10 Organic Diet Secrets of the Stars
From Angelina’s fish-heavy regimen to Madonna’s macrobiotics, celebrities are going clean and green with their diets.
How Angie Said Bye-Bye, Baby Weight
Judging from her eyes, lips, cheekbones and profession, a lot of Angelina Jolie’s magic has its origin in her genes, but it also could be her post-twins organic diet that snapped her into Hollywood-worthy shape so quickly. She strove for an eating plan that was heavy on the veggies and Omega-3s. According to a source, Angelina’s post-baby menu included organic salmon with tomatoes, brown bread and herbs for breakfast, and mackerel or grilled fresh tuna with watercress, spinach and tomatoes for lunch or dinner. Not only is Angie’s diet good for her figure, eating organically is, as Tim LaSalle, CEO of The Rodale Institute, tells Sprig, “the biggest weapon against climate change.” The biggest. “If we were to convert all of the U.S. farm acres to organic, we’d sequester 25 percent of all of our emissions. That’s the equivalent of taking most of the cars off the highway,” says LaSalle.
Grade A+: Angelina’s menu is about as perfectly assembled as she is: healthy proteins, “good” fats and fresh fruit and vegetables are the most winning combination without a pesticide or hormone in sight.
Kate’s Dos & Don’ts
Kate Bosworth does organic probably like a lot of us do organic: eating organically as much as we can when we can. The diminutive Ms. Bosworth, whose glowing skin makes a good case for keeping a clean diet (something she and ex Orlando Bloom had in common), spoke about her organic aspirations when she hosted Global Green’s Gorgeous and Green benefit: “Do what you can. Clearly you can’t eat all organic all the time, but you just have to do as much as you can.” Kate’s on the right track because even a little organic is better than none at all, for both you and the earth. The Organic Center, a non-profit organization which collects scientific research on the health and environmental benefits of organics, reports that conventionally produced foods (those using antiobiotics, pesticides, and genetic-engineering, to name a few) show that the human health implications include a reduction of nutrients as well as insulin resistance and increased risk of diabetes. If Kate can’t always eat organic, she might want to stay away from what The Organic Center has listed as the top five fruit and vegetables that pose the highest risk for pesticides:
Grade B+: Kate’s effort to go organic is both realistic and relatable.
Marc Says No to Sugar
Buff-bodied Marc Jacobs can credit his organically-geared ways (and gym membership) for getting him ready for his nearly nudie pictorial in the December issue of Harper’s Bazaar. The Louis Vuitton designer told Out magazine about making the switch to organics last year: “You’re going to get a bunch of blogs saying ‘He must be on meth in order to be that skinny compared to 10 months ago,’ but in fact I’m eating a totally organic diet, which has no flour, no sugar, no dairy, and no caffeine, and I lost weight because of that diet and because of a two-hour exercise regime seven days a week.” The former self-described “pudgy” Jacobs dropped 20 pounds on his regimen.
Grade A: Marc’s hard-core approach is still healthy and opting for foods with minimal processing is the way to go.
Madonna Gets Militant
And Marc’s friend, Madonna, is maybe the most famously strict organic-lover around. Her disciplined regimen made headlines a few months ago when she laid down the edict to her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, that when their children were with him, they had to adhere to a macrobiotic and organic diet. “We know that when kids go on organic foods, they’re organophosphate levels drop eight times,” says LaSalle. “So their urine starts to clear up and they’re no longer carrying these toxins that damage the biological function of the body.” See? Madonna’s not just some megalomaniacal mommie dearest; she’s actually just looking out for her kids’ health, maybe more rigidly than most, but c’mon she’s Madonna, the woman uses whips as props.
Grade: A+++: Just look at this pic of Madonna at 50. Sure, Kabbalah and all that yoga helped, but her organic diet is just as integral. And she probably doesn’t slip from it. Ever.
No Meat for Stella
The daughter of Paul McCartney is a lifelong vegetarian who grew up on an organic farm, so it would only make sense that the fashion designer would parlay her eco-attitudes about organics when she launched Care, the first 100 percent organic luxury skincare line, last year. According to the Care website, when compared to conventional skincare products, organic skincare products are richer in essential nutrients such as vitamin C, antioxidants, trace-elements and mineral salts, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. And unlike conventional skincare products that use non-organic ingredients, studies show that with organic skincare products there is an absence of traces of fertilizers and pesticides that can be absorbed into the skin. “Sometimes it’s just not practical, but I do what I can. I shop at Whole Foods in the U.K., “she says.
Grade A+: Being a vegetarian is already helpful in reducing carbon emissions because animal production accounts for so much of them, but the best thing you can do hands down to help the climate crisis, is to eat organically, like Stella has done for a long time.
A Model Example
Josie Maran, the model and entrepreneur (she launched her eponymous eco-friendly line of cosmetics last year), grew up in a bohemian household in Northern California, leading her to choose a healthy diet full of fresh food, free of chemicals and genetically-modified organisms as an adult, especially after she knew she was expecting her first child in 2006. Never-say-”diet” Josie instead practices portion control to keep swimsuit-ready and does Kundalini yoga and eats organically–something that Rodale’s Tim LaSalle says is clearly the better choice when it comes to choosing between local or organic food:
“Supporting your local farmer and the community is important, but if that farmer isn’t growing organically, he’s polluting your water systems with toxic chemicals and giving you food with chemicals,” says LaSalle.
Grade: A+ Josie really is a model of an organically-geared life. Her diet isn’t short on needed nutrients and she’s parlayed this longtime attitude into her cosmetics as well. How we treat the earth is how the earth treats us.
Like a Rolling Stone
The Stones seem to go by the motto, “If ain’t broke, don’t worry about it love, and give us another pint/kiss,” which has served them well for the past four decades. Bass player, Ronnie Wood’s wife, Jo Wood, who has her own organic beauty line, got the rockers better acquainted with organic diets when she went on one after dealing with a perforated appendix. She told Britain’s Hello! magazine, “An herbalist called Gerald Green explained how the chemicals in our food destroy our immune systems. I was determined to eat only organic food if it was the last thing I did.” And while the boys have toned the partying down to a dull roar now, the excess is still found, but as explained, “at least the vodka and wine are organic.” (A few organic vodkas to try: VeeV, Square One, and Prairie.)
Grade A: Mick might be as fit as a fiddle, and Keith is coasting on fumes at this point, but the band gets high marks for turning a corner with cleaner foods.
The Incredible Hulk’s Incredible Diet
Ed Norton bulked up for the Hulk and an organic diet was a big part of that process for the 39-year-old actor. According to Ecorazzi, during filming last year, Ed would go to Toronto’s “raw food Shangri La” called the Organic Bar. Norton grew up with environmentalist parents, so the idea of knowing where your food comes from (i.e. not a box, not the store) is probably one he knows well. As a matter of fact, food that’s certified organic is clearly leaps and bounds ahead when it comes to packing a nutrient-rich punch. Chief scientist at the Organic Center, Charles Benbrook, reported research that organic production increases average antioxidant levels by 25 percent, with benefits reaching to mineral and vitamin levels, as well as crop yields. And, organic samples contained higher concentrates of good things like polyphenols and antioxidants.
Grade A: Ed has given a good face (and body, apparently his co-star Liv Tyler was even a bit flustered at his physique) to environmental concerns, and going organic couldn’t be better for the planet.
A Fashionably Green Regime
Donna Karan isn’t messing around. The lady who revolutionized women’s clothing and gave working girls everywhere a sexy silhouette for the office, is a devotee of yoga and a raw food fiend. The designer dropped 20 pounds going on a raw organic food diet and shared her recipe for this energizing, green juice when she appeared on The Martha Stewart Show. If this doesn’t give a radiant glow to your skin, then nothing will. A team of experts at UCLA/Louisiana State University published their findings on nutrient value and absorption of raw vegetables in the Journal of the American Diabetic Association. The gist: Greens are on top. They found that raw vegetables are overloaded with the antioxidant vitamins C and E, folic acid, lycopene and alpha and betacarotene. Vitamin C and E are powerful antioxidants needed to maintain healthy cells; they prevent molecular DNA getting damaged by free radicals.
Grade A: Diet and exercise are always the way to go.
Jake Gyllenhaal Goes All-Natural
Speaking of things that are good for you, Jake Gyllenhaal (a.k.a. Reese Witherspoon’s main squeeze), revealed his plans earlier this year to open an organic restaurant. He and his childhood friend, chef Chris Fischer, have apparently been scouting locations in Los Angeles ever since. (Jake’s passion for cooking has been, well, cooking for awhile; he’s even appeared twice on Mario Batali’s cooking show, Molto Mario.) While specifics of the menu aren’t yet known, if Jake and Chris decide to put meat on the menu, it will probably be grass-fed and hormone-free. Studies from The Organic Center show that almost 18 percent of sons born to mothers who eat beef containing hormones, had lower sperm counts, and that grass-fed beef has more CLA (conjugated linolic acids) than grain-fed cows. CLAs help in reducing cholesterol and have anti-cancer benefits.
Grade B: Until Jake’s dream becomes a reality, we’ll keep our fingers crossed and applaud his organically-minded foodie tendencies.
Pictures courtesy of Pinterest.
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