WITH Christmas just around the corner, we are gearing up for a season of eating, drinking and overindulging.
And as the festive season takes its toll on our waistlines, many of us are already formulating our master plans to shed those pesky kilos in the New Year.
But with so many fad diets and weight loss plans out there it’s difficult to pinpoint the foolproof from the foolish.
Thankfully, experts at the British Dietetic Association, the nation’s largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals, have narrowed down a list of five celebrity diets which should be avoided as strongly as the biscuit tin.
1. The No Sugar Diet
Alec Baldwin (with daughter Ireland) is a fan of the No Sugar Diet. Picture: InstagramSource:Supplied
It may have been a sweet deal for Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin, but top of the BDA’s blacklist is the ‘No Sugar’ diet.
The plan involves dropping all types of sugar and often carbohydrates from your daily routine.
While the BDA praises being sugar-aware, it does not advise eliminating foods like vegetables, fruit, dairy products and nuts, and advocates a ‘whole diet’ approach.
It also highlights the fact that many sugar substitutes recommended in this diet plan, such as agave, palm sugar, maple syrup or honey are actually just free sugars in another form.
2. The All-Kale and Chewing Gum diet
Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from film Southpaw.Source:Supplied
This kale-amitous diet has been slammed by the BDA, and rightly so.
As you’d expect from the name, it involves chomping down on kale and chewing gum. And that’s it.
Last year actor Jake Gyllenhaal reportedly followed the diet for his role inNightcrawler and dropped 14 kilos.
The BDA described the fad as “extreme, socially isolating, unbalanced, hard to sustain and potentially harmful”.
Steer clear.
3. The Bulletproof diet
The unconventional ‘bulletproof’ regimen is a fave of One Direction star Harry Styles.Source:AP
The Bulletproof diet is aimed at boosting strength and brain power as well as making followers feel lean.
It’s also megahigh in saturated fats — meaning followers like Harry Styles copy the Tibetan trend for adding butter (and a spoonful of coconut oil) to their coffee, a whopping 400 calories per cup.
Foods are classified as bulletproof, suspect or kryptonite with rules on the timing of meals.
But while Harry looks trim, the BDA warn that consuming 400+ calories from one drink provides a lot of energy but few nutrients.
The organisation recommends individuals choose food and drink with more nutritional content for the same calorific value.
4. The Super Elixir diet
Elle Macpherson with her Super Elixir.Source:Twitter
‘The Super Elixir’ is a food supplement aiming to change body tissue from an acidic to an alkaline state.
Sounds tasty, right?
The product is endorsed by supermodel Elle Macpherson and comes in the form of a green powder containing just over 45 ingredients, including a number of powdered fruits and vegetables, sweeteners, several Chinese herbs and some digestive enzymes. Yum.
It doesn’t come cheap — the recommended dose is 2 teaspoons (or 10g) per day, meaning a year’s supply will set you back a whopping $2,409.
The BDA points out that the benefits offered by the costly powder can easily be obtained from eating regular fruit and vegetables.
No brainer then, really.
5. The ‘Trim Secrets’ diet
Trim Secrets is the brainchild of Ultimo bra founder and House of Lords peer Baroness Michelle Mone OBE and is allegedly a fave of former Big Brother star Chanelle Hayes.
As well as following the 1,500-calorie per day Five Stage diet plan, individuals take appetite suppressants and metabolism-boosting pills three times a day along with 1.5 litres of water and regular exercise.
While it points out any individual consuming just 1,500 calories a day is likely to lose weight, the BDA have also voiced concerns about the generous content of guarana (which contains high levels of caffeine) in the pills.
BDA spokesperson and consultant dietitian Sian Porter said: “We hear it all when it comes to the latest way to shed pounds from the good to the bad, to the downright dangerous!
“Some people will believe almost anything and anyone when it comes to nutrition, food and diet.
“The truth is if you do want to lose some weight do it by eating a healthy, balanced diet that you can stick to, watch your portion sizes and be physically active.
“Think of it as a marathon approach to achieving your goals, as opposed to a sprint approach.
“Aim to make permanent changes to your diet and lifestyle that are sustainable for you in the long term, not someone else’s lifestyle, nor abandoned by the end of January.”
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