Diet/Nutrition

Philip Gross for the James Beard Foundation

Zac Posen is showing off his latest work, a vision of delicate purples and greens, but the star-favorite designer isn’t at a runway show. He’s behind the stove in New York’s James Beard House, helping prepare dinner for 100. And this new creation? A platter of purple Peruvian potatoes topped with caviar and garnished with chives and purple borage flowers. “Borage is decoration, but it has a flavor,” says Posen. “I go by taste, not color.” An enthusiastic foodie since he was a teen, Posen says he used to cook for small groups of fashion editors. “I thought it was important to feed them and bring them together as a community.” But this weekend Posen, 28, was in the culinary big league, sharing KP duties with Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis and award-winning Aquavit chef Marcus Samuelsson, a long-time friend of Posen’s who says, “Zac is great in the kitchen.” The three, along with a team of sous-chefs, are at this culinary landmark to turn out a four-course dinner featuring Zac’s fennel and crayfish bisque, Marcus’s slow-cooked chicken with foie gras and pumpkin puree, Giada’s eggplant timbale, and a dessert of poached pears and ginger ice cream — a Giada-Zac collaboration. “I’d met him before, but I didn’t know he loved to cook,” says De Laurentiis. “I’m impressed he’s executed it all! It’s different doing a dinner party than dinner for 100 people.” The designer, who shrugs off the title “chef” in favor of “food lover” says the bustle of the kitchen isn’t so different from that of a fashion house: “It’s the super-speed atelier.” Proceeds from the dinner, part of the New York City Wine and Food Festival, go to benefit two anti-hunger charities: Share Our Strength and the Food Bank for New York City. –Allison Adato

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Roger Karnbad/Celebrity Photo

Valerie Bertinelli, Phylicia Rashad and Queen Latifah won’t be the only stars officially whipping their figures into shape with Jenny Craig. Just six weeks after giving birth to her second child, Nicole Sullivan of Lifetime’s Rita Rocks plans to begin a new role, losing 35 lbs. of baby weight as a spokesperson for the weight-loss program. “Baby weight’s different than other stuff,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “You spend a year of your life eating what you want and enjoying letting the baby have what it feels like having — and I’[ve] lost track of what I’m supposed to be doing that’s right.” In addition to retraining herself about portion control, the actress (whose show returns Oct. 5) hopes that access to one of the program’s personal weight-loss counselors will keep her cravings in check. “If I could have done it on my own I would have,” Nicole explains, continuing, “There’s going to be someone I can ask questions — and someone to call me on my B.S.” (more…)

Courtesy Body+Soul

Martha Stewart has built a career on living well, and in the newest issue of Body and Soul she’s letting the world know when it comes to staying fit, counting calories will never make her cut as “a good thing.” The talk show host joins forces with her daughter Alexis in their wellness magazine to dish on how they keep in shape without denying themselves. “It is great to share with our readers some of my and Alexis’ tips in how we stay fit and healthy,” Martha tells PEOPLE of what prompted a fitness focus. “We have lots of routines for good eating, fitness, beauty and living that we will be including in future issues of Body and Soul.” So just what are their top tips? Well, for starters, “Convenience food is just not in my vocabulary,” Martha says, revealing that she loves nothing more than farm-fresh, organic produce and dairy. The mother-daughter team also shares a love of fitness, which includes yoga classes and regular sessions with a personal trainer — with Martha hitting her home gym at 6:30 A.M. daily. “Yoga is incredibly relaxing, but strenuous, too,” she says. But for those of us who can’t afford our own trainer, she reveals a favorite budget-friendly fitness alternative: cleaning. “I’ve never had a housekeeper and I never will,” she says, “Cleaning does it for me.” Get more of Martha and Alexis’s indulgences, must-haves, and stress cures in Body and Soul — and be sure to tune into The Martha Stewart Show on September 23rd to see Alexis appear alongside her mother and the magazine’s editor Terri Trespico to talk more about their personal health and fitness routines.

Courtesy of Shape Magazine

She might be a bona fide California beach girl, but even Lauren Conrad admits to slacking in the exercise department sometimes. For her second Shape cover (her first was January 2008), the New York Times best-selling author chats about her romance with actor Kyle Howard and her new clothing line for Kohl’s while sitting pretty for three very different cover shots. At the beginning of her relationship, Lauren admits to getting soft around the middle. “I call it the ‘boyfriend layer’,” she tells the magazine. “We were having more romantic dinners out, and I was exercising less.” So what’s a girl to do? Take your dates to the gym, of course! “I just ask Kyle, ‘You feel like working out?’ It’s more fun than hitting the gym alone,” says Lauren. The couple spends most of their time outdoors anyway. “We like doing outdoor stuff: tennis, bike riding, kayaking, stand-up surfing, hiking in the canyons around L.A.,” says Lauren. And when the happy couple isn’t exercising together, Lauren is busy working on her newest adventure in design, LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s, which will hit stores in October. Her line of affordable and flattering jeans and blouses will be perfect for every shape. “It’s all about finding silhouettes that highlight the best parts of your figure,” says Lauren. As an added bonus, Lauren took three lucky Shape readers with very different body types shopping and shared some fashion advice with them. Pick up the September issue of Shape to hear more of Lauren’s advice on dressing for your body and working out.

CLICK HERE TO SEE TWO MORE SHAPE COVERS FEATURING LAUREN!
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This week on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Anne Hathaway explained her favorite new drink, which she discovered through Bride Wars costar Kate Hudson (watch the video!). Turns out the “Skinnygirl Margarita” is actually the invention of another celebrity — the Real Housewives of New York City’s Bethenny Frankel! Kate is a huge fan of the show’s and of Bethenny’s, in particular. While the drink is actually going to be sold in pre-bottled form in stores this summer, you can start making the low-cal drink (under 120 calories per serving) at home now.

Over ice, pour:
One shot (1.5 oz) clear tequila
4 limes (squeezed)
A tiny splash of Cointreau or triple sec
*if too strong, add a splash of soda

Lionel Cironneau/AP

After giving us her personal holiday recipes, Gwyneth Paltrow shares her post-holiday diet secret in her latest GOOP newsletter. Gwyneth admits, “I need to lose a few pounds of holiday excess. Anyone else? I like to do fasts and detoxes a couple of times during the year, the most hardcore one being the Master Cleanse I did last spring. It was not what you would characterize as pretty. Or easy.” Working with her doctor, a detox diet specialist, Gwyneth has created a seven-day elimantion diet that helps detox the body. “As I do not wish to subsist on lemon water in the middle of winter, I asked my doctor, a detox diet specialist, for the guidelines he uses to achieve a good detox that is not as hallucinogenic (in a bad way) as the Master Cleanse,” says Gwyneth. “What it came down to was this: you can detox easily and effectively while you continue to eat as long as you are cutting out the foods and other substances that interfere with the detoxification process.” While cutting out dairy, grains with gluten, meat, shellfish, anything processed (including all soy products), fatty nuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar and obviously no alcohol, caffeine or soda, Gwyneth’s diet consist of salads, fruit smoothies, chicken, soups and lots of water. Click here to read the full scoop on Goop.com.

courtesy Max Brenner

Chocolate lovers, meet Max Brenner. We’ve been smitten with Max ever since he set up shop in New York City (Mary-Kate Olsen, Kate Bosworth and Usher are fans as well). With treats like whipped dark chocolate cream truffles spiced with cognac and rolled in cocoa powder, who can resist? Now, thanks to the newly-launched e-commerce portion of MaxBrenner.com, you don’t have to visit New York to discover Max. The site serves up the same delectable chocolates you can get in the shop, now shipped straight to your door. To make this deal even sweeter, he’s launched a new collection of colorful tins just in time for online ordering! Devour the chocolate, and keep the tins for storing little doodads — what could be better than satisfying your sweet tooth and your New Year’s resolution to get organized?