By Dr. Joey Shulman D.C., RNCP

We are all guilty of flipping through the latest fashion magazine, dreaming of looking like those thin, leggy creatures we call celebrities. How do they do it? With their flowing, shiny hair, size 2 bodies and flawless skin—it is only fair they let their adoring public in on the secret. Sure, the Jennifer Lopezes of the world have entire teams of makeup artists, fashion designers, trainers and personal chefs working together to make every snapshot look beautiful, but Hollywood stars are also turning to natural health for their fresh, beautiful looks.

Ashley Judd’s flawless appearance and slender 5’7”, 125-pound frame may be due to her avoidance of all dairy products. Judd uses soymilk instead of cow’s milk for her cereal and begins her day with a drink of hot water and lemon juice to cleanse and stimulate digestion. The lanky supermodel, Claudia Schiffer, consumes nothing but fruit until noon as part of her personal health practice. Demi Moore claims that herbal teas and vitamins help boost her energy, keeping her alert for her busy schedule.

Certain Hollywood stars have made their fortunes in the diet industry. Suzanne Somers has created a multimillion dollar business with her Somersizing diet. The theory behind the Suzanne Somers diet is a mixture of food combining and low carbohydrate/high protein meal plans. Although some weight loss seekers have found success with this diet, it has been criticized for its lack of scientific evidence. For example, Somers’ diet claims that when proteins and carbohydrates are eaten together, their digestive enzymes cancel each other out, causing disrupted digestion and weight gain. This is simply not true.

Other stars shed pounds by following meal plans similar to the Truestar method of eating (the 40:30:30 method of eating)—Friends star Jennifer Aniston lost 30 pounds following this method! The 40:30:30 method of eating (otherwise known as the Zone Diet) has been shown to balance blood sugar levels, thereby causing the pancreas to secrete an appropriate amount of the hormone insulin. When eating in hormonal balance, weight loss is easily achieved.

In addition to following Truestar’s hormonally, calorically and pH balanced meal plans, you can use the following tips to naturally achieve weight loss, beautiful skin and glorious hair:

1. Do not smoke. Smoking is one of the quickest ways to age youthful looking skin.

2. For beautiful skin and shiny hair eat foods that contain omega-3 essential fats, such as cold-water fish (salmon, tuna and mackerel), sesame seeds, walnuts and omega-3 eggs. Because it is often difficult to obtain a sufficient amount of omega-3 fats from diet alone, it is best to supplement with fish oil capsules daily. Our mothers were right when they fed us cod liver oil!

3. Drink a minimum of six to eight glasses of water per day. In the cooler months, when the body tends toward warming foods and drinks, lean on herbal teas as a good source of hydration.

4. Exercise and stretch daily to keep your muscles strong and your joints lubricated. A short 20 to 30 minute workout at the gym or at home is enough! Visit the Truestar Exercise section for more details.

5. Avoid processed white flour and white sugar. Stick to whole grain pastas and breads such as flax, multigrain, kamut or spelt.