Socialites and designers swear by the 'human being diet'

A nutrition expert has revealed her diet plan helps stars lose weight, feel more energetic and sleep better - but the restrictive regime will see dieters only eating 600 calories a day.

Petronella Ravenshear, who is from London but recently relocated to Florida, names socialite Jemma Kidd and fashion designer Donna Ida among her fans.

The fashion set love the regime, called the Human Being Diet, which focuses on 'metabolic balance and better digestive health' and has racked up a huge following on social media.

Petronella more than 24,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts about the diet to devoted fans, and there are more than 10,000 posts on the hashtag #thehumanbeingdiet.

Petronella Ravenshear, who is from London but recently relocated to Florida, names socialite Jemma Kidd (left) and fashion designer Donna Ida (right) among her fans.

In a new book, with Petronella insists 'isn't a diet book' but a 'three-month programme that lays a new way of eating and living', she share a 'painless path' to help people have 'boundless energy' achieve their 'perfect weight' and get 'flawless skin' 'refreshing sleep' and 'better sex' along the way.

Those brave enough to try will have two days with no meat, fat or alcohol and instead just eat 100g worth of vegetables blended into a soup.

After that, dieters can introduce meat and other forms of protein into their diet - but no oil or alcohol is allowed, meaning those on the diet will eat around 600 calories a day for two weeks.  

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'The first 16 days are hardcore, being oil, alcohol, sugar and grain-free, and should be viewed as sacrosanct,' Petrnonella writes on her website.

'They set the scene for the success of the programme and the metabolic reset it delivers. 

'One of the exciting side effects of following the HBD programme is weight loss. What else can you expect? Better energy, more resilience and a brighter outlook on life. along with stable blood sugar levels, rebalanced hormones and a resolution of many painful conditions'. 

Petronella (left) more than 24,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts about the diet to devoted fans, and there are more than 10,000 posts on the hashtag #thehumanbeingdiet. Her book is right

Phase three,  which lasts a whole ten weeks, allows the addition of one tablespoon of olive oil with each meal and a weekly treat meal - which can be anything from an indulgent Chinese takeaway to fish and chips enjoyed with a drink.

The final phase - which is forever' - sees customers continue phases three but relax to see what fits their lifestyle, and introduce more cheat meals if they like.

THE FOUR PHASES OF THE HUMAN BEING DIET 

Phase 1: Preparation

Two days  of vegetables only - Petronella describes this as 'pretty brutal'.

Thirty minutes before  breakfast on day one, Pertonella recommends eating four tsp of Epsom salts, dissolved in warm water, followed by a glass of fresh water. She claims this softens stools and prevents constipation.

The rest of the two days will see the dieter eating no grains, protein of fat instead opting for only vegetables - but root veggies, including potatoes, beetroot and turnips are not allowed.

Instead, Petronella prescribes any 100g combination of vegetables, blended into a soup - with curry powder of turmeric added to combat blandness.

Soup should be followed with a strong black organic coffee to aid digestion.   

Phase 2: Reset

Two weeks of eating three meals a day, combining equal weights of one type of protein and a mixture of vegetables and eating one apple a day.

Protein allowed includes salmon, minced beef, tofu and salmon - but calorie intake is around 600 a day.

There's no alcohol either.    

Petronella advises aiming for 100-120g of protein and equal weigh of vegetables with each meal. Stopping midway through to eat an apple.

Phase 3: Burn

10 weeks of a continuation of phase two, with the addition of 1tbsp olive oil with each meal and a weekly treat meal, this can include an indulgent takeaway or roast dinner and even a glass of wine. 

Dieters will be eating around 1,200 calories a day, and will have to adopt a 16:8 diet - meaning you fast for 16 hours a day an only eat for eight hours.

Phase 4: Forever

A continuation of phase three and a discovery of which foods best suit us. 

Experimenting with extra treat meals but maintaining the HBD principles.

Petronella studied at Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London, the Natura Foundation and The Institute for Functional Medicine and names many naturopaths among her biggest influences.

She says she's inspired by 'the body’s innate healing power'.

Writing on her website she claims: 'I am inspired by the massive changes in health that occur with changes in nutrition and how the body affects the mind and vice versa. 

'And I’m always inspired by the people who come to see me who are ready for change. '

Her diet rules for her own life include 'eat food as close to nature as possible' and 'if you have to process it any way leave it'.

She adds if you can 'hunt it or fish it, eat it' and that 'food with a shelf life has no life, avoid it'.  

She's also popular with others in the field, and holds quarterly meetings for nutrition experts in London to discuss new research and share case studies and in an interview with Sheer Luxe she said she's 'on speed dial for A-listers and fashion editors alike'.

Her other advice includes always leaving five hours between meals and admits that she sometimes fasts for 24 hours.

'This is a challenge, but it’s also incredibly energising. Of course, food gives us energy, but it also takes energy to digest and absorb food,' she claims. 

While her rules with herself are strict, she does drink alcohol, but abstains for three months of the year, and says that 'apple cider vinegar with sparkling water' is a great substitute for wine.

Speaking to the Times, Petronella said that she wrote the self-published book as 'not everyone could afford' to come to her 'booked out clinic' in Chelsea.  

'Not everyone can afford private nutrition consultations and appointments at my Chelsea clinic were permanently full, so I wanted to get the word out there,' 

'The response has been phenomenal as people discover the diet works for them.' 

'For a lot of people it's a case of having to re-establish better nutritional balance: weight loss is one of the side effects of that, but overwhelmingly people tell me that once they have adopted the diet they sleep better, have a healthier complexion, lower levels of stress and that they are rejuvenated, bouncing out of bed ready to tackle the day.' 

While many on social media have praised the diet, saying it's seen them lose weight and feel healthier, others have said it's dangerous to advice people to eat just 600 calories a day.

Women on average need 1,600 - 2,400 calories a day - depending on their height, weight and exercise levels, while men need between 2,000 and 3,000 on average.  

The NHS recommends men aim for 1,900 calories a day for weight loss, while women eat around 1,400 - and that very low calorie diets (under 800 calories) are not suitable for most people.

While very low calorie diets can lead to short term weight loss, it is likely that the weight will come back on after the diet ends and they can lead to hair thinning, low energy, headaches and dizziness.  

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