Melissa Joan Hart has revealed the secret behind her 18lb weight loss, which came about as an unexpected side effect of diet changes as part of a ‘longevity journey’.
Some centenarians claim the secret to a long life is eating vegetables and chocolate, while others allege their ripe old age is down to sipping a particular liquor shot each day.
Raw honey has previously been cited as a potential dietary hero for the denizens of Ikaria, Greece, and it’s understood that Blue Zone residents love to consume beans.
Hart, 49, is on her own health and longevity journey amid perimenopause, the transitional phase leading up to menopause.
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Previous studies suggest that the hormonal change is a key factor in determining the longevity and quality of life in people with periods in later years - and it appears Hart wants to start the next chapter of hers in a healthy manner.
Whist attending Steven Tyler’s Grammy Awards viewing party on 1 February, she told People that her lifestyle overhaul had her feeling ‘stronger and better’ than she had in a ‘really long time’.
She also claimed she’d cut two things out of her diet and that she’d been working out ‘really hard’ recently.
The Sabrina the Teenage Witch alumna continued: “I just wanted to feel better.
“It had nothing to do with losing weight. I really didn't think I could lose weight anymore, being in midlife and perimenopause and all those things, I was like, ‘Can I really lose weight? I don't think I can.’”
Despite believing that the perimenopause would stop her from feeling like her best self, the Nine Dead actor announced she’d dropped 18lbs in the past year.
After kickstarting her attempt to ‘just feel better’, Hart eventually took up fasting.
Intermittent fasting is a eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule, as per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Research shows that the practice may help manage your weight and even prevent some forms of disease.
As well as fasting, the mother-of-three admitted she had given up on sugar and alcohol.
“I haven’t had a drink in over a year," she said. "I just don't even enjoy drinking. So why bother?
“So I cut these things out of my life, and I started to feel better. And in doing that, I lost a lot of weight and kind of feel great.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated in 2023 that there was ‘no safe’ amount of alcohol that you can drink, while US dietary guidelines advise Americans to ‘limit’ their intake.
Sugar, meanwhile, can be part of a healthy, balanced diet if consumed in small amounts.
The British Heart Foundation stated that free or added sugar shouldn’t make up more than five percent of the calories we get from food and drink.
The US guardrails say you should try to swap out regular soda for water, and try to oat oatmeal instead of sugar-packed cereal.
Instead of downing alcohol, Hart said she prefers to sip on glasses of club soda and lime or indulge in any kind of hot tea.
“I'll do hot tea, cold tea, green tea, peppermint tea, any kind of tea," she said.
Ella Scott