Celeb diet do's and don'ts...
Words by Nicki Waterman 04/02/2007
WHAT’S INDark chocolate: Go get 70 per cent cocoa and let a square melt under your tongue for an intense hit. But don’t eat the whole bar. Before tucking in, remember what you last ate; this can help you cut your calorie intake by 21 per cent. Losing weight by knowing about your portions, thanks to Dr Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss (£12.99, Pan Macmillan). Express workouts: If time is tight, a 30-minute aerobic workout can burn 500 calories, improve fitness, boost strength and activate feel-good hormones. White tea: Especially rich in flavanoids that protect your heart, but only 15mg of caffeine per cup so it won’t wreck your blood sugar; supermarkets and many health food stores stock it. WHAT’S OUTGuylian low carb milk chocolate bar. Low carb doesn’t mean low calorie – it still has 464 calories per 100g. Stress - it increases a hormone that stimulates appetite. Portion guestimates: Research shows we underestimate our servings; start weighing. Ninety-minute workouts: Research shows you can cut this by two-thirds and get the same results. Coffee and diet cola: They may be calorie free but with up to 80mg of caffeine they mess up insulin levels and make you hungry. CALORIE COUNTERHow tempting is your Valentine’s treat? SAINTLYSINFULWICKED1. Six medium oystersCalories: 62.1Fat: 2.8gCarbohydrate: 3.3g2. 135ml glass of champagneCalories: 89Fat: 0.0gCarbohydrate: 1.6g3. 100g of mixed chocolatesCalories: 500Fat: 29.6gCarbohydrate: 53.4g DID YOU KNOW?Women smokers store more fat on their stomachs and, on average, are not slimmer than non-smokers. Scientists are not quite sure why, but it shatters the myth that smoking keeps you thin. DIET FACT OR FICTIONLosing weight won't change the shape of your body, and if you drink lots of water you'll just end up with a bloated tummy – right? Well, not necessarily. We give you the lowdown on 10 common diet myths and see if even celebs like Cat Deeley can separate the fact from the fiction. Drinking water helps you lose weightCat Deeley maintains that drinking plenty of water keeps her in shape and, strange as it may seem, she has a point. Drinking plenty of water helps to relieve water retention by flushing out your system. The body retains water to dilute salt in the body, so try to avoid salty snacks like crisps and marmite and drink two litres of water. I’m stuck with this body-shapeWhen it comes to your body shape, you may think that you have to make the most of what you were born with. But the truth is you can do something about it, and we don’t mean taking drastic action and having surgery. Regular exercise over a long period of time can help to re-shape your body. Davina McCall hired an ex-army officer to get her into shape after the birth of her two daughters. The results of her hard work were clearly visible when she appeared in just her bikini on one eviction night during this year’s Big Brother. Bloating means I have a wheat intoleranceAll too many people blame a bloated tummy on a wheat intolerance. Although bloating can be attributed to a dairy or wheat intolerance, there are other causes. More often than not it's caused by water retention brought on by an overly salty diet. Sadie Frost removed wheat from her diet earlier this year when a slightly bloated stomach led to rumours of her being pregnant. A genuine wheat intolerance is quite rare but if you think that you may have one, the best way to find out is to eliminate wheat from your diet for at least three weeks and see how you feel. You could also keep a food diary of what you’ve eaten or drunk when you feel most bloated. Organic food is better for meGwyneth Paltrow and Donna Air swear by organic food. Although more expensive, organic food tends not to contain high pesticide residues like more mass-produced foodstuffs, as it's produced using natural rather than chemical pesticides. It’s really important to wash all your fruit and vegetables before you eat them to remove any trace of pesticides. Organic milk is great for kids as it’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are thought to help increase concentration and learning in children. Eating carbs makes me fatThe popular GI diet is based around the intake of carbs. If you follow the diet you will lose weight by eating carbs, but to stay healthy you need to make sure you eat “good” carbs like brown rice, whole wheat bread and oats. “Bad” carbs like white flour and sugar are banned because they're higher in calories, but leave you feeling hungry, which makes you want to eat more. Kim Cattrall is a fan of the diet and proof that eating good carbs doesn’t necessarily make you fat. Red meat is fatteningEating red meat doesn’t have to be bad for you. The long-held view that white meat is healthier than red meat isn’t necessarily true. If you choose your cut carefully and trim away visible fat, you can reduce the fat levels in red meat to just five per cent Plus red meat is high in zinc and vitamin B, which are good for healthy cells and a healthy immune system. Followers of the Atkins diet like Jennifer Aniston are encouraged to cut down on carbohydrates and fill up on red meat, cheese and cream. I should cut down on caffeineAlthough she’s dieting and well on her way to losing her baby bulge, Britney loves a frappuccino. Although small amounts of caffeine may help improve concentration, over-dosing on it can affect everything from your mood to the quality of your sleep. Caffeine is a stimulant and depletes the body of essential nutrients as well as dehydrating you. It’s advisable to avoid caffeine altogether if you are trying for a baby. Is it okay to binge drink at weekends?Whatever day of the week, binge drinking is never okay. According to the British Medical Association, drinking more than six units in one sitting for women constitutes binge drinking – that’s just three small glasses of wine. And, shockingly, women are reportedly overtaking men at binge drinking. Former party girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson gracefully retired form the party circuit after her drinking and drug habit got out of control. Earlier this year she claimed that she hasn’t visited a bar or a night club in six years. She cleaned up her life after a spell in rehab following a drug overdose and an embarrassing appearance on the Frank Skinner Show some years ago. Today Tara admits she still drinks, “but really only a bit. I'm very sensible”. Eating late is bad for youCaprice keeps her enviable shape by being strict with herself. 'I don't eat after 5pm; not a thing,” she says. “I also cut down on carbs and eat more protein instead.” The premise is that the later you eat, the less time you have to burn off calories. But some research shows that eating a little and often throughout the day can be beneficial, although make sure you have time to digest your food before you go to bed. I must cut down on my sugar intakeIf you want to lose weight and look good then you really do need to cut down on your sugar intake. Not only does refined white sugar rot your teeth and make you pile on the pounds, but nutritionists claim that it also ages your skin and can cause memory loss. Liberty X member Michelle Heaton keeps her sugar intake in check by drinking herbal tea and fruit juices rather than cola, and using sweetener on her breakfast cereal instead of sugar.
