Bridget Jones's Diet
iVillage nutritionist, Dr Wynnie Chan, reveals why you should never eat like the saturated-fat loving singleton
Bridget's diet, 1 January
2 packets of Emmental cheese slices
14 cold new potatoes
2 Bloody Marys
1/3 ciabatta loaf with Brie
½ packet coriander leaves
12 Milk Tray chocolates
13 cocktail sticks with cheese and pineapple cubes
Turkey curry, peas and bananas
Raspberry surprise made with Bourbon biscuits, tinned raspberries, 8 gallons of whipped cream, decorated with glace cherries and Angelica
14 units of alcohol
Total calories: 5424
Diet makeover: Bless her! Bridget has more than doubled her daily calorie requirement and she'll need to walk at breakneck speed uphill for over six hours to burn off these excess calories. Knowing her track record at the gym, this is unlikely, so she needs to reduce her overall calories. Her daily fat intake is high, thanks to whipped cream and Brie cheese overload, and she's well beyond the daily recommendation of 35% of her calories coming from fat and 11% from saturated fat. As such, she could be increasing her risk of clogged up arteries and ultimately heart disease (she'd agree - not v. good). Bridget would be better off replacing the Brie with a low fat cheese like Edam, going for half fat cream - and not a swimming-poolful - and obviously reducing her mountain of sweets to a foothill.
Even though Bridge has eaten 14 potatoes and some bread, her carb intake is low compared to the rest of her diet. She hasn't eaten enough wholegrain carbs or veggies to meet her requirement of 18g daily fibre, so she may feel constipated if she keeps this up for more than a couple of days (obviously not best scenario whilst with Mark Darcy). Although having a few chocolates is fine, 12 Milk Trays is not, and she knows it. She'll be going up a pants size before she can say 'calorie'.
On the positive side . . . with seven portions of dairy foods today, she's fulfilled her calcium need. If she continues this, her bones and teeth will be strong and she may be less likely to develop osteoporosis in later life. Bridget has managed to eat three portions of fruit, which is great as these are packed with vitamin C and healthy antioxidants.
On the alcohol front, Bridget has consumed seven times the daily benchmark of 2-3 units for women. While she might like being the office lush, she should know that boozing this much regularly could cause serious long-term health problems such as liver disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease...oh, and alcoholism.
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