Staying thin and healthy is difficult for a regular person. When you are in the food industry it is even harder. We’ve seen many food celebrities and chefs go down some dark paths. There are rumors that Paula Deen has diabetes (would this be much of a surprise). We’re pretty sure that Adam Richman is headed down the same route; just hopefully not as bad as Blair River; the spokes person for Heart Attack Grill who recently died at a mere 29 years old. The key is balance. We’ve seen some chefs battle with their weight and win (Alton Brown is an example and role model for all of us). Here are ten very useful tips from some of our favorite chefs to help you stay thin and healthy:
1. Iron Chef and Good Eats host Chef Alton Brown shred 50 big pounds off of his weight. He controlled his sweet tooth and decreased his weekly alcohol intake. Chef Alton’s eating lifestyle is made up of a low-carb, high protein and high fat (he’s getting it from omega-3 fatty acids of the fish) diet. He has given up things that had made him unhealthy for years, and replaced them with lots of sardines, avocados and almonds.
2. His mouth may be full of unhealthy words, but he makes sure that his health is secured. Chef Gordon Ramsay takes health on a more serious tone, and aside from being an avid marathon runner, he makes sure that he maintains his status being a health buff through his cooking. Gordon Ramsay published a book a couple of years ago entitled Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy Appetite which contains fun and healthy recipes that even kids would enjoy.
3. Top Chef alumni, restaurateur and consultant, Dale Talde keeps tract and makes sure that the dishes that come out of his kitchen are of high quality. One of Chef Dale’s diet secrets is to not starve himself and get too hungry. The taste testing that he’s doing while on work keeps him from sitting and eating a full meal. Another secret is that he wakes up early and makes himself a healthy meal before going to work. That way he makes his stomach happy while making his customers happy.
4. Former Iron Chef, Mario Batali was one of the bigger chefs that we’ve seen on television. He came to realized that and went on to lose 45 lbs off his weight. His secret? Cutting down restaurant meals to half and doing taste tests with a single spoon or with a finger. He also makes sure that spends at least an hour a day for working out. Chef Mario’s goal is to live longer by being healthy.
5. Food Network darling, Giada de Laurentiis lost her baby fat (she got those when she was pregnant) by following a new eating pattern and some daily exercise regime. Giada eats smaller meals, and tries to add more veggies into her meals. But there is one thing that Giada could never give up on her diet, her indulgence on chocolates, that is. She also started doing yoga while she was pregnant and shares that daily morning exercises keep her blood streams alive and kicking.
6. Celebrity chef, Rocco DiSpirito was experiencing high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was advised to take specific medications. It was the turning point of his health consciousness. He took saturated fat and sugar off of his meals, making a healthier diet plan for himself. In addition to his diet, Chef Rocco had started running for a healthier life, and is now doing triathlon. Some say that his stint at Dancing With The Stars also contributed to his weight loss success.
7. Aside from winning Top Chef All Stars, Chef Richard Blais also felt like a winner by trimming 60 lbs off of his weight. What made the magic happen is a 30-day vegan diet which had an overall effect, healthwise and his thoughts about food and eating. He ended up realizing that his eating lifestyle was made up of fatty, sweet, and salty foods. He, along with fellow Top Chef contestant recently joined a marathon event which supports Alliance for a Healthier Generation (fight against childhood obesity).
8. Throwdown King, Chef Bobby Flay, used to have a couple of wine glasses and fried chicken with a few other celebrity chef friends few times a week, with a non-stop eating habit on a daily basis. Now he eats less that his usual appetite, having smaller meals a day and smaller serving when doing some taste testing. Chef Bobby Flay also realized that running makes him burn those calories while sweating off those fats. He lost about 15 pounds by doing so.
9. Eleven Madison Park’s Chef Daniel Humm was once a member of the Swiss national team for cycling. Although he didn’t go beyond the overweight line, Chef Daniel lost some appetite for exercise in over a decade and gradually gained weight. Last year, he fell in love with spinning, committing at least an hour of some hardcore effective exercise routine.
10. New York City-based chef, Michael Psilakis wasn’t really happy about his weight and his big appearance, making him realize that he is not getting healthier. His diet is not for the faint-hearted as he kicked off a 3-day fasting diet, drinking only water to hydrate his mind and body. After that, he turned on to a full 360-degree spin and made drastic changes on his diet. He put his pizza craving on the corner and started eating healthy meals before the sun sets, enough to satisfy him for the night. Chef Michael Psilakis’ healthy meal included lots of fresh veggies with a low-fat, high-protein diet.