Chris Noth, the infamous Mr. Big on Sex and the City (SATC) revealed to US Magazine that he shaped up for the latest SATC movie that is currently filming in NYC.  The 54-year-old said he went to Ilha Grande, Brazil where there is a resort that gets you into shape.  I’m guessing it’s like fat camp for rich people.  He said,

“Usually it’s about going to a trainer and all that but [the resort has] a very holistic approach. But I needed to bring my body into fitness — so I went for nine days.  It was a total vegetarian diet. Basically, you spend all day doing yoga, hiking, kayaking, eating vegetarian food, no coffee, no alcohol, no meat.”

Noth went on to say that the idea at the resort is to get cleansed but not to starve.  In addition, he said he’s never been one for yoga so it was a lot of hard work.  At the resort they practiced basic Hatha yoga.  Clients also do painting while there, so it’s obviously a very holistic approach to cleansing and weight loss where the mind, body and spirt are all nurtured.

Now that Noth is in shape he has to keep it off and for him, hanging out at restaurants can be difficult.  He said,

“The only problem is the upkeep of it. Restaurant portions are way too big. And you realize everything around you is basically bad for you,” he says. “It’s a process.”

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The long time vegetarian Cloris Leachman poses for PETA for the new campaign being launched called, Let Vegetarianism Grow On You.  In the photo above she’s wearing a dress made entirely of real lettuce.  The actress has been in the business for 60 years and most recently we’ve seen her dance into the hearts of America on Dancing with the Stars.  She accredits her good health and ability to keep up with the younger cast on the show to being a vegetarian.  The 82-year-old has been a vegetarian since she was 35 and it’s evident that being a vegetarian has kept her fit and healthy.

Cloris decided to participate in the campaign because she feels that the public needs to know about the benefits of vegetarianism, especially since the media puts so much money in meat marketing campaigns.  When asked why she’s a vegetarian, Cloris said,

“You feel newborn, wonderful, fresh and healthy….You don’t have to eat meat to get protein.  All vegetables have amino acids in them which means they become protein.  Once you find that out, it’s a huge weight that you didn’t know you had on you, a societal weight.”

She said that since being a vegetarian she no longer has problems with asthma, arthritis or hay fever.  Cloris is simply a great woman.  Her strength is admirable and her beauty is glowing.

Celeb diet doc…
Ms Leachman is a smart woman. The idea that vegans and vegetarians do not get enough protein or somehow need food combining for their protein needs is completely false. As I have written previously…

The idea that plant based foods were deficient in certain amino acids was based on studies of the growth of young rats done in the early 1900’s. A subsequent study done in 1952, looked at human requirements for essential amino acids and found them to be very different from rats. Additionally it showed that the requirements for all the essential amino acids in humans could be met by many unprocessed plant foods, without combining, in excess of the recommended levels. The bottom line is that plant protein is “complete.” Vegetables and grains contain all essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids in varying proportions, and will supply in excess of what is necessary for your daily needs.

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Last week on March 4th, the beautiful and glamorous Eva Longoria chatted with Gabby Reece from The Honeyline on The Rachel Ray Show about how she keeps her glow and stays so healthy while living such a busy lifestyle.  Eva is always out and about either working on the set with Desperate Housewives, doing charity work or supporting her husband at basketball events, but how does she have the time to look the way she does?

She admitted that she hates working out and dieting but she knows that she has to do it in order to stay fit and healthy.  In terms of diet, she has become a vegetarian and stays away from red meat and chicken.  Eva said she has noticed a positive difference in her skin tone since she has given up meat.  As for exercise, Eva has a gym in her home, and her personal trainer goes to her house for training sessions.  She does weights, floor exercises, lots of cardio, and when it comes to sports she likes kickboxing.

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Isn’t it amazing that the former supermodel Christie Brinkley is 55 years old and she still looks perfect? It’s obvious that Christie still gets to the gym and takes care of herself, but what a lot of you may not know is that she has a penchant for organic vegetables and has her own vegetable garden. Here’s a sample day-in-the-life veggie-rich eating plan for Christie provided by Ok! Magazine:

Breakfast

4oz cup Activia (yogurt) = 110 calories

1 cup mixed berries = 70 calories

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed = 37 calories

1 cup coffee = 45 calories

2 tablespoons of light cream = 90 calories

Lunch

Half an avocado = 80 calories

Half a cup garbanzo beans = 90 calories

2 cups mixed greens = 60 calories

Dinner

6 ounces salmon = 300 calories

4 ounces steamed vegetables = 40 calories

These three meals are quite nutritious and there is evidence of calcium, protein and fruits and veggies but that’s only 922 calories a day! According to the Ok! Magazine consulting dietician, Amy Stephens, she thinks Christie needs to add some carbohydrates to her diet. Amy says,

“People don’t like to hear it, but they need carbs to keep energy up and prevent cravings. Half a cup of brown rice or whole wheat pasta would be a great addition.”

Adding the carbohydrates would definitely give Christie the extra calories she needs because 922 aren’t that much. All in all, Christie looks fabulous. And for the record, with all the organic gardening Christie does she surely gets her exercise; gardening burns approximately 275 calories an hour.

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I’m sure you’ve heard it before, animal protein is “complete” and plant protein is “incomplete.” Protein is made up of amino acids and 9 amino acids are considered “essential” because they cannot be synthesized by your body and must be derived from the food you eat. Animal protein has been referred to as “complete” because it contains all 9 essential amio acids. Because it is widely believed that plant protein is deficient in some essential amino acids, it has been referred to as “incomplete.”

This “incomplete protein” myth was popularized by Francis Lappe’s book, Diet for a Small Planet, in which she advocated the practice of “food combining” for vegetarians, such as eating rice with beans, so that the essential amino acids from different foods would combine to form a complete protein. She later retracted her belief in “food combining” stating in subsequent editions of the book,

“In 1971 I stressed protein complementarity because I assumed that the only way to get enough protein … was to create a protein as usable by the body as animal protein. In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.

With three important exceptions, there is little danger of protein deficiency in a plant food diet. The exceptions are diets very heavily dependent on fruit or on some tubers, such as sweet potatoes or cassava, or on junk food (refined flours, sugars, and fat). Fortunately, relatively few people in the world try to survive on diets in which these foods are virtually the sole source of calories. In all other diets, if people are getting enough calories, they are virtually certain of getting enough protein.”

Here’s where it gets interesting. The idea that plant based foods were deficient in certain amino acids was based on studies of the growth of young rats done in the early 1900’s. A subsequent study done in 1952, looked at human requirements for essential amino acids and found them to be very different from rats. Additionally it showed that the requirements for all the essential amino acids in humans could be met by many unprocessed plant foods, without combining, in excess of the recommended levels. The bottom line is that plant protein is “complete.” Vegetables and grains contain all essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids in varying proportions, and will supply in excess of what is necessary for your daily needs.

The Peta ad featuring a naked Alicia Silverstone promoting a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle was axed at the last minute by Comcast as it was set to air in Houston on E!, Lifetime and Food Network. Even though it had already been approved to air, Comcast says the reason it was pulled was because of nudity.

Peta had chosen Houston to air the ad because it has the dubious distinction of having some of the most unhealthy eating habits in America. Houston was also ranked by Men’s Fitness Magazine as the 6th fattest city in America. The ad implied that a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle can give you a beautiful body, although it obviously seemed to rile up a few feathers in the Lone Star State.

Here’s the ad that is causing such a stir:

Celebrity Diet Doctor Weigh in…
Wow, less than 24 hours and this ad is making news again! Remember just because a food is vegan or vegetarian does not mean it’s healthy. A vegan and vegetarian diet loaded with white flour and sugar is junk. The key is fill your diet with as much unprocessed fruits and veggies as possible.

As far as this controversy is concerned. Someone should tell these Houston Comcast guys to lighten up!

Alicia Silverstone is in a sexy new ad for Peta promoting a Vegetarian/Vegan Lifestyle. Peta is taking a page out of Madison Ave and banking on the adage “sex sells.”

Alicia alternates labeling herself as a vegetarian and vegan in her statement on the Peta website:

“Like most people, I wasn’t always a vegetarian, but I’ve always loved animals. If you ever have a chance to meet a cow, pig, turkey, or goat, you will see that they are just as cute and funny as your dogs and cats and that they, too, want to live and feel love. They don’t like pain. Now when I see a steak, it makes me feel sad and sick because right away, I see my dog or the amazing cows I met at a sanctuary. I’ve been vegan for 10 years, and it’s the single-most important and helpful decision I have ever made. Physically, the effect has been amazing. Once I went vegan, I lost the weight I wanted to lose, my nails were stronger, and my skin was glowing. I feel great, and I look better now than I did 11 years ago.

Being vegan truly is the secret to my life’s joy and peace. I feel physically and spiritually better than I could have ever imagined knowing that I am doing everything I can to reduce animal suffering with simple lifestyle choices like being vegan, never wearing any products made from animals (like wool and leather), and buying only from companies that NEVER test their products or ingredients on animals.”

Celebrity Diet Doctor Weigh in…
Provocative ad to say the least. Alicia is clearly taking an ethical stance on her decision to go vegan/vegetarian.

From a nutritional perspective we clearly need to get more unrefined fruits and veggies into our diet. However, remember there are junk vegan and vegetarian diets. Refined carb products full of sugar and white flour are technically vegan and vegetarian. A vegan diet can be a very healthy diet when it consists of unprocessed fruits and veggies, but it is deficient in B12 vitamins and the Marine form of Omega-3. While the plant form of Omega-3 has shown some health benefits, the majority of cardio-protective and neuro-protective benefits have been with the marine form.