12 Kardashian Wellness Tips You Can Actually Afford
Want to look like a Kardashian? Here are 12 of the sisters' most affordable diet, fitness and beauty tips — as well as some expert advice on which ones to follow and which ones to skip.
Overview
If you have been "keeping up" with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, you already know the trio's bodies are looking hotter than ever. While the sisters may be famous for their incredibly lavish lifestyles, many of their health and wellness habits don't cost nearly as much as the Hermes bags hanging from their toned arms. From drugstore vitamins and supplements to dietary restrictions, Kim, Kourtney and Khloe have tried it all, and they're enthusiastically sharing their findings. Here are 12 of their most affordable tips for getting those krazy kurves — along with some expert advice on which ones are legit and which ones are a hard pass.
1. Collagen Supplements
Khloe and Kourtney are both fans of collagen supplements, which can easily be found in the vitamins and supplements section of many chain supermarkets. "Collagen is exactly what you need to maintain your skin's elasticity and firmness. But it's not just a beauty vitamin. Collagen also improves circulation and bone and joint health," Khloe wrote on her app about the supplements. "Stay away, wrinkles and fine lines," she added. Kourtney is also a fan, opting to take hers on an empty stomach.
According to Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, the little capsules aren't exactly a miracle cure for wrinkles and won't directly boost collagen in your bones. "There is a tiny bit of research suggesting supplemental collagen may play a positive role in skin and nail health," she explains. But, instead of popping the pills, she suggests sticking to a diet that's low in sugar and salt and high in vitamin C. "A healthful diet overall can boost the ability of your body to make its own collagen!"
Read more: Does Drinking Collagen Live Up to the Hype?
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Twenty minutes after taking a collagen supplement in the morning, Kourtney drinks one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed into a glass of water. "Both of these habits have a ton of health benefits that affect everything from your skin to the way your body processes nutrients," she recently wrote on her app about the duo. She downs one more apple cider vinegar shot before dinner.
However, instead of moving the bottle into your medicine cabinet, Newgent suggests keeping it in your kitchen — at least for the time being. "Think of apple cider vinegar as a delightful culinary ingredient with benefits," she explains. "Studies find apple cider vinegar seems to have antifungal properties. And preliminary research suggests it may be satiating and have an anti-obesity effect — at least in rats!"
3. Probiotics
Kourtney loves filling her gut with good bacteria. Not only does she take a vegan probiotic shot every morning and evening, but she also enjoys sipping on kombucha during the day. "It contains natural probiotics that provide your gut with healthy bacteria needed to break down food and help with digestion," she explained on her app. "Having a good balance of probiotics in your system is important for your gut, but also helps the appearance of your skin."
Newgent agrees. "Probiotics are basically 'good' bacteria," she says. "They can help keep your gut healthy, plus boost immunity." Since there are many different types, she suggests chatting with your doctor or dietitian to determine which is right for you. It's also important to know that you can get plenty of these beneficial bacteria through your diet, such as in yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and tempeh. So taking them in supplemental form may not be necessary," she says.
Read more: 7 Celebrity Diet Secrets
4. Carbs (the Good Kind)
Kim Kardashian is a self-professed Atkins diet fan, eating lots of protein, high-fiber carbs and healthy fat with every meal. Kim recently admitted that she majorly slimmed down when she added good carbohydrates to her diet. "I was eating absolutely no carbs — or trying to — and that's really hard for me," Kim said on "The View". After adding carbs, "in just a few weeks, I see my body tightening up. I've shrunk and come into place," Kardashian said.
Newgent is totally on board with Kims carbed-up diet. "Other than providing energy, foods with good carbs, like quinoa, brown rice and potatoes, offer many other health-promoting benefits because they're 100 percent real plant food," she explains. An added bonus? "They can add so much enjoyment to a healthy eating plan — and help you stick to that plan in the long run!"
5. Health Nut’s Chinese Chicken Salad
Kim loves a particular salad so much that she eats it every single day. The mother of three confessed her go-to lunch is a Chinese chicken salad from Health Nut in Calabasas, California. Filled with shredded romaine and iceberg lettuces, shredded chicken, chow mein noodles, pickled ginger, carrots and sesame dressing, the concoction tallies up to 450 calories.
Science totally has Kim's back. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when you eat the same food habitually, it may help you eat less overall. "So it can be fine to eat the same thing for one of your meals daily, as long as you're getting a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods in your other meals," Newgent says.
Read more: 13 Strange Celebrity Diets
6. Biotin Supplements
On her app and website, Khloe has confessed she loves vitamins. One of her all-time favorites is biotin, often used to strengthen hair and nails. "But it's more complex than that," she explains. "It also helps the body metabolize fats and carbohydrates and can even lower cholesterol."
While Newgent confirms that biotin plays a role in helping the body break down fats, glucose and amino acids, she doesn't think the supplement is worth taking. "That's just how your body functions. Unfortunately, taking more of it doesn't mean you'll boost metabolism!" she says. "And there's no proof that it can lower cholesterol. Since it's not that common to have a biotin deficiency, taking a biotin supplement is likely a waste of money more than anything else."
7. Sweat-Inducing Gear
Khloe isn't ashamed to wear sweat-inducing gear during her workouts. "I like to be drenched in sweat," she explained. However, the star opts to wear only the top and not the bottoms because "I don't care; I have skinny legs."
Before you follow Khloe's lead, you might want to take into consideration that sweat is basically water weight. "The problem with sauna suits is the weight you lose by wearing them is mostly water weight through perspiration, so it isn't true permanent fat loss," explains celebrity trainer and fitness expert Ramona Braganza. In fact, they can even be counterproductive for weight loss because they ultimately dehydrate you, "and hydration is key for proper digestion and metabolism," she adds.
Read more: 16 Celebrity Weight-Loss Successes
8. Ditching Dairy
When Khloe really wants to lose weight, she says sayonara to dairy. "I went dairy-free for two weeks, and I lost 11 pounds," she told Health. "Now I only drink almond milk. I still love cheese, which is hard, but if I want to lose weight quickly, dairy-free is the way to go."
But don't go sacrificing all things cow (or sheep or goat) in your diet just yet. "If someone loses weight by cutting out dairy, it's basically because they're cutting overall calories, not because it's dairy," Newgent explains. Basically, no single food is inherently "fattening." But if you eat or drink too much of any caloric item, you'll lose weight when you cut that excess from your eating plan and when you don't replace it with a food or beverage of similar nutritional characteristics. So eliminating dairy from your diet isn't exactly a magical recipe for weight loss.
9. Exciting Workouts
Feeling bored with your daily workout? Try adding some variety into the mix a la Khloe. "I love SoulCycle, hot yoga, circuit training, obstacle-type things," she said. "I don't like to do the same workout all the time."
Celebrity Trainer Ramona Braganza, who has trained Halle Berry and Jessica Alba, is totally on board with Khloe's workout ethos. "I recommend it for countering any boredom. It also targets many muscle groups," she says about varying your workouts. She suggests alternating calorie-burning activities like Spinning and circuit training with lower-impact activities, such as yoga and Pilates, for maximum results.
Read more: 8 Celebrities Share Their Fitness Secrets
10. No Scale
Khloe is all about just saying no — to weighing herself. "I don't believe that a weight defines you. I don't weigh myself because I don't care what number I am," the "Revenge Body" host told "Entertainment Tonight." "I think to be happy comes from within…. There's so many miserable people that are thin, and they're hungry!"
Braganza concurs. "I believe in not weighing yourself because we are now comfortable with all types of body sizes," she says, attributing the body-confidence revolution to women like the Kardashians themselves. "As long as you feel healthy and are happier, you will look great!"
11. The Ketosis Diet
Kourtney discovered the fat-burning keto diet in 2017, successfully losing a ton of weight by pairing it with "intermittent fasting." The idea is getting the body into a state of ketosis by maintaining a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein and healthy fats. For energy, your body is forced to burn fat instead of carbohydrates, resulting in weight loss.
While Braganza admits the diet can be effective for short-term weight loss, she doesn't support diets in general. "Any diet that restricts food groups is not a long-term solution," she explains. Instead of restricting food, she suggests finding a balance and establishing healthy long-term habits. Scientific studies agree with Braganza, repeatedly finding most diets aren't a long-term solution for weight maintenance and that dieters inevitably gain the weight back.
Read more: 10 Interesting Diets of Top Actors and Actresses
12. Weight Training
Kim recently revealed her waist is the tiniest it's ever been: 24 inches. But don't think it's because she spends hours every day doing cardio. Over the past year she has been working out with trainer Melissa Alcantara, who she found on Instagram. The two meet up six days a week at 6 a.m., doing a variety of muscle-building exercises. "She didn't want to be skinny," Alcantara told People. "She wanted to have muscle and feel strong. And she wanted to find something she can do for the rest of her life."
Braganza is all about weight training. "The more muscle you have, the less fat you will have," she explains. "Lifting moderate to heavy weights with the right combination of cardio can keep you looking lean and toned without getting bulky."
What Do YOU Think?
Have you tried any of the Kardashian's health and fitness tips? Did any of them pique your interest? Are any of these tips surprising? Let us know in the comments section!