By Rosemary Donahue, Allure
Swimsuit season can put added pressure on even those of us who aren't models (and sometimes, models you wouldn't think are insecure actually are — including Ashley Graham!). It's normal to feel vulnerable when the weather heats up and we start to wear less clothing. However, insecurity doesn't mean we need to look to extreme diets or "cleanses", for example the "salt depletion" regimen touted by Dolce & Gabbana model David Gandy in an interview with US Weekly.
[post_ads]In the interview, models Gandy and Bianca Balti, who co-starred in a recent Dolce & Gabbana fragrance ad, were asked about their pre-shoot routines. Balti said she avoids a big breakfast. Gandy, on the other hand, said, "Mine is a bit more intense than that," before diving into an explanation of his "salt depletion" ritual. "You deplete all the salt two days before you shoot, and then the day before you dehydrate yourself," he said. "Literally the day before you drink only one glass of water. And that night you take a boiling hot bath. By the shoot you’ve got no liquid in you whatsoever."
If you think this sounds like a bad idea, you're right. "Sodium is a vital mineral needed for our bodies to function properly and should not be completely eliminated from our diet," nutritionist Keri Gans, R.D.N. tells Allure. "It is responsible for muscle contractions, nerve transmissions, maintaining pH balance, and hydration."
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Though many people reduce salt intake to lower bloat, it's dangerous to cut it out completely, thus dehydrating yourself on purpose. "Dehydration particularly can cause side effects such as dizziness, increased thirst, dry mouth, fatigue, and a headache. You can also experience decreased urine output which may put you at risk for a heart attack," Gans says. While most of us don't face pressures like shooting high-fashion campaigns, sometimes beauty standards can be enough to make extreme measures like this sound like a good idea. It's pretty difficult, however, to enjoy a beach day when all you can think about is how much you need a glass of water.
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[post_ads]In the interview, models Gandy and Bianca Balti, who co-starred in a recent Dolce & Gabbana fragrance ad, were asked about their pre-shoot routines. Balti said she avoids a big breakfast. Gandy, on the other hand, said, "Mine is a bit more intense than that," before diving into an explanation of his "salt depletion" ritual. "You deplete all the salt two days before you shoot, and then the day before you dehydrate yourself," he said. "Literally the day before you drink only one glass of water. And that night you take a boiling hot bath. By the shoot you’ve got no liquid in you whatsoever."
If you think this sounds like a bad idea, you're right. "Sodium is a vital mineral needed for our bodies to function properly and should not be completely eliminated from our diet," nutritionist Keri Gans, R.D.N. tells Allure. "It is responsible for muscle contractions, nerve transmissions, maintaining pH balance, and hydration."
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Though many people reduce salt intake to lower bloat, it's dangerous to cut it out completely, thus dehydrating yourself on purpose. "Dehydration particularly can cause side effects such as dizziness, increased thirst, dry mouth, fatigue, and a headache. You can also experience decreased urine output which may put you at risk for a heart attack," Gans says. While most of us don't face pressures like shooting high-fashion campaigns, sometimes beauty standards can be enough to make extreme measures like this sound like a good idea. It's pretty difficult, however, to enjoy a beach day when all you can think about is how much you need a glass of water.
More on bodies:
