Deepika Padukone recently took to Instagram to clear up some misconceptions surrounding her diet. She has always been under scrutiny over her appearance. Kalki 2898 The actor boldly responded to the misconception in a candid Instagram post: “There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding around the word 'diet.' We often believe that 'dieting' means starving yourself, eating less, and eating everything you don't like. What 'diet' really means is the total amount of food and drink an individual consumes. The word actually comes from the Greek word 'diaita,' which means 'way of life,'” she said.
While Deepika has always been outspoken about her balanced diet, many other celebrities have also endorsed unconventional eating habits that are good for their bodies. Here are some of the stranger diets that celebrities follow that are a novelty for fans and the general public.
Carnivore Diet
A carnivore diet is one in which you only eat animal products and can be thought of as the polar opposite of veganism. Infamous podcast host Joe Rogan is a big advocate of this strange diet and is known for sharing photos of his carnivore meals on Instagram. His meals include rib-eye steak for breakfast and seared elk that he hunted himself.
While he does consume some fruits and vegetables, traditional practitioners like to eat a whole block of butter instead of fruit or chocolate. As for the benefits of this diet, following a strict carnivore diet is said to help with heart health, autoimmune diseases, blood sugar control, and mood stability.
Even celebrities like Heidi Montag eat raw meat while on this diet. In an interview with People magazine, she said, “I happen to love eating sushi-style innards. They're a nutritional powerhouse! I feel great on this diet. I have way more energy, my mind is clearer, my sex drive is better, and my chronic pain has improved overall.” She also likes to eat raw beef balls every now and then.
Mayer Method
Karlie Kloss, Suki Waterhouse and (allegedly) Rebel Wilson have all popularized the diet at some point in their lives. The diet involves a series of steps that must be followed with strict discipline, such as making sure to chew each bite of food 40 times. Other rules include having a spoonful of Epsom salts in the morning, avoiding caffeine, sugar and dairy, not snacking between meals and not eating raw foods after 4pm.
According to Business Insider, “The Mayer Method is a mix of good advice and pseudoscientific nonsense.” The program was developed by Austrian Franz Xavier Mayer in the early 20th century, and its benefits include improved digestive health and adopting mindful eating habits, primarily for the purpose of weight loss.
Master Cleanse
The Master Cleanse, one of those extreme diets that every nutritionist warns against, became popular when Beyoncé announced on the Oprah Show that she had lost 20 pounds in two weeks in preparation for her film The Master Cleanse. Dreamgirls (2006). Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore also joined the trend.
The Master Cleanse diet involves consuming a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and cayenne pepper for 10 to 45 days. Proponents of the diet claim that it helps detoxify the digestive system, but it has fallen out of popularity because the weight loss results are short-lived; people often regain the weight within a few weeks of completing the diet.
Daniel Diet
At one point in his life, Chris Pratt followed something called the Daniel Diet. This faith-based 21-day diet is a partial fast based on the story of the Book of Daniel, a biblical book of revelation. Five sections of the book describe a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and water, with a special emphasis on legumes.
Like the other diets on this list, this one is supposed to detoxify the body, but experts don't recommend it because it's quite restrictive and is more about curbing the sins of gluttony (giving up sugary foods) than it is about providing any real health benefits.
Clay Diet
Another strange addition to the list is It's definitely not the stars' fault. In 2014, actress Shailene Woodley was on a clay diet, which consisted of mixing half a teaspoon of clay with water every morning.
“It turns out that clay is good for you because your body doesn't absorb it. And because clay is negatively charged, it seems to bond with negative isotopes. And, this is crazy, clay also helps remove heavy metals from your body,” the actress said, adding that she learned about the diet from an African taxi driver.
The origins of this diet are far more sinister than just a weight loss plan or balancing metals in the body. Eating clay is common due to high levels of zinc deficiency in the populations of underdeveloped and developing countries. Additionally, kaolin, which is made from white clay, is sold in pharmacies as a treatment for problems such as diarrhea.
Baby Food Diet
Another strange diet popularized by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson is the baby food diet, which was originally promoted as a sustainable way to cut calories and get your party under control by replacing one or two meals a day with a jar of 100-200 calorie baby food.
A daily menu on this diet would look like this: 5 jars of baby food for breakfast, 5 jars for lunch, 2 jars for an afternoon snack, a regular adult portion for dinner, and 2 jars for a midnight snack. Jennifer Aniston is rumored to have lost 7 pounds in one week on this diet while filming the movie “Just Go with It.”
Unfortunately, these strange celebrity-endorsed diets tend to mix real nutritional elements with questionable science and extreme restrictions, with each approach raising concerns among experts about sustainability, nutritional balance, and long-term health effects.
So while celebrities tout the benefits of these diets, they also highlight the importance of consulting a medical professional or forgoing these diets altogether in favour of a balanced, evidence-based approach to nutrition and health.
