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Why Less Celebs Are Dieting Before This Year's Oscars


Credit: Andrew Toth/FilmMagic

What do Olivia Wilde, Chrissy Teigen, and Taylor Schilling have in common (besides being just generally awesome at life, that is)? They're all eschewing extreme diets for awards season this year and instead turning to one of the buzziest wellness concepts of the year: a plant-based lifestyle.

Gone are the days of surviving solely on lemonade and cayenne pepper liquid concoctions for days straight. Healthy eating long-term(which includes eating, mind you, has taken its place).

To investigate this trend (and find out how celebs were getting red carpet-ready for the Oscars, we turned to Whitney Tingle and Danielle DuBoise, co-founders of Sakara Life, a clean, organic, nutrient-dense meal program that is delivered straight to your door. Eating a plant-based diet floods your body with alkalizing phytonutrients, optimizes your digestion, decreases bloat, and gives you a clear mind and plenty of energy. Bonus: incorporating a ton of beautifying ingredients like colorful, hydrating fruits and veggies and healthy fats into your diet on the reg opens the pathway to beautiful, skin, hair and nails: all things you want during awards season (and all the time!). No wonder Hollywood is going nuts for it. Below, they share the scoop on why so many celebs are replacing extreme diets with good old-fashioned food.

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What have you noticed in terms of trends when it comes to the way people are "dieting" these days?
We're seeing that people are beginning to understand the importance the quality and provenance of their food and how that food impacts not only how great they look but also how great they feel. People are seeking a lifestyle solution that is enjoyable and sustainable without sacrificing results or going on extreme cleanses. Plant-based is a term we used when we started Sakara and no one even understood what we meant by it! Now it's become more of a mainstream term and we couldn't be more excited about that trend.

Why do you think this has changed over the years when back in the day, juicing/fasting was much more of a thing to get fast results?
People are realizing that those typical fad diets just don't work. (Plus, all that sugar and no fiber is a recipe for a blood sugar crash.) We always say "You know what's better for you than a green juice? Eating your greens!". We think people have changed from the era of low fat foods and crash diets and are looking for something more realistic and sustainable that doesn't require going to extremes. Also, there's an increased focus on wellness in general these days--people are paying more attention to their health and well-being. They want to take care of themselves and be healthier overall...not just look great for one particular night.

How have you noticed this when tied directly to Awards Season?
Everybody wants to look their best on the red carpet. But more and more, people understand that true beauty comes from the inside out which requires taking good care of your body for long period of time (like forever!) rather than a crash diet two days before a big event.

Who has been your biggest fan, celeb-wise?
We're especially popular with the Victoria's Secret Angels...Lily Aldridge has been a client since the very beginning of Sakara. She loves us because we make it easy to eat healthy, even with her hectic schedule, to look like her best self all the time.

What's the best compliment you've ever gotten about your program?
There's nothing more inspiring than when we hear from clients that our program has helped them overcome autoimmune disease symptoms and other health issues. We've been called "the best food doctors in the world" and that brought the biggest smile to our face and reminded us that we're on a mission! Food is medicine!

What's the most important lesson you've learned about wellness since starting Sakara?
More and more, we believe the microbiome is everything. The trillions of bacteria in your gut control everything from your skin to your weight to your sex drive (seriously!). Eating a plant-rich, whole-food diet is the number one thing you can do to ensure your gut microbiome is balanced, diverse and healthy.