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Real Housewives of New York alum Luann de Lesseps shared her secrets to staying fit at 59.
“You should not drink while you eat,” de Lesseps said in an interview with Fox News Digital published on Saturday, February 1, starting with a tip she gleaned from visiting Austrian spas.
“People are drinking cold drinks while they eat,” the reality star, who recently launched her Countess Cabaret tour, continued. “What happens is digestion starts in the mouth. That’s why we salivate because when we’re hungry, you think — the burn — the digestive juices are already going, so the most important thing is to chew a lot while you eat. Pay attention to that. And don’t drink while you’re eating.”
De Lesseps explained that, for example, “Europeans are thinner because they sip wine,” as opposed to “big, cold drinks.”
She went on, “That’s not their thing. This is a very key thing in order to stay in good shape. Drink water 20 minutes before you eat or drink — whatever you want to drink. But 20 minutes before you eat and 20 minutes after. So, not while [eating] because it waters down your digestive enzymes and juices that metabolize your food.”
Another secret for the TV personality’s fit physique is portion control.
“In America, we eat a lot. We get big portions. So, it’s about portion control as well, and eating slowly,” she told the outlet. “When you eat slowly, you don’t eat as much because it takes time for your brain to register that you have actually kind of had enough.”
She said, “So, it’s taking time to eat and taking your time and eating slowly and chewing well. This way, you feel satiated. A lot of people just skip over that point and just eat everything and, you know, listen, I’m guilty of the same thing sometimes. But that’s how I stay fit.”
For de Lesseps, intermittent fasting is another method she uses to maintain her figure. “I love fasting,” she said. “Intermittent fasting, which is you eat late in the morning and you try not to eat [after] 6 p.m. because digestion will wake you up during the middle of the night. Like, if you have a steak at night, you’re bound to wake up in the middle of the night because digestion needs energy, so it wakes you up.”
De Lesseps also advised eating some sort of protein and a salad for lunch instead of dinner, saying that “salad is a no-no after” 6 p.m.
“They’re having a salad at night with their protein and all that, dressing, with parmesan cheese and croutons — and they’re like, ‘This is light,’” she explained. “Well, the problem with salad is it’s 99% water. So, what is that doing? It’s watering down your digestion, just like if you had a drink. People are washing it down with drinks as well, so digestion’s out.”
Instead of salad after 6 p.m., de Lesseps suggested “cooked vegetables,” which she says will have “much more to give you than a salad ever will.” She said, “Not to say that dark greens aren’t good for you. Arugula, spinach, iron filled with vitamins, but during the day. Or you make sautéed spinach at night, and you don’t have salad.”
Apart from diet, de Lesseps suggested being active as another way for people to stay healthy.
“I’m a jock. I love sports. So, I’m very active. I think being very active is one of the best things that you can do in order to stay fit,” she said, listing “water aerobics” and “SoulCycle” as options for being physically active.
“So, those are big tips,” she added. “It’s really about digesting, the way you eat and just keep it moving.”
