The middle-east region hosts a confluence of different cultures, thanks to the many expats from around the globe that have made it their second home. Along with their culture, language and tradition, the diasporas have brought with them another unmistakable element — their cuisine. Therefore, it’s no surprise we have a wide range of restaurants belonging to different ethnicities setting up shop here.

With so much variety on offer, it’s hard to resist the temptation of indulgence every now and then. Shedding the extra pounds gained post caving in to the lure of delectable nosh is a task difficult to conquer for the many denizens residing in this region. This results in a spike in the number of people enrolling for gym memberships and fitness classes.

In the quest for achieving a leaner, fitter self, we also succumb to crash diets and other forms of fads propagated by fitness fanatics. Celebrity testimonials about certain diets and benefits that these regimes claim to have, cannot be blindly followed. A proper consultation with a nutritionist or dietician is a must. Dietary needs tend to differ from person to person and based on their individual health characteristics.

Here are 5 popular diets touted by famous celebrities:

However, it must be noted that the one-size-fits-all formula doesn’t work for everyone.

1 – The Katie Price Diet

Katie Price has released a range of supplement and meal replacement products which include powdered mixes for breakfast shakes, meal replacement drinks and recovery & hydration energy boosters.

Dieticians do not recommend losing weight through meal replacements and appetite suppressants. Also, the drawback of this type of diet is that people tend to grow tired of living on meal replacements and linger back to normal ‘unhealthy’ food habits.

2 – The Pioppi Diet

Know to be similar to the Mediterranean diet, the Pioppi diet involves eating low-carb and high-fat, with fish and olive oil and lots of vegetables and fruit. It can be summed up as a re-hash of the beneficial mediterranean style of eating espoused by dieticians and health pundits.

But the Pioppi diet also advocates intermittent fasting while keeping red meat, starchy carbs and sugar intake off the menu.

It is promoted as a 21 day diet giving the impression that one can lose weight in a short period of time. However this is known to be unhealthy. Moreover the creators of the diet have been accused of hijacking the mediterranean diet.

3 – The Raw Vegan Diet

Advocates of serious ‘clean eating’ often follow raw vegan diets, eschewing all food that comes from an animal or anything that has been heated to above 48 degree Celsius.

Megan Fox, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sting are some of the well-known celebs who subscribe to this way of eating.

The rationale is that heating food destroys some of the natural enzymes it contains, meaning the body has to work harder to break down and digest it. However, it has been known that heat can also bring out  nutrients in some foods while others cannot be eaten raw.

Dietary experts say that while going vegan may be a healthy option, it requires careful planning to make sure that you dont miss out on important nutrients.

4 – The Ketogenic / Keto Diet

The Ketogenic, or Keto diet as its popularly referred to, is all about eating high-fat, medium protein and low-carb. Kim Kardashian, Alec Baldwin and Kobe Bryant are some of its champions.

According to this diet, carb intake is meant to come wholly from non-starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds. It aims to put the body into a state of ketosis where you’re burning fat stores for energy instead of the glucose from carbohydrates.

However, following this regimen can most likely make you lose a lot of fibre from your diet which is crucial for gut health. Whilst you might lose weight in the short term, it’s difficult to maintain.

5 – The Alkaline Diet

Popularised by Natasha Corrett of Honestly Healthy, the premise of the alkaline diet is eating foods that are meant to change the pH balance of your body — however, there is no scientific evidence that this works.

Tom Brady is one of the proponents of this diet which requires avoiding gluten, refined sugar and dairy. According to Cancer Research UK, however, the pH of your food doesn’t affect the pH of your blood.

The possible reason people lose weight after embarking on this diet could be because they’re cutting down on calories.

Conclusion

Maintaining balance in our food habits, eating in moderation and keeping active by way of exercise is key to staying fit as opposed to buying the lofty endorsements by celebs about specific diets. What worked for them, may not always aid in weight-loss for you.