Let Them Eat Kale – Celebs and Superfoods

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Are Tinseltown’s brightest stars really just like us? Only their food fads know for sure. Is it all hype – or will their superfood picks help keep you healthy?

Julia Roberts Is Cooking Kale

We welcome green at this time of year! This pretty woman told a British newspaper she’s been home-growing a lot of kale, which proves popular with her family whenever she dishes it up extra crispy. Kale (Kevin Bacon likes it, too!) is rich in calcium and other nutrients. And while Roberts, 47, confesses to occasionally adding cheese, kale can be just as tasty when it’s tossed with olive oil and a little salt before baking. The high vitamin K content of kale (and certain other dark green veggies) can interfere with warfarin, so stick to smaller servings of this superfood if you’re taking a blood thinner.

It’s Camu Camu for Olivia Newton-John

Acai is so last year, don’t you think? When it comes to camu camu, 66-year-old Olivia Newton-John is calling this little berry the “feel-good fruit” because she says it promotes a healthy balance of serotonin in the brain. Native to the Amazon rainforest, camu camu is known to be extremely high in vitamin C, which is used in serotonin production, and antioxidants. On the other hand, claims that camu camu can boost the immune system or support higher energy and clearer mental function are less substantiated.

Demi Moore Has Barley Grass in a Glass

Forget the party punch. Barley grass, taken as a juice, brings your body’s acidity into balance – or so say those who are touting its health properties. Demi Moore, 51, has been known to partake of this cereal grass as part of a raw food diet. Barley grass is harvested young, when it’s nutritionally more like a vegetable than a grain. Compared to mature barley, it contains higher amounts of chlorophyll and vitamins and not so much cellulose. Despite claims that barley grass cures cancer, there’s no evidence for this. But it does confer benefits similar to other green vegetables and probably won’t hurt you, so there’s no need to avoid it.

Madonna Is Crazy for Coconut Water

A present to herself, perhaps? Madonna, 56, likes coconut water so much she’s invested in a company, Vita Coco, which sells it. The beverage, which is actually the raw juice of a green coconut, is rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium compared to many other juices. As it contains natural sugar, make sure to check the label of the brand you choose to ensure there’s no added sugar. But there’s no convincing evidence – yet – for many of the health claims that are made about coconut water, like preventing cancer or erasing wrinkles. And watch out because coconut water also contains sodium, a possible concern if you’re on a low-salt diet.

Jennifer Aniston Is All About the Fresh Eggs

Jennifer Aniston and fiance Justin Theroux enjoy fresh eggs from their own chickens. And why not? Eggs are packed with protein and nutrients, some of which may prevent memory loss and vision problems. But what’s the scoop on egg-eating for baby boomers? Shouldn’t Jennifer, in her mid-40s, be starting to watch her cholesterol intake? If you’re not troubled by cardiovascular disease, diabetes or high cholesterol, experts say it’s fine to eat up to four eggs a week without worrying about your heart health. (Otherwise, consider skipping the yolk and eating only the whites.) A research review last year did, however, show that eating an egg or more every day may increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes. (Eggnog, on the other hand …)

Salma Hayek Jumps at Cleansing Juices

This tells you more about Salma Hayek’s insides than you probably want to know, but the Mexican-born actress routinely detoxifies with a raw juice cleanse of cold-pressed organic fruits, vegetables and nuts. The company 48-year-old Hayek helped found, Cooler Cleanse, asserts that a regular detox like this is an essential pick-me-up that provides you with more energy, deeper sleep, glowing skin and a better time on the toilet. Is it hype? Well, bear in mind your kidneys and liver are probably already doing a pretty thorough job of eliminating wastes and toxins from your body. Medical experts suspect that the positive results you may experience with a cleanse more likely are thanks to the temporary elimination of sugary, fatty, processed foods from your diet. Which, after all that holiday feasting, doesn’t actually sound like a bad idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Zoomer magazine, Dec/Jan 2015