From Jennifer Anniston’s baby food diet to Beyonce’s master cleanse: Weirdest celebrity diets you have to check out

Deepika Padukone recently took to Instagram to dispel myths surrounding her diet. Being constantly scrutinized for her appearance, the Kalki 2898 AD actor boldly addressed misconceptions in a candid Instagram post. “There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding around the word ‘Diet’. We often believe that ‘Diet’ means to starve, to eat less and to eat all of the things we detest. What ‘Diet’ really means is the total of all the food and drink consumed by an individual. The word actually comes from the Greek word “diaita,” which means ‘way of life’,” she said.

While Deepika remains transparent about her consistent and balanced diet, many other celebrities have previously endorsed unconventional eating habits that worked for their bodies. Unusual to most fans and the public, here are some bizarre diets that famous people swear by.

The Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet refers to a diet that consists of eating only animal products; you can think of it as the absolute opposite of veganism. Joe Rogan, the infamous podcast host, is a defender of this strange regimen among others and is known to share pictures of his carnivorous meals on Instagram. His diet includes ribeye steaks for breakfast as well as seared slices of elk that he has hunted himself.

While he does go in for a bit of fruit and veggies, traditional practitioners like to snack on an entire bar of butter instead of eating a piece of fruit or chocolate. As for the benefits of the diet, claims are that following a strict carnivore diet helps with heart health, autoimmune issues, blood sugar control, and mood stability.

Celebrities like Heidi Montag also go so far as to eat raw meat while following this diet. In an interview with People she mentioned, “I just happen to like eating sushi-style organs. It’s a great source of nutrients! I have felt incredible on this diet. A lot more energy, clarity, increased libido, and overall improvement on chronic pain I have had.” She also likes to occasionally snack on raw bull-balls.

The Mayr Method

Karlie Kloss, Suki Waterhouse, and Rebel Wilson (allegedly) have all propagated this diet at some point in their lives. The diet involves a series of steps that must be followed with extreme discipline. For example, each bite of food must be chewed 40 times without exception. Other rules include consuming a spoonful of Epsom salts in the morning, cutting out caffeine, sugar, and dairy as well as not snacking between meals or eating raw food after 4 p.m.

According to Business Insider, ‘the Mayr Method is a mix of good advice and pseudoscience nonsense.’ The program was developed by Franz Xavier Mayr in Austria during the early 20th century; benefits include enhanced digestive health, and incorporating mindful eating practices mostly for weight loss purposes.

The Master Cleanse

One of those extreme diets that every dietician warns you against, the Master Cleanse came into popularity after Beyonce announced on The Oprah Show that it helped her lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, in preparation for her movie Dreamgirls (2006). Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore were also participants in this trend.

The Master Cleanse diet is a liquid regimen where individuals consume a concoction of lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and cayenne pepper for 10 to 45 days. Advocates of the diet suggest it aids in detoxifying the digestive system, but its popularity waned due to its short-lived weight loss effects. Once the diet concludes, weight is often regained within weeks.

Daniel Diet

At some point in his life, Chris Pratt followed something called the Daniel Diet. Rooted in religion, the 21-day diet is more of a partial fast which is based on a story in the biblical apocalypse book called the Book of Daniel. Five verses in the book describe the diet which consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and water with a special focus on pulses.

Like other diets on this list, this one is also supposed to detoxify your body but is not recommended by experts since it is quite restrictive and is more about giving up the sin of gluttony (by giving up indulgent foods) than having any actual benefits for your health.

The Clay Diet

Another strange addition to the list comes from The Fault In Our Stars 2014 actor, Shailene Woodley who used to follow the Clay Diet. This mainly consisted of her mixing half a teaspoon of clay in some water each morning.

“I’ve discovered that clay is great for you because your body doesn’t absorb it, and it apparently provides a negative charge, so it bonds to negative isotopes. And, this is crazy: it also helps clean heavy metals out of your body,” said the actor. She also mentioned that she learned about this diet from an African taxi driver.

The origins of this diet are much more sinister than a simple weight loss plan or balancing the metals in your body. Eating clay is common in underdeveloped or developing countries because the population has high levels of zinc deficiency. Additionally, kaolin which is made from white clay is sold by chemists to treat issues like diarrhea.

Baby Food Diet

Another bizarre diet popularised by celebrity trainer, Tracy Anderson is the Baby Food diet. This gimmick was originally marketed as a sustainable way to cut calories and control parties by replacing one or two meals of the day with jars of baby food that range from 100-200 calories.

A day in this diet would look like this: 5 jars of baby food for breakfast, 5 for lunch, 2 for an afternoon snack, a regular adult portioned dinner, and 2 jars for an evening snack. It is rumored that Jennifer Aniston used this diet to lose 7 pounds in a week during the filming of the movie Just Go with It.

Unfortunately, it does seem like these bizarre diets endorsed by celebrities tend to blend elements of real nutrition with questionable science and extreme restrictions; each approach raises concerns among experts about sustainability, nutritional balance, and long-term health impacts.

So while celebrities may tout their benefits, these diets underscore the importance of consulting a healthcare professional or just skipping them altogether in favor of a balanced, evidence-based approach to nutrition and wellness.