Chances are that you’ve heard about Alicia Vikander by now. The 29-year-old Swedish actress made waves after starring in “The Danish Girl,” which she won an Oscar for in 2016. And oh yeah, now she’s starring as Lara Croft in the latest “Tomb Raider” reboot. No big.
You’ve probably seen Alicia’s face splashed across every health magazine at the airport, because the girl is ripped. Seriously. She has a six-pack that would make most personal trainers cry. So what does Alicia Vikander’s diet actually look like? What was the actress eating to get in shape for “Tomb Raider” that gave her those killer abs? Well, the answer is actually simpler than you might think.
First of all, there weren’t any protein bars or crazy weight-loss supplements involved. Instead, Alicia focused on natural foods. According to Magnus Lygdback, Alicia’s personal trainer who spoke with PopSugar, the actress followed a strict ketogenic diet, which the pair decided was the best fit for Alicia’s insane travel schedule.
What Does a Keto Diet Look Like?
The ketogenic diet focuses on eating a whole lot of fats and not a lot of carbohydrates (sorry, pasta — you don’t make the cut). Megan Roosevelt, RDN and founder of Healthy Grocery Girl, told Food Network that this forces the body to burn fat instead of glucose and helps to encourage weight loss.
Alicia took this diet to the next level by ditching carbs altogether. The actress mainly stuck to fish and seafood for her protein while using plenty of avocado and coconut oil for her fats. Oh, and she ate vegetables. Lots and lots of vegetables. Alicia also ditched the standard mealtimes and opted to eat five times a day, which sounds pretty ideal to me, tbh.
How Can I Try It?
If you’re keen to trying out the keto diet for yourself, but you don’t know where to start, then check out this recipe for a breakfast egg casserole. For lunch, you could whip up these salmon avocado poke bowls (just swap out the rice for a bed of lettuce) and you could try this taco salad with cauliflower rice for dinner.
Just be careful and talk to your doctor. Following a strict ketogenic diet can have some icky side-effects, so I personally wouldn’t suggest it for a long-term solution for getting in shape. Even Alicia loves a good eggplant parm, which includes bread crumbs — a definite no-no on the keto diet.
But How Did She Get Those Abs?
Sadly, you can’t eat your way to killer abs — diet is only one component. Alicia exercised at least five times a week, and she tried everything from weight-lifting to MMA to climbing. And that was just the beginning. During filming, Alicia would wake up at 4 am for a full-body workout before shooting began. Fortunately, all of her hard work paid off. According to Lygdback, Alicia put on 12 pounds of solid muscle, which is a pretty impressive achievement. You go, girl.
If you want to see Alicia’s transformation into Lara Croft on the big screen, buy yourself a ticket to “Tomb Raider” while it’s still in theaters. You can even sneak in keto-approved snacks to celebrate Alicia’s success. Bacon jerky, anyone?