5 Celebrity Health Clichés Everyday People Absolutely Can't Stand

Depending on who you ask, a celebrity's decision to dole out health advice can be a boon or a bane to society. On the one hand, when a big name opens up about something that helped them on their health journey, it can inspire others in the same boat to explore alternative paths. On the other hand, a celebrity's health advice might not always be scientifically backed and could influence people to go down routes that may not be good for their health. Moreover, there have been occasions when people on the Internet have found celebrity health advice clichéd and wrong (and have called out said celebrities for it).

Chatting with BMJ for a 2013 YouTube video, Steven Hoffman, an assistant professor of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University, shared what he had found after co-conducting research on celebrity influence on his health. "We, as humans, are biologically, psychologically, and socially hardwired to trust celebrity health advice," he explained. "That halo, that glow from celebrities is just so powerful that we just can't resist ourselves from just following whatever they say." 

Hoffman then explained that a celebrity's endorsement of a practice could give rise to herd behavior, whereby more and more people felt compelled to follow something that was gaining popularity. According to Hoffman, social conditioning may also be at play, as people might feel positively associated with a celebrity after trying something they gave their stamp of approval to. For some, following the advice of a big name can feel like gaining social capital and experiencing the same benefits as them. Over the years, we have seen numerous people follow the advice of celebrities for all these reasons and more — but this isn't always the case.

Gwyneth Paltrow's daily diet has caused quite the controversy throughout the years. However, that didn't stop her from sharing a 5-day detox plan on the goop website in 2019. The plan called for the elimination of caffeine, alcohol, dairy, gluten, corn, nightshades, refined sugars, shellfish, white rice, eggs, and soy. The purpose of the 5-day plan was "to give our detox organs a chance to rest and recover." 

Paltrow isn't alone in this, as detox diets have remained an infamous celebrity favorite for decades. In fact, during a 2006 appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, even Beyoncé shared that she had decided to do the master cleanse diet for 14 days to drop 20 pounds for her role in "Dreamgirls." A master cleanse diet restricts food intake to liquids like water, saltwater, lemonade, and tea. In one Reddit thread, someone deemed the master cleanse one of "the most infamous, harmful celebrity diets." 

Many Redditors could not understand how the iconic singer managed to push through the sheer exhaustion caused by the diet for 14 days. Unsurprisingly, exhaustion is a common theme amongst detox dieters due to the caloric restriction. Moreover, the weight loss brought on by the caloric restrictions was likely temporary since it was due to the loss of carbs and water rather than fat. Additionally, a 2020 study in Nutrition & Metabolism found that detox diets don't do much for actually clearing the body of toxins either. Of course, our bodies are naturally capable of detoxifying on their own through the liver and excretions.

Celebrities are no strangers to having extreme morning routines. During a 2017 chat with The Times, Victoria Beckham revealed that she woke up at 6 a.m. and almost immediately headed to the gym to get an hour-long workout session before her kids woke up. After the former Spice Girls' kids headed off to school, she went ahead and did another hour-long workout session before going to work herself. To some, her two morning workout sessions can seem a bit excessive. But Beckham's routine doesn't really hold a candle to Mark Wahlberg's daily schedule. 

In a 2018 Instagram Story (via Business Insider), "The Martian" star revealed that his mornings started at 2:30 a.m. and he had breakfast at 3:15 a.m. After a workout and a shower, he would play golf at 7:30 a.m. and have a cryochamber recovery session at 9:30 a.m. Since Wahlberg's routine takes the term "early riser" to a whole new level, it's unsurprising that his bedtime was at 7:30 p.m. 

On Reddit, many people couldn't help but roll their eyes at the absurdity of the extreme routine, with one person pointing out that they averaged the same amount of sleep as Wahlberg by going back to bed at 12 and waking up around 7. On a similar note, many were left scratching their heads at Wahlberg's sleep schedule, which left him with the same number of hours as everybody else. There were also concerns about how a wake-up time as early as Wahlberg's could affect the body's circadian rhythm.

Over the years, many celebrities have given apple cider vinegar their stamp of approval in one way or another. According to Vogue, Victoria Beckham took to Instagram Stories to share a photo of a bottle of apple cider vinegar and wrote, "First thing when I wake up, a couple of tablespoons on an empty tummy every morning!" Meanwhile, in a 2018 interview with E! News, Kourtney Kardashian shared that she drank apple cider vinegar with water every morning because she found that it had "health benefits that affect everything from your skin to the way your body processes nutrients." Even Miranda Kerr told Vogue Australia (via E! News) in 2014 that she drizzled apple cider vinegar onto her salads. 

However, many Redditors took issue with how big names, especially Victoria's Secret models like Kerr, inadvertently or explicitly chalked up their physiques to the health practice. One Redditor believed that the big names who credited apple cider vinegar for their physique were in the same realm as those celebrities who underwent cosmetic tweaks and then chalked up their youthful appearance to products. Moreover, several others complained about getting heartburn from apple cider vinegar and not being able to stomach it. 

To many, these celebrity stories gave rise to the question: Does apple cider vinegar help you lose weight? According to Mayo Clinic, the drink likely won't be of much help in a weight loss journey, as studies showing apple cider vinegar's supposed benefits for weight loss have been inadequate. Even experts haven't found a link explaining how it could help a person's weight loss journey.

Through ever-changing times, one thing has remained constant: Celebrities promoting extreme diet hacks in the name of wellness. During a 2023 appearance on "The Art of Being Well" podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow shared that she practiced intermittent fasting and usually only had coffee until noon to keep her blood sugar levels in check. To officially break her fast, she would consume bone broth or some other form of soup. For dinner, Paltrow incorporated the principles of paleo "to support [her] detox" and filled her plate with veggies. 

After watching the clip, many social media users accused Paltrow of promoting an extreme caloric restrictive diet in the name of wellness. Chatting with Healthline, Aliza Marogy, a registered nutritionist, pointed out that her diet lacked the building blocks of nutrition like fiber, protein, and minerals. It's worth noting that the goop founder later shared an Instagram Story clarifying that she didn't solely eat bone broth and vegetables, and her diet was largely focused on anti-inflammatory foods in general. 

For many, Paltrow's wellness rituals pale in comparison to the strange health advice that Shailene Woodley once doled out. During a 2014 appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman," the "Divergent" star shared that she ate a teaspoon of clay daily and even made toothpaste out of it. "Clay binds to other materials in your body and helps your body excrete those materials – that are not necessarily the best for you," Woodley said (per People). While Redditors rolled their eyes at the health advice, WebMD notably suggested that clay might prevent the absorption of toxins into the stomach and intestines, as Woodley said.

Celebrities likely mean well when they promote intuitive eating. More often than not, big names who come out in favor of the eating method are those who have been affected by diet culture standards themselves. During a 2024 chat with Us Weekly, Katharine McPhee shared that she had been practicing intuitive eating, explaining, "I had a lot of issues around food. And the more pressure that I had put on myself, like, 'Oh, my God, it's the holidays. Don't go crazy. You can't eat this,' the more crazy that I went." 

With her newfound perspective, McPhee seemingly learned how giving into your cravings could help heal your relationship with food. So, she chose to eat whatever her heart desired without going overboard. On a similar note, Mandy Moore told Allure in 2019 that she was a big proponent of listening to her body's signals. On Reddit, many people have said that the advice "Listen to your body" feels a bit oversimplified and isn't as one-size-fits-all as it seemed. Many found that it did not work well for them because their body's hunger and satiety cues were all tangled up after years of disordered eating. 

It's worth noting that in a chat with The Guardian, Michelle Allison, a registered dietitian, said that practicing intuitive eating wasn't always a good idea for those with a history of disordered eating, since it could increase the fear and anxiety they already had surrounding food. With that, it seems that one of the many myths about intuitive eating that you can stop believing is that it's an ideal option for everyone.