You have to give it up for Jennifer Lopez [1]: after completing her ten-day no-carbs [2], no-sugar diet challenge, she let loose with Brussels sprouts and mixed greens. In her defence, the singer and actress also enjoyed sweet plantains, white rice, tostones, and beans in a home-cooked meal which she said was "worth the wait."
Jennifer began the challenge with Alex Rodriguez, and the two encouraged other celebrities [3] like Hoda Kotb and Carson Daly to join them along the way — although Carson admitted defeat [4] before the ten days were up. Alex, meanwhile, celebrated the end of the challenge much differently, with pizza, french fries, chicken wings, and cookies.
After the challenge really started to take off on social media, POPSUGAR spoke with Despina Hyde Gandhi, MS, RD at NYU Langone's Weight Management Program, who had mixed things to say and doesn't recommend eliminating carbs entirely [5]. "When you cut out carbs, you're saying no to fruit, you're saying no to legumes and lentils, sweet potatoes, and all these wonderful foods that provide fibre for us," she said. As for the challenge's no-sugar component, Dr. Gandhi recommended cutting back on processed sugars, but not taking such a hard line on naturally occurring sugars.
While it's certainly not for everyone, nor likely sustainable in the long run, it takes a lot of discipline to do what J Lo and ARod just did . . . and we hope they're happily enjoying their respective Brussels sprouts and pizzas.
