Food trends – what movie stars love

Hubert Cormier

Hollywood stars are usually on top of the latest trends: vegetable spirals, turmeric, juice…

What's the secret behind the perfect Hollywood look? Clean eating—a new food trend that emphasizes the importance of being more conscious of where our food comes from and opting for the least processed foods. Surprising fact: the hashtag #CleanEating is associated with more than 22 million postings on Instagram, the popular photo and video sharing network, where celebrities frequently share posts about their lifestyle and even their latest fave foods. Here's a look at the stars' top 3:

Vegetables… and more vegetables!

Smoothies have caught on in the last few years. Celebrities love them because they're quick and easy to prepare and can be consumed on the go, literally anywhere, even between takes or at a photo shoot! The trend, however, took a new direction in replacing the fruit base with more vegetables. Who could've guessed that celery, cucumber, cauliflower and beets would steal the show from exotic fruits?! Their subtle, delicate taste significantly reduces the sugar content in smoothies and increases the water content, with a direct impact on the product's energy density. In other words, by adding vegetables, you can reduce the number of calories per gram of food consumed—which is amazing considering the size of the drink is unchanged. But the trend isn't pointing to salty vegetable drinks as we know them. Instead, cold extraction, a process requiring no pasteurization or additives, is what's catching on. Top it off with a bit of ginger and/or lemon juice!

While avocado is actually a fruit, it's often added to smoothies to give a creamy texture. Long snubbed for its high calorie count (mostly from good fats), avocadoes became ultra-trendy when green smoothies flooded Facebook and Instagram. Plus, this fruit is an excellent source of fibre and vitamin K.

A touch of turmeric

More and more celebs are turning to functional foods—that is, foods with recognized health benefits. Turmeric is a good example, and it's one of the ingredients featured in the Ginger + Turmeric Latte recipe on the popular blog GOOP by Hollywood belle Gwyneth Paltrow. This root has been studied for its anti-inflammatory properties and potential effects in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Further studies are still needed to determine if these benefits are relevant to humans, and in what doses.

Vegetable spirals!

The trend is towards vegetable noodles! Squashes (or zucchini) are by far the most popular… and the most delicious! They can be used to replace all or part of regular pasta in meals. Doing so increases your daily consumption of vegetables, fibre, vitamins (several from groups B, C and A) and minerals (iron, manganese, copper), while reducing your carbohydrate intake!

How about you—do you enjoy following in the footsteps of Hollywood stars when it comes to food?