Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard that American actress Meghan Markle married Prince Harry at the weekend in Windsor, England. Meghan was, of course, looking stunning, as any actress-princess should. So let’s take a look at how she stays in great shape.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton married all eyes were on the happy couple, as well as Kate’s sister Pippa. This time, all eyes are on Meghan alone – Harry, being a trained soldier, is always in fantastic shape (although, how long will it last now that he’s a married man?).
Meghan Markle rose to fame in the TV series Suits, in which she played Rachel Zane. As well as acting Meghan has a keen interest in human rights, female empowerment, and food, travel and self-image. She used to write a personal blog called The Tig – it’s now offline, but we hope it will one day come back.
Meghan Markle’s Diet
Meghan revealed several years ago that she likes to start the day with a breakfast smoothie, which is made from Clean Cleanse vanilla powder. Of course, we do not know if she still does this today. The Clean Cleanse smoothies form part of a 21 day cleanse, which apparently also includes laxatives. So this is really not an ideal way to stay in shape.
She also eats lots of fruits, especially ones that are nutrient dense, like blueberries. She also enjoys having an acai bowl with fresh berries and honey.
Intermittent Fasting
The Clean Cleanse that Meghan followed in 2015 uses a form of intermittent fasting to encourage fat loss – in this case it’s a 12 hour fast between a dinner shake and a breakfast shake. Most people will have a shake around 7pm and then the next at 7am. A 12 hour fast overnight is not really that radical (remember, we call the first meal of the day Break-Fast), but what is radical in this plan is that you can only have a liquid meal.
Lean Proteins and Fresh Vegetables
Beyond this, the plan advises you to eat lean proteins (fish, chicken, pulses, nuts) and vegetables, and to specifically avoid bread, pasta, rice, dairy, processed foods, soft drinks, alcohol, and coffee.
This diet is really not too different from the low GI diet plan that we recommend, but with two restrictive meals based on shakes. Basically, it’s a case of eating foods that contain less sugar, less processed fat and more healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Almost Vegan
As a result of following the Clean Cleanse, Meghan started to focus on the healthiest foods to eat, and today she is almost vegan. She avoids all animal products during the week, and treats herself to some meat or fish at the weekend. She is reportedly a big fan of sashimi, which provides essential omega-3 fats.
In an interview with Readers Digest she explained: “I don’t just take care of myself for aesthetic reasons but because how I feel is dictated by what I’m eating, how much rest I’m getting, and how much water I’m drinking.”
We have talked about vegan diets here on MotleyHealth before, as some professional athletes have busted the myth that a vegan diet is unhealthy and not suitable if you want to be super fit and strong.
A vegan diet really is a good idea, and frankly, if more people followed Meghan’s example there would be less obesity, less heart disease, less cancer and less dementia afflicting our population.
How To Go Vegan
But a word of warning, going vegan is not as simple as pushing the meat serving off your plate. There have been many cases of people suffering malnutrition from poorly planned “vegan diets”.
For example, if you usually eat burgers and fries, pepperoni pizza and chili con carne, and replace them with fries, bread and rice, you will lack all the essential nutrients that your body needs to grow and stay healthy.
You must make sure that you get a variety of vitamins and minerals from your food, and for this, you must eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses. Greens (leafy green vegetables like cabbage, kale, lettuce, and also broccoli) are especially important, as they contain calcium – most people today get their calcium from milk and dairy products. One of the biggest risks for young women who go vegan is a lack of calcium, as this can lead to osteoporosis later in life (weak bone disease).
Protein is also vital to healthy growth – it’s not just muscles that need protein, every cell in our body needs it. But, while bodybuilding guides will talk about protein sources being from milk (whey), eggs, and meat, you can get all the protein your body needs from nuts, pulses, and beans. In fact, most vegetables contain some protein. You will only suffer a protein deficiency if you keep filling up on bread and potatoes.
Green Juice in the Afternoon
Meghan does not drink coffee, but she does still often have an afternoon pick-me-up: green juice! She loves a glass of green juice smoothie, and as mentioned before, these contain a huge amount of nutrients, including calcium to keep bones and skin healthy.
Meghan’s Fitness and Workouts
Of course, being in great shape is not all about healthy eating (although diet does account for about 80% of it), exercise is also important. When she was interviewed by Best Health (Readers Digest) she talked mostly of yoga – her mom is a yoga instructor!
It was when she went to college that she started to practice yoga for fitness, using the exercises that her mom had taught her over the years.
“A few benefits of vinyasa yoga include increased flexibility and muscle strength, greater happiness, increased mental focus, a greater ability to relax, decreased anxiety and better sleep.” Meghan Markle.
She was also a keen runner, but her lifestyle soon made running more difficult to fit in to her daily routine. Running has also damaged her knees – she says this is the main reason now she does not run today.
It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Really, it is. Staying in great shape is largely about consistency. Once you find your own routine, you stick to it. Eat healthy food, but not too much, do just enough exercise to stay toned and fit, but not so much that it damages your joints, and you will look and feel better for it.