Is Ellie Goulding‘s new diet trend a healthy way to help keep in shape? Or a dangerous advertisement for an eating disorder??
The Love Me Like You Do singer stirred up some controversy over the weekend when an interview she did with The Mirror went live on Saturday in which she sang the praises of periodic fasting.
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Unlike the increasingly popular version of intermittent fasting, in which eating is restricted to specific hours of the day, Ellie has been going without food for a whole day a week — or even a little more. Kind of like a reverse cheat day. She explained to the publication:
“I do it very safely by having a purposefully nutritious food day the day before and after. On the fast day, I drink high-grade electrolytes and a LOT of water (plus tea and coffee).”
Sounds pretty tough — but is it even helpful? Ellie thinks so! The 33-year-old gushed:
“Fasting is safe and beneficial unless you are diabetic or have serious health issues. I built my way up to 40-hour fasts over time (started with 12). Fasting from time to [time] is a great way to give your digestive system a break. It helps blood sugar control and helps fight inflammation — the mother of all health problems.”
40 HOURS! Yowza!
Naturally that shocking length of time — basically two straight days of no solid food — sparked some debate online. But we don’t think Ellie was ready for just how harsh some of the criticism got!
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Some Twitics called her out for encouraging eating disorders, with one in particular @ing her in a savage callout:
“Call it ‘fasting’ or ‘reducing inflammation’ but this is an eating disorder. F**k @snapchat and f–k @elliegoulding for showing this just in general but what about for the kids already thinking they need to starve themselves?”
Ellie was so upset by the accusation she actually responded, tweeting:
“? I eat a seriously huge amount and exercise regularly. I’m super healthy, I drink sometimes, eat whatever I want, and then I fast for one day a week. It is not starving myself. As far as people in the spotlight go I consider myself a good role model x”
Another fan asked her directly:
“@elliegoulding do you think this is good advice to be giving out to the younger generation, giving them ideas?! In a world where everyone thrives to be perfect 🤷🏼♀️ i myself had anorexia when i was younger and to see this actually makes me feel sick! This is not normal!”
Ellie replied to this as well, clarifying:
“I didn’t give it as advice. Was asked about my health and fitness during an interview, and consider fasting for one day (plus the night- when I’m asleep) part of that. I do it safely and am incredibly fit and healthy. I’d say I’m a pretty decent role model x”
She isn’t kidding — she definitely is in great physical shape.
But is the fasting part of that?
Ellie says she got the green light for such long fasts from a doctor friend. We should also point out some preliminary studies on intermittent fasting (such as this one published in the New England Journal of Medicine) suggest there are at least short term health benefits and potentially more long term ones as well. Still you should definitely do what Ellie did and consult a physician about any big nutritional changes like fasting for a whole day a week.
What do YOU think about fasting one day a week? Could YOU do it??
[Image via Ellie Goulding/Instagram/WENN/Avalon.]
The post Ellie Goulding Responds To Backlash After Revealing She Fasts For 40 HOURS At A Time! appeared first on Perez Hilton.