Hold the lettuce, it's the big carb backlash

03 August 2015 - 08:39 By SHELLEY SEID

Cindy Crawford did it, Khloe Kardashian did it, Rihanna did it - and the proof of the pudding is all over Instagram. #girlswithgluten is a collection of postings of gorgeous women, including top models and celebrities, chewing away on donuts, pizza, pasta and pancakes.It was a backlash waiting to happen. No carb has turned pro- carb. The kilojoule counter-attack comes after decades of restrictive diets that have included high fat (the Banting diet), high protein (the Paleo diet), gluten-free, and meal replacement diets. All of these severely, if not entirely, restrict carbohydrate intake.The three-month-old Twitter account that has attracted 38000 followers gives a new spin to food porn. The page is loaded with provocative pictures of women occasionally in bed, more often in bikinis, gobbling burgers, bagels and baguettes.The impressive list of supermodels and celebrities proudly out of the carb closet include Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bundchen, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner and Khloe - and all are shown stuffing their faces with starch.However, Tiffany Prior, owner of Ice Models Management, says #girlswithgluten is nothing more than a publicity stunt.Prior discovered Victoria's Secret model, Candice Swanepoel, who today is among the world's highest paid models."I guarantee they don't do this every day. It may be encouraging for other people to see models eating junk food but you don't get to look like Cindy or Candice unless you are extremely disciplined," says Prior.She adds that successful models focus on what they eat and exercise."Some of the girls in the photos are extremely skinny. You can't maintain that figure unless you have a strict regime."Social media is wonderfully entertaining, but fickle. After all, it is 'instant' gram. It's fun to look at pretty girls eating unhealthy food, but I'd be surprised if anyone actually ate the entire portion. In fact, in many cases I'd be surprised if they even swallowed," said Prior.Far more important than a carb fest, says Prior, is a healthy, balanced, sustainable routine...

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