The 2010 Miss USA Rima Fakih has several diet secrets she uses to get ready for competitions and appearances – aside from cutting out empty calories from sugar. She's a flexitarian, meaning she mostly follows a vegetarian diet but does consume some selected animal products. Always consult a health care provider before trying a new diet.
Daily Diet
Fakih told reporter Valerie Nome at the Miss USA 60th Anniversary High Roller event that her normal diet is either egg whites or oatmeal in the morning and salad with vinaigrette in the afternoon. At 2 p.m., she has salmon, half a sweet potato, brown rice and asparagus. She has salmon, asparagus and more vegetables again around 6 p.m., noting that you can replace the salmon with chicken if you prefer. She recommends that you stop eating after 7 p.m. She also said that she only eats red meat once a week.
Salmon and Asparagus
Fakih told Valerie Nome that she eats salmon to promote healthy skin. The omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon help improve skin by reducing your body’s production of inflammatory substances. Fakih also advises dieters to consume as much asparagus as possible because of its diuretic properties. Asparagus works as a diuretic because it contains an amino acid called asparagines -- and is also high in potassium and low in sodium. This vegetable also contains inulin, which promotes friendly bacteria in your gut, which aid in digestion and protect against harmful bacteria.
Flexitarian Diet
While vegetarian and flexitarian diets are popular, if you want to follow one like Fakih does, the American Dietetic Association recommends using a vegetarian food pyramid to ensure you get all the essential nutrients. Be especially sure to obtain enough calcium with a variety of foods including fortified soy or rice milk, beans, broccoli, calcium-fortified orange juice, figs and leafy green veggies. Get enough iron by eating foods like instant oatmeal, enriched pasta, potatoes and nuts. Consume vitamin-C rich foods like citrus fruits at the same time to maximize iron absorption. Also focus on protein. Consume soy products, beans, whole grains, nuts, as well as eggs and low-fat dairy products.
Considerations
Fakih incorporates exercise into her weight-loss regimen. Shedding pounds requires that you burn more calories than you consume, and exercise is a good way to promote the proper balance, notes MayoClinic.com. To lose 1 pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. That takes a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day. Fakih recommends walking. At a pace of 3.5 miles per hour, you burn 277 calories an hour if you weigh 160 pounds, 346 calories an hour if you weigh 200 pounds and 414 calories an hour if you weigh 240 pounds. As a general rule, MayoClinic.com recommends getting 30 minutes of exercise daily to maintain your weight.
References
- OK Magazine: Miss USA Gets Bikini-Ready With Preparation H
- Ladies’ Home Journal: 7 Miracle Foods for Healthy Skin
- The Complete Book of Nutritional Healing; Deborah Mitchell and Winifred Conkling
- American Heart Association: Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- The Fat Flush Foods; Ann Louise Gittleman
- Mayo Clinic: Are Probiotics and Prebiotoics Important for Health?
- American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Lifestyle
- American Dietetic Association: Food Sources of Important Nutrients
- Mayo Clinic: Weight Loss
- New York Magazine Grub Street: Miss USA Rima Fakih Gets Takeout From Per Se, Splurges on Shake Shack
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