Geelong's Gym

Today we have some tips from Rich Barretta, who has helped sculpt the bodies of Naomi Watts, Pierce Brosnan and Naomi Campbell, on the four rules for healthy eating which his clients swear by.

Naomi Watts swears by these four rules

1.  Cut back on Alcohol.  Alcohol is loaded with carbs and calories and, on top of that, it tends to cause people to make bad food choices.  Just a couple of sugary cocktails can add up to 1000 calories – half an average person’s daily need.  Avoiding alcohol altogether is best, but if you do indulge, opt for a glass of wine or slim down your drink with tonic instead of soda.

2.  Say “No” to fried food.  You can grill, bake, steam or broil, but just don’t fry!  Frying takes away the nutrients of healthy food and adds fat and calories.  Plus, many restaurants use trans fats, which increase your risk of raising artery clogging bad cholesterol and lowering fat-clearing good cholesterol.

3.  Avoid carbs at night.  You don’t have to completely deprive yourself of carbs, despite popular belief, but you should be conscious of when you eat them.  Consuming high-carb foods, such as potatoes, rice, pastas and breads, early in the day allows your body more time to burn them off.  Whereas carbs eaten at night are more likely to go unused and be stored as fat.  Barretta’s rule: stick to lean protein and vegetables after 6pm.

4.  Choose unprocessed foods.  Out of convenience we often reach for processed products, even though we know fresh unprocessed foods are better for us.  While it can be difficult to cut out processed foods entirely, there are certain ingredients you should steer clear of, such as high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, white flour and processed sugar.  Here’s a tip: shop around the perimeter of the supermarket, where all the fresh meats and produce are.

The good news is you don’t have to follow a strict diet plan.  If you adopt these four nutrition rules you’ll see a vast improvement in the way your body feels and looks.  And they’re really not that hard to follow.