When gold-clad Kim Kardashian West stepped out for this year’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination-themed Met Ball Gala, you’d have to agree that she shone as bright as the Hollywood spotlight she for so long has stood beneath.
And while we’re all about sparkly sequins and (apparently?) gilded crucifixes, we couldn’t help but zoom our attention on mum-of-three Kim’s Oscar statuette-esque hourglass figure.
Kim’s 90s Catholicism-themed look came at a price…
Indeed, while Kim has been a long-time fan of the Atkins diet, prior to the 2018 Met Ball Gala, the 37-year-old revealed that she had adopted the 10-day Sunfare Optimal Cleanse to “mentally prepare” for fashion elite’s night-of-nights.
“Right now, I’m on the third day of my 10-day Sunfare Optimal Cleanse! I’m SO excited to do this, you guys, but I definitely need to mentally prepare, lol.”
“I have the Met Gala coming up and I’ve worked so hard working out, but I started eating a lot of sweets and I wanted to just change my food patterns to eat healthier and cut sugar out of my life as much as I can. We always have sweets around and it’s really hard when there are temptations everywhere.”
As part of her cleanse, Kim went three days without eating anything.
As reported by Harper’s BAZAAR Australia and E!, the diet consists of two-to-four solid meals loaded with lean proteins (like salmon) and leafy salads and veggies. Although, day four to six of the cleanse comprises of only liquids – think shakes and herbal teas.
To be honest, the thought of only drinking tea for days on end has us racing to the office vending machine and grabbing a sympathy Twix for Kim.
So, in a bid to whittle her middle, what is Kim actually doing to herself? Is this kind of cleanse any good for your health? And is it unrealistic to think that this liquid cleanse will lead to your dream weight loss goals. Here, accredited practising dietitian Melanie McGrice sets the record straight.
Is succumbing to days of just consuming liquids bad for your health?
I certainly wouldn’t recommend liquid diets in the long term, as a lack of chewing can impact your jaw strength, which then impacts upon how full people feel.
A diet without solid foods can become boring very quickly, so are usually unsustainable in the long term. It can also be difficult to meet nutritional requirements on a liquid diet unless they are carefully designed to meet a persons individual requirements.
Is doing something like this beneficial for someone reaching their long-term weight loss goals?
Research has shown that VLED (Very Low Energy Diet) shakes consumed over a 12-month period can result in steady weight loss – but this depends just how nutritionally completely the VLED shake diet someone consuming is. A shake diet can be dangerous if it’s not individually tailored to your protein or micronutrient needs. My key message? Don’t buy shakes from over the counter – always consult your dietitian first.
For a healthy meal plan speak to your local Accredited Practising Dietitian or nutritionist.
