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People are all the same. We need to eat, prefer to enjoy our food but also strive not to pack on too many extra pounds. Part of that comes from making healthy food choices, maintaining a balanced metabolism (too slow and you gain weight) and sweating it up at the gym. Celebrities are people, too! They probably have teams of advisers guiding them to the best diets an exercise but we can benefit from that. Check out these unusual choices famous ladies make upon waking up and decide which one might work for you.
Heidi Klum: Apple Cider Vinegar
The acetic acid in apple cider vinegar that gives it that funky smell is also what helps you lose weight. It suppresses hunger and keeps you feeling full after meals. Plus it stimulates weight loss and helps to maintain consistent levels of blood sugar. Heidi Klum throws back a spoonful of ACV each morning and she’s on to something. “Apple cider vinegar is a fermented food that aids digestion and promotes the growth of healthy gut flora,” says Dr. Lisa Davis, chief nutrition officer at Terra’s Kitchen. “Preliminary evidence also suggests that it may help with fat loss.” A study found that people who took an apple cider vinegar supplement every day for 12 weeks lost more weight than those who didn’t have any. You can mix a tablespoon apple cider vinegar with water and honey if drinking it straight isn’t tempting.
Jennifer Lawrence: Eating Appetizers
Going out to breakfast is a luxury in our world. But celebs don’t have desk jobs and can easily ignore their kitchens. Jennifer Lawrence has a trick when she selects from the menu: she orders two appetizers instead of starter and main. This smart lady is utilizing portion control to ensure she doesn’t overeat. Presentation plays a big role in portion control - people like to see food cover an entire plate. It just looks “right”. And then you polish off a giant plate of food. “Choosing smaller plates and bowls for serving meals and snacks can help keep portions in check,” says Jenna Amos, a registered dietician with siggi’s yogurt. Another trick from Stephanie Perruzza, a registered dietician at KIND Snacks, is to compare portions to recognizable objects. She says 1 cup = the size of a tennis ball, 1-ounce of cheese = the size of a domino, 3-ounces of protein (like meat, fish, and chicken) = a deck of cards. We can totes do this!
Camila Alves: Baby Food
Do babies even like baby food? We think they seem happiest once they get their chubby little hands onto real food. But after trying a pureed food cleanse, Camila Alves decided to swap out two meals a day for baby food....which is just pureed food (but kind of gross). Fruits and veggies are a super healthy way to help boost metabolism but you don’t need to put them in a blender. “Reach for a piece of fruit when a slim figure is your goal,” says Rachel Swanson, a RDN at Lifespan Medicine. Research done over a 24-year period found that people who ate fruits high in anthocyanin and flavonoids lost more weight. Swanson says you can find these miracle compounds in apples, pears, berries, prunes and strawberries. Bonus: Vegetables like peppers and celery were also associated with less weight gain in this study! Swap out processed snacks and bring in nature’s bounty grown-up style.
Mariah Carey: Smoked Salmon
Literally hundreds of studies have been done that attest to salmon’s anti-inflammatory, fat-fighting benefits. Plus it’s an excellent source of protein. Do you know that old saying, “you are what you eat”? It’s totally true, especially for salmon. “Wild salmon dine on a crustacean called krill, which are loaded with an anti-inflammatory antioxidant called astaxanthin,” says Colette Heimowitz, a nutritionist with Atkins Nutritionals. You eat what it eats! Mariah Carey has claimed she eats smoked salmon with capers daily, and possibly for every meal. We think this is part joke and partial true. Aside from smelling rather pungent, a diet that consists of only one food means you’re missing out on a variety of nutrients. Salmon is an excellent food and is healthiest when pan-seared, baked, mixed with quinoa or flaked into a salad. Just make sure you don’t rely on it 24/7.
Gwyneth Paltrow: Hot Water & Lemon
When we wake up we head straight to the coffee maker. Not Gwyneth Paltrow. She preps a mug of hot water with lemon. A warm or hot beverage gets your body moving at a rapid pace. That means your entire body is engaged in creating and using energy that leads to weight loss. That’s metabolism in a nutshell! Experts have not found any faults with drinking hot water with lemon. It’s healthy, has zero calories and spurs your metabolism to get moving. Lemon has vitamin C to aid weight loss. A study found that people who have sufficient levels of vitamin C intake burned more fat than people who were C deficient. Plus all of that water keeps you hydrated and feeling full.
[Photos: Splash, Shutterstock]
