In a world where celebrity diets usually mean one of three things — total fad, only applicable if you have a personal chef or astronomically expensive — the sugar free diet is paving the way as an A-list food obsession that’s worth embracing.
The World Health Organisation recommends a maximum intake of 25 grams (or six teaspoons) of sugar a day. Yet, according to the Health Promotion Board, one in three people here take more than that. Singaporeans take an average of 11 teaspoons of sugar a day, with the top fifth hitting 18 teaspoons a day, HPB figures show.
Suddenly going sugar free — or at least cutting down our consumption of the hard stuff — seems like a smart idea. These celebrities thought so, too. From wanting to feel fitter and more energetic to dodging diabetes, adult acne and cellulite, they reveal what prompted them to ditch sugar from their diet and embrace the latest Hollywood wellness trend:
READ MORE:
Is Sugar Worsening Your Vaginal Health?
This Drink Could Be The Reason Why Your Cellulite Is Getting Worse
7 “Unhealthy” Foods That Are Actually Great For Your Health
Last year the British model decided to ditch sugar as part of a massive diet overhaul. Seeking the advice of celebrity naturopath, Dr. Nigma Talib, Rosie cut out sugar, dairy, gluten and alcohol.
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s been brutal, it’s been a really big challenge. It took a couple weeks to kind of get into it. I’ve been doing it now for about six weeks and I feel fantastic. It’s certainly not something that would be realistic to keep up all year around, but it’s made me much more mindful of my choices,” she told InStyle.
“I can feel it in my skin, I can feel it in my body, I feel lean right now, and I feel strong and I feel energised.”
To keep up with her roles as a new mum and star of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Megan Fox has also given sugar the flick.
Instead, she focused on Just Eating Real Food and replacing the white stuff with more nutrient-dense choices.
According to her trainer, Harley Pasternak, Megan maintains a low-sugar diet, but doesn’t go to any extremes. ”She eats carbs. She just eats the right carbs. She eats three meals and two snacks a day. She’ll have protein, fibre and healthy fat every meal. She is living a low-sugar lifestyle.”
The mum-of-three has never looked better and she’s got sugar (or lack thereof) to thank for it. Fed up of the false energy — and cellulite — she used to get from sugar, the reality TV star decided to eliminate it from her diet.
“I always try to avoid sugar — especially refined sugar — for so many reasons,” she wrote on her website recently.
“First, sugar is addictive and I notice that after I eat it, I need it. Sugar doesn’t sustain you when you actually need energy, like for a workout. Also, when I eat sugar, I find that more cellulite appears. I don’t drink soda — ever! I drink a ton of water during the day and I also drink a glass of water mixed with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar twice a day (in the morning and at night).”
(Read more: 8 Foods You Should Avoid In 2017 And What To Eat Instead)
The movie star and mum-of-two decided she needed to rethink her sugar intake when she couldn’t get through the day without it.
“That was an eye opener for me, I realised I was craving it like an addict around 4pm every day. I would crave something sweet and it hit me how much sugar we really eat,” she says.
These days the actress sticks to a high-alkaline diet which means tofu, nuts, fruits and veggies and nothing processed or full of refined sugars.
Tom joined the brigade of celebrities who quit sugar after being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.
After being advised that going sugar-free could help control his blood sugar levels, Tom realised that life may be a box of chocolates, but he didn’t have to eat them if he wanted to be the healthiest version of himself.
“I’m part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady,” Hanks told the Radio Times.
The actress recently confessed to ELLE that she suffers from adult acne. One of the main triggers? You guessed it.
“For me, it’s really refined sugar and booze. There’s a doctor I work with in London who’s a gastro-entomologist who’s combined the beauty with actual knowledge of the gut. And sugar corresponds to certain glands in your face,” she says.
This means when she’s working, she’s on a strict sugar free diet to avoid any flare-ups. “When I’m working, I’m diligent about what I’m doing with my body. I’m not going out for a wild night. I’m not eating a rich crazy meal. If I do those things, I won’t wake up early ready to work. I can’t do it anymore. When I was 22, sure. At 33? I can’t.”
(Read more: Could You Have Diabetes And Not Know It? Find Out Here!)
As well as changing her own eating habits after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Halle realised how important it was to educate her children about their diet, too.
“I’m so aware of how much sugar we consume. I’ve very conscious of what my children eat and how much they take in,” she told British Marie Claire. “People think it’s hard to cut out sugar, but it can be done. You just have to put some effort in.”
According to the actress, cutting out sugar doesn’t just help her clothes fit better, it also has a positive impact on her sleep patterns, too.
“I do a sugar cleanse every 30 days or so. Sugar is terrible. And everything has sugar: rice, bread, fruits, everything! It’s not easy to get away from it,” she told Life & Style.
But, as tough as she finds going cold turkey, she’s always happy with the results of a sugar free diet. “It gives you more energy and helps you sleep better. It’s the most slimming; it’s the diet that gives me the most results.”
A diagnosis of pre-diabeties made the actor reassess his eating habits back in 2011. “I stopped eating refined sugars, desserts and sweets,” he says.
“I’ve eaten sugar in some fruit. I just try and eat berries. Candy, gum, mints, ice cream, cake, pie, that’s all gone. I lost 35 pounds [15kg],” he told USA Today the year later. Not bad for a guy who once described his diet as “sugar, sugar, sugar”.
(Read more: 12 Foods That Are Secretly High In Sugar)
Ahead of her epic worldwide tour which kicked off last year, the singer enlisted the help of Australian personal trainer, Pete Geracimo, to help improve her fitness and energy levels.
As well as an intense workout routine that included circuit training, hill sprints and burpees, Adele also made one big change to her diet, too.
“I used to drink ten cups a day with two sugars in each so was on 20 sugars a day. Now I don’t drink it and have more energy than ever,” she says.
(Text by bauersyndication.com.au / Additional Reporting by Natalya Molok)