4 Healthy Eating Strategies

Follow four smart eating strategies that celebrities follow and swear by.

A former champion bodybuilder, Rich Barretta has helped sculpt the bodies of celebs like Naomi Watts, Pierce Brosnan and Naomi Campbell. At Rich Barretta Private Training New York City, he offers personalized programs, including target-training methods and nutritional guidance. Barretta shares the four rules for healthy eating that his clients swear by, which you can easily adopt.

Healthy eating strategy # 1: Cut back on booze
If drinking is a big part of your social life, your waistline may suffer. Not only is alcohol loaded with carbs and empty calories, but people tend to make bad food choices when they're buzzed. A couple sugary cocktails can easily add up to a thousand calories (half of the average person's daily need), so Barretta advises avoiding alcohol altogether. If you are going to indulge, opt for a glass of wine or slim down your drink with smart swaps like trading tonic for club soda.

Healthy eating strategy # 2: Just say "no" to fried food
"Grill it, bake it, broil it, steam it, just don't fry it," says Barretta. Frying something perfectly healthy, such as chicken, takes away nutrients, while adding fat and calories. Plus, by eating fried foods at restaurants that still use trans fats, you run the risk of raising artery-clogging bad cholesterol and lowering fat-clearing good cholesterol.

Healthy eating strategy # 3: Avoid carbs at night
There's no need to deprive yourself of carbohydrates, but you should be conscious of when you eat them. By consuming high-carb foods (potatoes, rice, pastas and breads) early in the day, you have more time to burn them off. At night, carbs are more likely to go unused and be stored as fat. Barretta's smart eating rule of thumb: Stick to lean protein and veggies after 6pm.

Healthy eating strategy # 4: Choose unprocessed foods
We all know that fresh unprocessed foods are better for us, but often reach for processed products out of convenience. While it's challenging to cut out processed foods entirely, there are certain ingredients Barretta suggests you steer clear of, including high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, white flour and processed sugar. Your best bet is to shop around the perimeter of the grocery store, where you'll find fresh meats and produce.

By Alla Byrne, Shape.com