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THE 6 CRAZIEST CELEB DIETS − AND WHY THEY COULD DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH

Poster: Nicki Waterman 05/09/2006

When you’re desperate to shift the pounds it’s easy to be tempted by faddy diets boasting rapid weight loss for very little effort. And celebrities are no different in following the latest dietary trends. But any diet that sounds too good to be true, most probably is. Quick-fix diets are most likely the result of a loss of water. As soon as you start eating again the weight will come back on. If a diet is very radical it’s likely it won’t be nutritionally balanced and it could be dangerous to your health. I’d recommend losing a couple of pounds each week through sensible eating and
exercise.
Note: Consult your doctor before starting a diet. These diets are not suitable if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you suffer from certain medical conditions. For dietary advice visit the BDA’s website, www.bdaweightwise.com

CAVEMAN DIET
What is it?
This diet harks back to the Stone Age when cavemen ate just one meal a day. The theory is that our modern diet of three meals and several snacks is piling on the pounds. Liz Hurley revealed she ate just one meal a day to shift her post-pregnancy pounds. For the caveman diet your main meal of the day should be a balance of protein, carbs and vegetables in the evening.
How healthy is it? Eating just one meal a day can plunge the body into starvation, which can be
dangerous to your health. If you do follow this diet, add smaller meals throughout the day.

CABBAGE SOUP DIET
What is it?
Zoe Ball and Sarah-Michelle Gellar are fans of this rapid weight loss programme. The rules are you eat cabbage soup for seven days, along with fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken. Liz Hurley dropped several stone by adapting the diet, filling up on homemade watercress soup. The claim is you can lose up to 10lb (4.5kg) in a week, as cabbage soup keeps you feeling full.
How healthy is it?
While some of the vegetables will be rich in anti-oxidants, crash dieting for longer than a week could cause your body to burn protein as fuel. This means you’re effectively losing muscle mass, rather than fat. As you’re essentially fasting it will also mess up your metabolism.

COCONUT DIET
What is it?
Jennifer Aniston is believed to have tried this diet. It works on the principal of eating more fat – coconut oil – to lose fat. The diet plan includes plenty of coconut oil, cod-liver oil supplements and traditional fats such as butter, egg yolks, meat fats and lard.
How healthy is it?
The claim is it will lead to quick and easy weight loss, as well as boosting the immune system. However, a diet high in saturated fats can damage the heart.

GREEN TEA DIET
What is it?
Sophie Dahl says the drink helped her slim. This oriental tea is a fantastic metabolism booster. Research shows green tea increases thermogenesis, the process by which your body burns the calories you consume, so one to two cups of tea a day could burn up 70 calories.
How healthy is it?
Green tea contains anti-oxidants which may have a protective effect against cancer, keep arthritis at bay and help protect the heart. As green tea contains lots of caffeine you should avoid this diet if you're pregnant or breast feeding. Bear in mind, you can't live on green tea alone - you'd literally fade away. Sophie Dahl lost weight by combining drinking green tea and removing carbs from her diet.

RAW FOOD DIET
What is it?
It’s not just sushi; this diet extends to raw meat – including beef, venison and duck. The idea is that raw food contains live enzymes which boost energy. These enzymes are destroyed during cooking. Eating raw vegetables also burns more calories than eating cooked vegetables. Uma Thurman and Demi Moore are believed to be fans.
How healthy is it?
Not healthy at all. Eating raw meat is the easiest way to contract E. coli, the food poisoning bug which can be fatal.

BEVERLY HILLS DIET
What is it?
This diet claims you’ll lose a stone (about six kilos) in 35 days. You eat just fruit for the
first 10 days and then introduce carbohydrates and protein gradually. You have to always eat fruit on its own and never mix protein with carbs, so that food is properly digested and not stored as fat. Jodie Foster and Maria Shriver are fans.
How healthy is it?
The diet can be low in protein and essential vitamins and minerals. It may also cause diarrhoea. Nice.

MADONNA’S SLIMMING TEA
It may not give you the buzz of a latte but yerba mate is the hot new beverage currently sweeping New York. Popular with the likes of Madonna and Hilary Clinton, it’s not only full of antioxidants, but also claims to help you shift pounds (£5.50 – Tel. 00 44 208 374 3974).

WHAT’S IN

FRESH PEACHES – They are in season, have just 36 calories each and are bursting with anti-ageing vitamin C.

THE WEBSITE www.verticaldance.com – where you can keep trim by learning to
pole dance in your living room! You can get online pole-dancing lessons and buy a home pole on this site.

WHAT’S OUT

PEACHES CANNED IN SYRUP – 120 calories per serving and the vitamin C has
been destroyed.

BELLY DANCING – It’s meant to be great exercise, but why do all the “experts”
have flabby tums?

CREDIT: 16 minutes of jogging = DEBIT: four Cadbury’s Miniature Heroes (160
calories)

DID YOU KNOW?
Applying cellulite-busting products before a workout doubles its efficacy. This is because both slimming creams and exercise boost the body’s fat burning process.

SUGAR FEST!
Beware of slushy ice-fruit drinks. A typical 300ml/½pt serving contains about 380 calories, virtually all of which come from sugar.

SWEET STRESS BUSTER
Eating is a natural reaction to stress, so next time you feel wound up, chew on some cinnamon-flavoured, sugar-free gum. It’s low in calories, and scientists have found that cinnamon helps you relax – and stops you reaching for the biscuit tin.

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