Fat or fad? Celebrity basket cases

Britney Spears
What goes up must come down, and Britney's yo-yo diet and ever-morphing figure is concrete proof of this. Rarely does a week go by without paparazzi shots of Ms Spears exiting a drive-thru with a super size helping of burgers and fries. But what's this? A new figure in a matter of weeks?

Britney's weekly shop could one week be dominated by complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, vegetables, pulses and wholegrain breads, and on another day include a jumbo pack of crisps and cookie dough ice-cream (her favourite), washed down by a large bottle of fizzy drink. This type of dieting, from one extreme to another, has a short-term effect but in the long-term can lead to even more weight gain.

Kylie Minogue
A pop princess, no matter how pint-sized, can't model her own range of incy-wincy bikinis without following some sort of diet. Kylie has long been a supporter of the GI Diet but this isn't just a celebrity slimming diet. Its health benefits have also been hailed by medical professions.

Based on the glycemic index, the GI diet is measured through how food affects our blood glucose levels. While Kylie's shopping basket will be brimming with slow-release foods such as porridge, bran, whole wheat pasta and brown rice, it will also contain some surprising items like dark chocolate, salted peanuts, shortbread and sugar-free jam, all in moderation of course.

Nigella Lawson
When your job is being a domestic goddess, sticking to a disciplined diet is no easy feat. That's why The Zone Diet is perfect for TV chef Nigella Lawson. The Zone Diet doesn't cut back on any one food group; rather it recommends that your diet consists of carbohydrates (40 per cent), fat (30 per cent) and proteins (30 per cent).

Nigella's shopping basket would contain protein such as chicken, fish, beef, turkey and tofu, as well as carbohydrates like pasta and polenta. Luckily, she'll still be able to put her domestic goddess skills into practice with treats like cheesecake and muffins. But unlike most of us, Nigella's basket would contain the raw ingredients like sugar, butter and flour. And with her husband's famously blase attitude towards his wife's fare, Nigella would have to reluctantly throw in a box of cereal and processed cheese, just a couple of Mr Saatchi's not-so-decadent favourites.