Bollywood and Sports stars are worshipped in this country. The aam janta has a keen interest in their favourite celebrities’ lives and wants to acquire as much information as possible.
I, too, get asked these questions very often. What nutrition strategy led to Sushil Kumar winning two Olympic medals? What was Aamir’s Dangal diet? What Virat eats on matchdays? How diet was genetically aligned to Abhishek Bachchan’s training and fitness regimens? What are the diet secrets that helped us break two Guinness World Records in human performance?
Even when people love to imitate their role model/favourite celebrity, it is imperative to understand that nutrition is bio-individual. Each of us is unique; we have different needs, lifestyles, goals, objectives, food cultures, genetics, etc. hence nutrition should be customised.
One man’s food is another man’s poison. I remember asking Shikhar Dhawan to quit Milk, against the common notion that Milk is a must for athletes because his gene report showed that he was lactose tolerant.
India women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who took the world by storm after scoring jaw-dropping 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, struggled with her post-match recovery, as she was gluten intolerant. Being a Punjabi, her diet was loaded with wheat-based foods, which was creating havoc in her body.
So there is a lot of science behind what you see on a celebrity’s plate. Before giving them diet suggestions, we capture a lot of data in the background and then work around it to identify key foods and nutrients that would work for their body.
What data do we capture?
1) Blood Reports
We analyse their blood chemistry. It gives us an internal picture of the body’s health status. It also helps us to identify if there are any existing nutrition deficiencies. So when a leading actress told me that she often feels fatigued during a shoot, her blood test report came back saying that her haemoglobin levels were low.
2) Genetics
If the body is hardware, genes are your software. Your genes are a gift from your parents. You can’t change it; you have to live with it. Best, acknowledge & work on it, and you probably might end up getting the best results out of them. I have seen Gluten Intolerant athletes, once they do away from wheat, they start performing well. For any movie stars, this could be the reason why you are not getting that flawless skin.
3) Body Measurements
A lot of celebrities come to me to lose weight. I ask them they want to lose weight or fat? Modern-day nutrition planning takes into perspective fat and muscles. A 60kg person with 10% body fat has a greater metabolism and calorie demand than the same 60kg with 20% body fat.
4) Medical History
Since many illnesses run in families, this knowledge provides your nutritionist with a wealth of information about what’s going on with your health. It also helps to determine what health problems you may face in the future.
5) Schedule
Training, Traveling, Matchdays, Shoot days, Rest days: we have different calorie needs to different days. Also, it helps to plan your nutrition in advance so that you can carry your food or get it arranged to meet the calorie requirements.
6) Food culture & preferences
It is crucial to understand how flexible a person is on taste buds. Different cuisines offer different nutrients and benefits. No food is bad until you abuse it. Once we get a clear picture of your eating habits they can be aligned to meet calorie requirements based on goals and objectives.
Apart from these, a lot of data is captured to scientifically customise a nutrition plan.
Sharing a list of favourite foods that I like to feed my celebrity clients:
• Beetroot – Beetroot is well-known for its ability to increase energy levels. Beetroot contains a compound called nitrates, which aids vasodilatation, or the ability of your blood vessels to expand and bring more blood and oxygen to your exercising muscles while also removing more carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
• Eggs – To satisfy your protein needs, you can eat up to four whole eggs a day, plus egg whites. Based on your physical activity levels protein requirement ranges from 1 to 2 gm per kilogram of body weight.
• Dates – Dates provide iron, calcium, potassium and other minerals. Great food to have a fast boost of energy. If you have low iron levels or haemoglobin, which causes fatigue, include dates in your diet. Dates are easy to carry while travelling, during training and shoots.
• Berries – Berries are high in anti-inflammatory compounds and vitamins, which may help you, avoid premature ageing. Berries are also high in vitamin C, which helps to keep skin healthy. The antioxidants in berries protect against harmful free radicals, which can trigger wrinkles and disease.
• Cinnamon – Cinnamon increases the metabolic rate, which aids weight loss. Cinnamon also helps to control blood sugar levels and increases insulin function. It also contains a lot of fibre, which keeps you complete for a long time. This leads you to eat fewer calories, resulting in weight loss.
The writer is the Founder of QUA Nutrition as well as a Celebrity & Sports Nutritionist.