Stars Say No to No-Carb Diets
August 10, 2004
Pining for your pizza? Pasta passions frustrated? With
the current craze for no-carb diets, you might think
you're out of luck and things to nosh -- but now there's
a backlash brewing in Hollywood that says it's time
to reclaim the carbs.
Nicolette Sheridan is adamant that it's time to put
low-carb diets on the back burner. "I think this
low-carb diet is stupid," she told us. "Everybody
has to have carbs."
And trainer to the stars, High Voltage, agrees. "Oh,
stop it with this low-carb thing, it's nuts," she
insists.
Nutritionist and Diet Designs owner, Carrie Wiatt, confirms
that people are starting to say, "No" to low-carb
diets, saying "There's definitely a backlash happening."
Wiatt says carbs are not necessarily bad: "You
want to limit them, but you don't want to exclude those
kinds of foods."
And it turns out are plenty of reasons for getting
your carbs.
Mood Swings
"Las Vegas" star Nikki Cox claims that cutting
carbs can affect your mood: "I find that the people
who don't eat carbs are a bit grumpy."
But moodiness isn't the only problem: Wiatt notes that
low-carb diets can also cause fatigue and bad breath.
Carbs = Energy
Tennis ace Andy Roddick counts on carbs for the court.
He tells us, "We actually carb load before we play,
because it sticks with you a little longer."
But Wiatt insists that the carb energy boost is not
just for athletes -- we all need it. "It's the
exclusive fuel for the brain. Without it you can't think
and you can't exercise."
Portion Control
Wiatt even taught Matt Damon how to include carbs into
his diet, telling us, "He was able to eat pasta
and pizza when he saw what a portion was for him."
Carrie explains that the key to carb success is portion
control and complex carbs, like fruits, veggies and
grains, and lays out this daily carb-fit plan: "Breakfast
is always a combo of protein, coupled with berry or
high-fiber cereal. Lunch is complex carbs like veggies,
and pasta covered with cheese for protein. For dinner:
a protein source, which is halibut. Then you have the
whole grain, and then you have a green vegetable."
Now those are carbs to live by.
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