Nutritionist Keri Glassman, who regularly shares her expertise on Access Hollywood and Access Hollywood Live, is answering your nutrition, diet, and health questions.
Want to know which foods to curb sugar cravings? Or, what should you eat before a workout? Ask Keri anything!
Keri will choose one great question a week to be answered Thursday in our Healthy Hollywood column.
To submit questions for Keri, click HERE!
This week’s question…
“I saw your segment on foods celebs eat to stay thin, but am still confused about how they work and if they are a good idea or not,” Beth R., Red Bank, CA
Keri says…
First, thanks for watching the segment! Celebs are always talking about their own weird and wacky ways they lose weight and stay thin. Often, it’s a liquid-cleanse or intense detox. However, these four celebs are on to something! Here I weighed the pro’s and con’s of their specific tricks:
Busy Philips Goes Gluten-Free to Relieve Arthritis
Does it work?: Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation through your organs and tissues, causing a variety of diseases and ailments. Aside from digestive tract distress, another reaction can be joint pain and arthritis due to the inflammation in the joints. To correct this, you need to treat the cause by eliminating gluten from the diet.
Why you’ll drop the pounds: Going gluten-free leads to weight loss because, by virtue of going gluten-free, you are cutting out cake, cookies, and pasta. Cutting out these calorie-laden products, is a weight loss success story simply because of their high calorie and sugar content. It is not necessarily the gluten that is responsible for the weight loss, so let’s not give credit where credit isn’t due. But, a gluten-free diet does exclude a whole lot of foods we should be avoiding anyway. But, remember, a food product does not contain more or less calories because it has gluten in it.
The Positives: People who focus on a gluten-free diet typically redo their entire diet while taking out the junk found in cookies and cakes. But, remember, a healthy diet of whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables, is low in gluten to begin with and easily converted to gluten-free completely, if necessary. For example, grilled salmon, sautéed spinach and whole wheat pasta easily can become grilled salmon, sautéed spinach and baked sweet potato.
The Negatives: People tend to associate gluten-free with healthy, and splurge on the new, gluten-free products like cookies, breads, and cakes that are labeled gluten-free. Some of these are just as fattening and sugar-laden as their gluten counterparts.
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Sofia Bush Has Beets in Her Blood
How are beets good for your blood?: The nitrates in beets is good for blood flow, helping keeping your heart healthy. Studies show that the nitrates found in beets may help lower blood pressure.
Why you’ll drop the pounds: Potassium, betalin, and phytonutrients are the superstars, helping beets help you beat the bloat. Potassium prevents you from retaining fluid, betalin pigments help excrete toxins, and phytonutrients inhibit processes in the body that trigger inflammation (which can cause bloating). All of the above making your fave summer dress fit a little better!
The Positives: Beets are high in fiber, keeping us satisfied longer and preventing us from overeating. Beets also regulate digestion and have anti-inflammatory properties that decrease bloating.
The Negatives: I know you have heard it but to feel and look your best you must have a diet full of variety. Beets can be a great part of your diet but should be eaten in the appropriate portions; one serving is about 1 cup, which has about 9 g of sugar. Beets may seem magical but beware they are higher in sugar content than other vegetables and the red color can temporarily stain your teeth, so be sure to check the mirror before you smile.
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Heather Graham Packs Protein with Black Beans
Protein, in Beans?: Beans, including black, are high in fiber, protein and water content, all helping you to stay full and satisfied.
Why you’ll drop the pounds: Like meat, beans also provide protein, but without the saturated fat and cholesterol. Also, if cooked right beans are a low sodium protein, which will help decrease fluid retention.
The Positives: Adding beans instead of meat to your favorite dishes are a great way to increase variety and prevent boredom. Similar to beets, beans contain antioxidants, which help fight against cancer and heart disease.
The Negatives: Beans can help your waistline if you control portions, but don’t go overboard. Beans are energy dense, meaning a small amount will have significant calories (1/2 cup has about 125-150 calories). Also, the old saying is true, beans can cause gas, which makes them dangerous to eat right before a first date!
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Julian Hughes Indulges AND is Binge-free
Can indulging fend off binges?: Absolutely-oddly enough, being too strict is one of the biggest diet downfalls. People who pride themselves on deprivation won’t reap the benefits when it leads to a total binge in a moment of weakness. Making conscious indulgences is a healthy part of any meal plan.
Why you’ll drop the pounds: A meal plan with the proper proportions of lean protein, healthy fats, plus fruits and vegetables is a recipe for weight loss. These foods are nutrient-dense which means they are loaded with nutrients for little calories. When you eat like this consistently there is room for indulgences. Sticking to a consistent, balanced healthy diet with a treat here and there is recipe for success.
The Positives: Allowing yourself a conscious indulgence every so often is satisfying enough to prevent constant cravings. This alone can make you feel more empowered about your diet and keep focused!
The Negatives: We should always allow room for indulgences in our diets, but remember they should be chosen wisely! Dessert should be a conscious indulgence that, of course, is portion controlled and enjoyed on occasion.
— Terri MacLeod & Keri Glassman
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