Rosanna Davison has warned about the dangers of extreme dieting after revealing she piled on the pounds following a crash diet.
The former Miss World, 34, plans on opening a health centre to help people understand the scientific benefits of eating a balanced diet.
The Eat Yourself Fit and Eat Yourself Beautiful author explained how she once followed the fad diet of drinking water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper but regretted it.
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Rosanna, who has three degrees in nutrition, told the Irish Mirror: “About 10 years ago I did the crash diet Beyonce was talking about where you drink a special drink made of water maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
“I did it for 5 or 6 days and for the first few days it was pretty miserable but then I started to get used to it. But of course the minute I stopped it I ate all around me and put on more weight.
“In five days you’re not losing much weight, just water retention, you’re so hungry when you stop it that you end up worse off.
“It was counterproductive, I know Beyonce did it for her role in Dreamgirls.
“I guess if you’re doing it for a movie there’s a reason for going through all the pain of it but for me it was just an experiment and I regretted it.”
The Dubliner wants to change our mindset around healthy food adding: “I just want to be able to help people, there are so many diets out there that are leading people on the wrong route.”
Rosanna has just completed her scientific masters in nutrition and advises to enjoy treats in moderation over Easter – or even go for a healthier DIY option.
She said: “Making your own chocolate truffles from my first book, Eat Yourself Beautiful are a great one to make with the kids. I used rich indulgent ingredients free from refined sugar, like dates and coconut oil and cacao.
“You can get your hands a bit messy and it’s great fun for the kids. It can work if you introduce the little ones to varieties of chocolate lower in sugar, their taste buds get used to it and they don’t crave the bad sugars as much.”
