Jennifer Lopez recently turned 45, but the 164m (approx. 5ft4ins) singer and mum-of-two is in the best shape of her life, thanks to making the switch to vegan eating. She recently dropped “that really stubborn” 10lbs (4.5kg) from her famous 130lbs (59kg) curvy figure, dropping from a US size 4 to a US size 2, thanks to a clean diet of organic fruit and vegetables, coupled with intense dance rehearsals. Her youthful appearance is down to clean living: she doesn’t drink or smoke, eats low-salt and low-sugar, portion-controlled meals and gets eight hours sleep a night. Here is how she got in her best shape ever.
JENNIFER LOPEZ’S DIET
Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez hired exercise physiologist Marco Borges, who has previously worked with Beyoncé, Jay Z, Gwen Stefani, Shakira, and Pharrell Williams. He devised a tasty vegan menu for the singer and her family featuring quinoa enchiladas, black bean burgers and zucchini ‘pasta’. The plan was so delicious, her whole family – including six-year-old twins Max and Emme – went vegan, though she admits she does still let the kids snack on chips. She’s even allowed the odd sweet treat in the form of Borges’ 22 Days cherry chocolate bliss bar. “Being vegan, it’s basically no dairy, no meat, everything is plant-based and from the ground. Butter is the one thing I miss!”
FOODS BANNED FROM JENNIFER LOPEZ’S DIET:
- Meat
- Fish and shellfish
- Dairy products
- Eggs, including mayonnaise
- White sugar
- Alcohol
JENNIFER LOPEZ’S DIET ADVICE:
“You got to work out, you got to watch what you eat. It’s a job – you’ve got to buckle down.”
Jennifer Lopez may be 45 but she has the best abs in showbiz
EXAMPLE OF MEALS
TAKEN FROM THE FIVE-WEEK VEGAN DIET PLAN FROM MARCO BORGES
Breakfast
Millet cereal topped with bananas, blueberries, almond milk
Lunch
Kale salad with red peppers
Evening meal
Zucchini ‘pasta’ topped with vegan cheese and tomatoes
Snacks
22 Day’s Cherry Chocolate Bliss Bars
JLO’s recent music video with Iggy Azalea drew even more attention to her famous derriere
JENNIFER LOPEZ’S WORKOUT
During her recent Dance Again tour, JLo hit the dance rehearsals hard, training for up to six hours a day. But she was never one to shirk a fitness challenge: in 2008 she took on a triathlon to lose the baby weight after the birth of her twins. She is also a devotee of the Tracy Anderson Method. “[I’m like] a fighter, going into the ring. I do my cardio and I do my workouts with the Tracy Anderson Method,” says the singer.
JENNIFER LOPEZ ON HEALTH & FITNESS:
“You do feel better. I do recommend the vegan diet because you wake up and feel great! I feel great mentally and physically.”
“I’m not an exercise fanatic. I don’t love it, but I do dance a lot for the shows, so that helps.”
“Just like anybody else, there are days I feel great when I wake up, and then there are days when I feel more tired or not ready to face the day. To be quite honest, on those days, I really try to think positively. I try to do a lot of affirmations for good health and positive thinking to just get my mind and my spirit in the right place so I can face whatever it is that I need to face.”
“I remember when I had baby fat and my thighs were so out of proportion to my ankles. Then I remember dropping weight and being quite thin. Then, when I got pregnant, I remember watching my back, belly and butt grow and thinking, ‘I will never be the same again.’ Then I remember right after the twins were born having that weird jiggly belly — and kind of loving that, too, because I earned that jiggly belly. Then came trying to get my body back into shape and how long that took – a whole year.”
“Sometimes when I get home and I’m not feeling so great, I make myself go to the gym. Then I come home and take a shower, put on a great outfit, some make-up, tie my hair up, and I feel pepped up and great about myself.”
GWYNETH PALTROW’S HEALTH AND DIET SECRETS
JENNIFER ANISTON’S HEALTH AND DIET SECRETS
SARAH JESSICA PARKER’S HEALTH AND DIET SECRETS
KENDALL JENNER’S HEALTH AND DIET SECRETS
Words: Aoife Stuart Madge
Images: Getty and Instagram
