around 180 calories.
What you need to do to burn it off: Just 15 minutes of high impact aerobics can burn off 180 calories. Nell McAndrew’s Maximum Impact Workout will have you burning fat in a flash.
Healthier option: A packet of Walkers Lites contains just 132 calories and a third less fat than standard crisps. And they still taste good.
Celeb: Angelina Jolie
Snack: Angelina has a passion for Cheerios and can devour them by the bowl-full.
Calories: At around 150 calories per bowl, Cheerios make a good low-cal snack.
What you need to do to burn it off: Angelina’s become a real fan of yoga since giving birth – a 45-minute yoga class will burn off enough calories for you to have a guilt-free second bowl.
Healthier option: Although they’re low in fat, Cheerios are not a high-fibre cereal so they won’t fill you up. Weetabix, on the other hand, contains no more calories but it has more fibre so it’ll keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Celeb: Patsy Kensit
Snack: The Emmerdale star has recently embarked on a health kick so she’ll only be seen snacking on a handful of raisins when that mid-afternoon blood sugar slump hits.
Calories: 60 calories per handful.
What you need to do to burn it off: You can burn off this healthy snack without leaving the house - 15 minutes of ironing or 10 minutes of vacuuming should do the job.
Healthier option: Although raisins are a good source of fibre, they’re still a high-sugar snack. Try switching to a handful of dried apricots which have a low sugar content and are an excellent source of vitamin A, iron and calcium.
Celeb: Katie Holmes
Snack: The new mum is a big fan of buttery popcorn.
Calories: A small cup of buttered popcorn contains nearly 200 calories.
What you need to do to burn it off: In order to burn off an afternoon popcorn snack, you need to swim for 30 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Healthier option: Succumbing to the buttery, toffee popcorn variety is bad news. Stick to air-popped popcorn that has less sugar and fat but is still a good source of fibre and the B vitamins.
Celeb: Britney
Snack: The pop princess is often snapped supping on her favourite Starbucks Frappuccino
Calories: A medium Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino packs a whopping 555 calories – more than a bacon double cheeseburger!
What you need to do to burn it off: You would need to run for eight kilometres at a speedy pace without stopping to burn off that particular Frappuccino.
Healthier option: You don’t need to skip your Starbucks visit altogether – a grande Caramel Frappuccino Light contains just 196 calories, fewer calories than most chocolate bars.
Celeb: Danni Minogue
Snack: Danni doesn’t deny herself sugar and treats but she does practise damage limitation – her fave treat is a bowl of frozen yoghurt.
Calories: Although frozen yoghurt is considered to be the healthier alternative to ice cream, a small bowl still contains 300 calories.
What you need to do to burn it off: You can burn your yoghurt off without breaking out in too much of a sweat – 90 minutes of window shopping will wave goodbye to that lunchtime treat.
Healthier option: Fruity yoghurts are a healthier option than frozen yoghurt as they are usually lower in both sugar and fat. Danone’s Bio Activia yoghurts contain just 100 calories per 100 grams and also contain digestion-enhancing bacteria.
Celeb: Paris Hilton
Snack: Paris may be LA royalty but her taste in food isn’t the most sophisticated – her fave snack of all time is McDonalds fries.
Calories: A small serving of McDonalds fries contains 225 calories – nearly 50 calories more than half a bagel with cream cheese!
What you need to do to burn it off: Work off those fries beforehand − 50 minutes of fast-paced action on the dance-floor will give you the calorie credits you need for a late night munch.
Healthier option: Half a portion of chip shop chips contains fewer calories and much less fat than thin fries (more potato means less fat).
Celeb: Cheryl Tweedy
Snack: The Girls Aloud star is a self-confessed chocoholic, one of her favourites being a Galaxy Ripple.
Calories: A Ripple contains 175 calories.
What you need to do to burn it off: A light jog for about 20 minutes will help you burn off that mid-afternoon chocolate fix.
Healthier option: Pick a lower fat chocolate and you’ll get more bang for your buck. The Flyte bar is bigger than a Ripple at 45 grams and, as it’s lower in fat, it contains fewer calories (196 calories for a 45-gram bar).
Celeb: Kate Moss
Snack: No fatty, sugary treats for Kate – her body is her business and she’ll only ever be caught snacking on sushi.
Calories: There are just 31 calories in a California roll – no wonder it’s the supermodel’s snack of choice.
What you need to do to burn it off: You could burn off this snack just doing the coffee run - a five-minute brisk walk will do it.
Healthier option: The glutinous rice in sushi can clog your digestive system. Stick to the fish on its own (sashimi) for a pure protein kick, or add some Nori seaweed – it’s rich in iodine and will assist your thyroid function, helping to keep your metabolism ticking over.
FESTIVE FEAST - WALKING TIME (MODERATE PACE) SWAPPED FOR…
Mulled wine, 250 calories = 1 hour 10 minutes walk per class Swap for glass dry sparkling wine, 70 calories
Alcopops, 200 calories = 55 minute walkSwap for gin and slimline tonic, 50 calories
Mince pie with pastry top, 235 calories = 1 hour and 5 minutes walk per pie Swap for open-top mince pie, 175 calories
Turkey with skin, 300 calories per portion = 1 hour 25 minute walkSwap for lean turkey no skin, 180 calories per portion
Mini sausage roll, 85 calories = 24 minutes walk per sausage rollsSwap for 10 olives, 30 calories
Handful of peanuts, 170 calories = 50 minutes walkSwap for five chestnuts, 85 calories
1 filled chocolate, 70 calories = 20 minutes walkSwap for 2 Matchmakers, 40 calories
Brandy butter one tablespoon, 124 calories = 35 minutes walkSwap for single cream one tablespoon, 30 calories
Christmas pudding 100 grams, 368 calories = 1 hour 40 minutes walk per serving
Swap for trifle 100 grams, 180 calories
Bailey's cream liqueur (37ml), 117 calories = 35 minutes walk per glassSwap for Cointreau/brandy (25ml), 51 calories.
SANTA’S STRESS-BUSTER
Remember, stress triggers appetite. If everything and everyone is driving you mad, dash outside for a brisk walk round the block. It brings down stress hormones and puts you back in control.
NICKI’S PRE-TOX TIP
Most people pile on a good six pounds (nearly three kilograms) over Christmas. If that sounds like you, try my favourite trick, which is to do a New Year “pre-tox” between 27 and 31 December so that you shed those extra pounds. Start each day with a glass of hot water with lemon and ginger. Have muesli or bran flakes for breakfast, and a glass of pomegranate juice mid-morning, and cranberry juice mid-afternoon. At lunch and dinner, stick to white fish, lean lamb or turkey and serve with three tablespoons of basmati rice, a baked sweet potato or wholegrain pasta, along with veg such as beetroot, cabbage and broccoli.
