The Foods Celebrity Trainers Won't Eat

Source: The Foods Celebrity Trainers Won't Eat

Through interviews and Twitter, we asked the top celebrity trainers one question: is there any food item you won't eat and recommend clients to do the same? What we ended up with was a wide variety of answers, and while many of these off-limit foods seemed to make everyone's lists, there were a few answers that surprised us. Keep reading to see which foods celebrity trainers like Harley Pasternak, Jackie Warner, and Tara Stiles keep out of their kitchen, and then vote on whether or not you agree.

• Tara Stiles: Alcohol - Want to erase a few years from your face, stop with the fancy cocktails, says yogini Tara Stiles: "No one wants to hear this one, but if you want your body to operate optimally and look fantastic — and younger — avoid alcohol." Given that Tara works closely with Brooklyn Decker, this advice is clearly working! When it comes to weight loss, giving up alcohol is a must for Tim Rich, personal trainer with Crunch gym. Tim says alcohol is nothing but "empty calories" and suggests that those looking to lose a few pounds ditch drinking for 21 days; after that, limit drinks to a few per week. Tim says he only drinks "a few beers a month."

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• Harley Pasternak: Grapes and Bananas - Two foods noticeably missing from celeb trainer Harley Pasternak's 5-Factor are grapes and bananas. Harley, who counts Katy Perry and Lady Gaga as clients, says, "No one is going to live a shorter life if they have bananas or grapes," but he recommends that his clients choose healthier fruits. "I tell my clients to stick to fruits that either have edible skin, edible seeds, or citrus — bananas do not have edible skin, nor do they have edible seeds really, nor is it citrus. Most of the fiber and nutrients that are in a fruit are in a fruit's skin. A banana is just the densest piece of fruit that you can put in your body, and since it doesn't have much fiber, it won't keep you full." As for grapes? "Grapes have a special sugar in them called dextrose, which is the highest glycemic sugar that you can possibly put in your body."
• Jeanette Jenkins, Jackie Warner, and Valerie Waters: Processed Foods, Especially Refined Carbs- This was a big one for celebrity trainers Jeanette Jenkins, Jackie Warner, and Valerie Waters. Valerie, who has worked with Jessica Biel, sticks to the mantra, "If a food item has ingredients you don't recognize or can't pronounce, you probably shouldn't eat it." Jackie says that "everyone has to understand that bread, crackers, croutons, things like that, that's sugar. As soon as it's in your system it processes straight to sugar then straight to fat." Jeanette Jenkins, trainer to Kelly Rowland, steers clear of processed foods because they "create inflammation in the body and increase the risk of disease."
• John Damon: All Soda, Even Diet - YogaTone trainer Andrea Cirignano, Stephania Greco, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with 24 Hour Fitness, and celebrity trainer John Damon, who works with Whitney Port and Kristin Cavallari, say that soda should be eliminated from everyone's diets — this includes diet soda, too. For John, soda just doesn't make sense: "It has no redeeming qualities." We couldn't agree with them more. Drinking soda has been linked to several health issues like dental decay, bone loss, and hypertension. It's also loaded with sugar — not a good thing for any healthy diet. Diet soda doesn't fare much better: studies link the consumption of diet soda to both weight gain and stroke risk.

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• Jackie Warner: Yogurt - Jackie Warner says that if you're looking to lose weight, "get away from yogurt completely." For Jackie, most yogurts on the market are filled with sugar — her number one food vice and the reason "people are heavy and sick in this country." While we agree with Jackie that many of the yogurts on the market are brimming with sugar, Greek yogurt is a must in our book!
• Jarett Del Bene: Margarine - Jarrett Del Bene, best known for working with The Hills alumni Lauren Conrad and Audrina Patridge, says that margarine is number one on his off-limits list: "It's loaded with empty calories and is packed with trans fat, which is the worst fat to consume."
• David Kirsch: Gluten - Famous for helping Heidi Klum bounce back postbaby, David Kirsch stays away from gluten in processed foods: "I try to steer clear of gluten as much as possible — it's awfully bloating." Valerie Waters also steers clear of certain gluten-filled foods like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and most cereals. Says Valerie, "Those foods will not only make me fat, they make me want to sleep."