Celebrity Diets in a Fun Photo Project (11 photos)

The list of celebrities who go on diets grows every year, but this phenomenon is far from new. Past icons like Lord Byron have gone on diets, and now actresses, models, TV presenters, and other modern celebrities are doing the same.





Italian photographer Dan Bannino has created an unusual and ironic series of still lifes, titled "Still Diet." The artist's photo project showcases the gastronomic quirks of famous people. The project's subjects include both modern stars and historical figures.

"The goal of my project was to uncover the unexpected beauty that can be found in very cramped and pleasure-deprived circumstances. Furthermore, by drawing inspiration from classical art, I wanted to show that the strangeness of diets hasn't changed since the 15th century."



Beyoncé Knowles: maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, herbal laxative tea, salt. It's no surprise that with such a detoxifying diet, the singer requires a fair amount of toilet paper.

This is exactly the detox diet the singer tried herself when she had to lose 25 pounds for her role as a black singer in the musical "Dreamgirls."

Gwyneth Paltrow: broccoli, carrots, onions, nut-lentil pâté, peas, and lemon water.

The actress has been a strict vegetarian and gluten-free diet for many years, so it's no surprise that she has so many vegetables on her plate. Plus, the slender Gwyneth has written four books on healthy eating and runs a healthy lifestyle blog called Goop.



Simon Cowell: strawberries, cranberries, grapes, pineapples, blueberries, avocados, oranges, and mangoes—all in smoothie form. Bath milk and vitamins.

Simon, an English TV presenter, producer, and participant in fashion shows, looks simply amazing for his 59 years. Perhaps this is due to his diet, rich in exotic fruits and berries. The famous Brit prefers to make smoothies from them, which he also flavors with liquid vitamins. This diet zealot and adherent of eternal youth even bathes in milk, as Cleopatra once did.



King Henry VII: chicken, rabbit, lamb, pork, fruit, and wine.

The table of the first Tudor monarch demonstrates the eating habits of upper-class British aristocrats in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Many different types of meat, no vegetables, but several types of fruit. All washed down with copious amounts of wine.



Venetian nobleman Luigi Cornaro: half a liter of grape juice and boiled eggs.

This wealthy Venetian, who lived in the 16th century, caroused and wasted his life until the age of 35, when doctors warned him of his impending death. Luigi came to his senses and became extremely frugal in food and drink: he ate only twice a day, but drank grape juice—an elixir of longevity—every day. Thanks to this asceticism, he lived to be 102 and wrote a book, "The Art of Living Long," which has been read and translated for nearly 500 years.



Bill Clinton: Cabbage soup and a whole host of vegetables.

Clinton had previously been an immoderate eater, which led to mild obesity. After doctors discovered heart problems in 2009, the former US president became a vegan, eliminating dairy, eggs, meat, and fish from his diet. Thanks to this diet, Clinton not only significantly lowered his cholesterol but also lost 11 kilograms.



Kate Moss: Cigarettes and Alcohol.

The British supermodel may have kicked her habits, but she spent her wild youth in the company of alcohol and cigarettes. The photographer didn't hesitate to decorate the table with spilled flour (near an overturned ice bucket), hinting that cocaine is also needed for energy on such a diet. And for good reason, because in 2005, a real scandal erupted when a video of the model snorting powder with her friend Pete Doherty became public knowledge.



Charles Saatchi: a glass of wine and nine eggs prepared in various ways.

The world-renowned contemporary art collector and owner of The Saatchi Gallery eats eggs prepared in a variety of ways. In collaboration with renowned chef Nigella Lawson (his wife), he developed his own version of the egg-and-wine diet, which helped him lose over 18 kg in nine months. Among other things, a shark is featured on the table – a collector's item purchased from art hooligan Damien Hirst in 1991.



Lord Byron: mineral water and potatoes in vinegar.

Lord Byron was one of the first icons of the masses to adhere to a strict diet. The English Romantic poet followed a strict, but rather strange, diet while studying at Cambridge University. He ate biscuits and potatoes soaked in vinegar, drank seltzer water, and wore several layers of woolen clothing to sweat out the extra pounds.



According to the archival documents of the wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd, which still exist today, Byron weighed 88 kg (190 lbs) in 1806, but by 1811 he had dropped to less than 57 kg (122 lbs), meaning he had lost over 31 kg (68 lbs), which is truly significant.