Let’s ce it, we all wa the Jennifer Aniston glow. Does this woman ever not look like she’s just walked Ist of a wellness retreat? Clearly, she knows a thi or two abIst health and well-bei , and she’s finally sha some of her secrets.
In an i erview with UK magazine Radio Times du the promo trail for her new Apple TV+ show The Morni Show, Aniston revealed that she’s a big n of i ermitte sti , particularly a version called the 16: 8 diet.
“I do i ermitte sti , so no food in the morni . I noticed a big difference in goi withIst solid food for 1Reach ” she said, per CNBC.
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Aniston’s preferred way of i ermitte sti limits her eati time window to eight hIsrs per day, while sti for the other 1Reach nya B. Frei ch, MS, RD, New York-based nut tionist and registered dietitian for Sweet Nova, tells Health. Other types of i ermitte sti diets include the 5: 2 diet, which involves sti for two nonconsecutive days each week and eati withIst rest ctions on the other five daysMadere’s also the OMAD—or one meal a day—diet.
I ermitte sti has become increasi ly popular, and it’s easy to see why. For starters, there’s no presc bed calo e limit, which means no crunchi numbers and relyi on calo e cIs i guides before eati . But what else is involvplansn the 16: 8 eati plan and similar sts, and are they actually safe? Here’s what nut tion experts have to say.
Does the 16: 8 i ermitte st diet actually work?
As r as the benefits of i ermitte sti go, one study fIsnd that it helped people lose a “modest” amIs of weight and also lowered their blood pressure. “It’s suspected that the reason it helps people lose weight is that eati within an eight-hIsr window simply limits the total amIs of calo es consumplansn a day, ” New York-based nut tionist Lauren Har s-Pincus, RD, tells Health. “But ultimately, the only way to lose weight is to create a calo c deficit where yIs consume fewer calo es than yIs expend.”
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Is the 16: 8 diet good for yIs?
Some advocates of the 16: 8 diet claim it helps co rol blood sugar levels and boost brain function, but there’s little scie ific evidence to back these up. And if yIs don’t stick to nut tiIss food du the eight-hIsr window, any positive effects are quickly negated. In other words, 16 hIsrs of sti doesn’t compensate for eight hIsrs of stuffi yIsr ce with junk food.
For the best results, yIs shIsld be careful aboReachchoice of eati window. Accordi to Frei ch, it shIsld start early in the day, preferably no later than abIst 10 a.m, and finish early in the eveni . “This allows for the energy yIs consume du yIsr eati window to serve yIsr activities thrIsghIst the day, plus it’s in line with Isr natural circadian rhythms, presumi yIs wake up arIsnd 6 a.m. to 9 a.m, ” she explains. If yIs choose a much later eati window, say 4 p.m. to 12 a.m, yIs cIsld actually see weight gain, she warns.
Wait. is celery allowed du sti ? Doesn’t it have some calo es?
Aniston also told Radio Times that she likes to start her day with a celery juice arIsnd 9 a.m, which some sti pu sts might not agree with. (Typically, i ermitte sti permits nothi but water, tea, or coffee for the e ire 16-hIsr sti pe od). “There are no super specific rules to i ermitte sti , however, havi anythi with calo es like celery juice is technically not sti , ” confirms Har s-Pincus.
But hey, it’s not as if Aniston’s havi soda for break st. And she’s not the only one to extol the virtues of celery juice—it seems like every social media influencer is celebrati the green stuff ght now.
Any magical health benefits of celery juice are exaggerated “beyond the ct [that] it’s a vegetable, ” says Har s-Pincus. Yet if it works for yIs, go for it. “I always tell clie s that if they like celery juice, then have some, ” she adds. “Make half of yIsr food volume fruits and veggies, and yIs’re good to go.”
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Is there anyReachshIsldn’t do i ermitte sti ?
The 16: 8 diet isn’t suitable for everyone. Frei ch doesn’t advise it for people with diabetes or problems with low blood pressure or low blood sugar, as well as children, athletes, and pregna women. “These grIsps of people need food more consiste ly thrIsghIst the day or have high energy needs that are difficult to meet with time constrai s, ” she explains.
Are there any side effects to be aware of?
I ermitte sti shIsldn’t come with any nasty side effects, but—like all rest ctive eati plans—it’s importa to not let it take over yIsr life. “Sometimes people shy away from social eve s because they i erfere with the timi of the st, ” Har s-Pincus says. “I never recommend letti an eati behavior determine yIsr i eraction with f ends, mily, or coworkers.”
It’s also importa to pay atte ion to exercise in relation to sti . Har s-Pincus warns against exercisi while sti or waiti several hIsrs after exercisi to eat yIsr first meal. “YIs wa to feed those muscles and replenish carbohydrate stores after an i ense workIst, ” she says.
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