I love Dancing with the Stars. I love Dancing with the Stars more than Paula Deen loves her butter and more than Guy Fieri loves wearing his sunglasses backwards on his head.
As an avid fan of the ballroom dance competition show and not of dieting, I always wonder how the Dancing with the Stars professionals like Cheryl Burke, Kym Johnson, and Mark Ballas keep their perfectly sculpted bodies in check.
Take a look at their power food diets and you might just be able to get yourself into one of those outrageously bedazzled Cha Cha costumes.
1. Cheryl Burke
Burke is a legend on the Dancing with the Stars stage. For breakfast, Burke starts her day with turkey bacon and egg whites, with no toast or any other added starch. The egg whites provide an extra source of protein alongside the turkey bacon.
For lunch, her power through the day comes from a Cobb salad she makes with added turkey bacon and no cheese on top. Finally for dinner she munches on lentils, lentils and more lentils. Lentils are rich in fiber and protein. Cheryl lost fifteen pounds from her new portion controlled diet.
#SpoonTip: Put the dressing on the side of the salad, so you don’t eat extra calories with extra dressing that you don’t want in the first place.
#SpoonTip: Instead of making your bacon in a frying pan, bake it in the oven. And after you pull them out of the oven, pat the strips down with a paper towel to remove excess grease.
2. Karina Smirnoff
Karina is one of the luckiest stars on Dancing with the Stars—her Season 17 partner was Corbin Bleu. (Shoutout to all of my High School Musical fans out there.)
Smirnoff starts off her day with an egg, sliced avocados, and a palm full of chopped potatoes. The eggs are high in protein, which serve as her starting power source of the day, the avocados are “good fat” and also great for your skin, and the potatoes are only consumed to keep her full for a longer duration.
For a snack Smirnoff eats LOTS of fruits and vegetables (three to four times a day), and makes her own homemade trail mix. For lunch she has a kale and spinach salad and for dinner chows down on a lean meat with salad. You look great girl!
#SpoonTip: You don’t have to eat the breakfast potatoes.
3. Mark Ballas
Mark Ballas is one of my favorite male dancers on Dancing with the Stars and is perhaps the most creative pro of them all. Ballas starts off every day with a freshly pressed juice from Pressed Juicery.
During the day he eats very few snacks that include a handful of organic cashews or almonds or a sliced apple. He drinks a protein shake which consists of two scoops of chocolate protein powder, one tablespoon of organic peanut butter, two medium bananas, two egg whites, one whole egg, and six ounces of water. And for dinner Ballas “indulges” on a piece or two of organic grilled chicken with mixed organic vegetables.
4. Kym Johnson
The most important thing to Dancing with the Stars pro Kym Johnson—other than her husband Robert Herjavec—is hydration. She drinks a minimum of eight glasses of water per day.
For breakfast Kim eats a slice of Ezekiel sprouted-grain bread with sliced avocado, lemon juice, and salt pepper. She reenergizes with a midday snack: half a cup of hummus and half a cup of carrots. At lunch Johnson eats a mixed green salad with avocado, goat cheese crumbles, dried cranberries, and chopped tomato topped with home made dressing: two tablespoons olive oil, maple syrup, juice from half a lemon, and salt and pepper. She washes this down with her digestion tea.
For dinner Johnson consumes a grilled turkey burger patty, two slices of tomato, two lettuce lettuce leaves, and two slices of a pickle with a side of sweet potato fries (one medium sweet potato cut into wedges baked in coconut oil with spices to taste).
5. Julianne Hough
Julianne Hough, the definition of triple threat, is constantly on the road performing. Not only does Julianne have two Mirror Ball Trophies in Dancing with the Stars Hall of Fame, she now accompanies Len, Carrie Ann, and Bruno at the judge’s table.
While on the road, Julianne starts off her day with green juice and hard boil eggs for breakfast. In order for Hough to power through day, she continues with a plain grilled chicken mixed salad for lunch and tops it with different veggies. For refueling later in the day she likes to snack on green apples or a fiber rich protein bar.
Julianne says it herself that after all of her long and intense performances she likes to have something hearty for dinner. Her on-the-road dinner usually consists of grilled or stir fry chicken, quinoa, sweet potatoes or a green salad. Julianne, if you’re reading this know that you are my idol.