Stars go goo goo over the baby food diet

Chery Cole is the latest celeb being linked to the baby food diet plan. Developed by trainer to the stars, Tracy Anderson, this detox plan is rumoured to have helped Jennifer Aniston shed 7lbs in just one week.  Jen, however, has denied turning to baby foods in the past, saying that the last time she ate the stuff was when she was "one".

The plan consists of 14 portions of puree a day, followed by an adult, healthy meal in the evenings.  Its creator told Hollyscoop.com: "I developed a cleanse where you can still eat and it's a lot of puree foods. I was very careful about the foods I chose to put in it. 

"When you do these liquid cleanses I felt a responsibility to come up with something. Liquid cleanses do help you lose weight but you will gain more the next week. I wanted something where you can eliminate toxicity, break bad habits but still have your digestive system going. That is when the baby food cleanse was born."

While there's no doubting that this diet is a short-term solution, there could be lessons to be learned here. It's a reminder of the importance of two things: portion control and the power of wholesome fruit and veg.  Keeping your food servings small and your ingredients healthy are key to losing weight and - importantly - sustaining it!

Raw food diet: does it work?

Recently I've been enjoying Nakd raw bars - they're absolutely yummy - so it only makes sense to consider the benefits of the raw food diet.  Before making any decision it's worth studying the research available... as well as people's personal experiences.

Steve Pavlina challenged himself to 30-days on the raw food diet. His blog records every meal he ate during this time, as well as blood sugar readings. It's really interesting stuff. While there are many benefits to this raw vegan lifestyle, there are some drawbacks, such as dry skin. That said, I'd rather have dry skin than a heart attack!

There are a few rules to this alkaline diet. All you need to remember is FWGW:

no Faces - eat nothing that has come from a being with a face (e.g. no fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, yoghurt, butter)

no Whites - just say no to refined white flours, sugars, etc.

Greens - eat lots of greens, even as a juice.

Wholefoods - aim to eat fresh plants and avoid pre-packaged foods.

GreenSmoothie suggests that eighty per cent of your diet should be raw to be considered a raw food enthusiast. More info on raw food choices.

Get thin? Get pregnant (hormones)!

What is it about pregnant women that makes them so. well. magical? I remember - years ago - reading about how wealthy celebrities were bathing in pregnant women's urine in the hopes of finding the fountain of youth.  In the 'now I've heard everything' section of the blog, I give you the HCG Diet.

Participants apparently suppress their hunger with daily injections of hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. They can exist on as little as 500 calories a day while undergoing treatment. While hCG hasn't been approved by the FDA for this use, people are queuing up to pay for this more unusual treatment.

Personally I think I'll forgo imbibing urine. Call me old fashioned, but it just doesn't seem right, effective or - most importantly - safe.

How to drop a dress size in 5 days

Why is it that when we diet, all senses of reality go out the window? Maybe it's the instant gratification culture we live in or food colours inducing ADHD, but we just can't seem to wrap our head around long-term, slow paced healthy options which deliver lifelong rewards?!?

But who I am to comment - my first thoughts when I saw this article were: "Really?!? You mean with one diet I can drop a whole dress size in just five days?"

Of course, the real world set in as I started reading. It's like navigating a sea of caveats, such as:

What are the drawbacks?

It's a quick fix not a long-term solution so you could put back on any weight you lose after the plan.

When we switch into desperation mode it's so difficult to switch off the idea of a crash diet... They offer a short-term fix and the promise that you'll look that bit slimmer, feel more confident, etc on your big night!

But isn't that why - on the eighth day - God invented Spanx?

There's a ton of research out there which identifies the pitfalls of 'get thin quick' crash diets - but I don't need a lab coat to tell you that just as you didn't gain a dress size in five days, you most likely won't lose one in such a short time. 

Of course there are those who will prove me wrong. To them, I give a salute. You've made the ultimate sacrifice to the dieting Gods, succeeding where most of us fail...

But, I have to ask, is it really worth it for a night or two?