January is typically a time for New Year's resolutions, and diet and exercise are always among them.
As people change up their routines, many turn to their favourite celebrities for inspiration, which is why fitness, nutrition and exercise website Total Shape has gathered data on which stars hold the most influence when it comes to eating habits.
Supermodel Bella Hadid is the most influential, with more than 3,400 searches for "Bella Hadid diet" on Google over the 30-day study.
Khloe Kardashian follows closely behind with 3,300 search results, while Kate, the Princess of Wales, has 2,700 results.
NFL quarterback Tom Brady is the athlete with the most influence, and the only male figure in the top five, with 2,600 searches for the “Tom Brady diet”. He matches singer Taylor Swift when it comes to influencing diet trends in 2023.
Other notable entries on the list included Beyonce, Serena Williams, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Gigi Hadid and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the 22 celebrities influencing diets, as per the study
Here's what the top five most influential celebrities have said about diet and fitness.
1. Bella Hadid: 'There's a difference between pleasure and happiness'
Hadid has come a long way when it comes to her eating habits, having spoken out publicly about anorexia and body dysmorphia. Now, the model aged 26 has been named one of the world’s most influential celebrities for diet inspiration.
“I always eat pretty healthy throughout the year, but I have to cut out pizza and bread [during fashion week] because I’m like, highly allergic … I’m not gluten-free, but I should be,” she told W Magazine in a 2017 interview.
Her nutritionist previously told People magazine that Hadid focuses on a low-carb and high-protein diet.
She's also a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine, and previously shared videos to her Instagram account showing her father cooking the family a traditional feast.
The videos portrayed a kitchen counter covered with freshly made dishes, including hummus sprinkled with parsley and drizzled with olive oil, labneh with fresh cucumber and Arabic bread sprinkled with zaatar.
“My baba is the best,” Hadid wrote in the caption shared with her 57 million followers.
The supermodel also shares videos of her cooking on TikTok under the handle BabyBella777.
The supermodel is co-founder of Kin Euphorics, a non-alcoholic drink brand that claims to utilise mood-boosting ingredients designed to calm, energise and improve the mind.
“Someone once said to me, 'There's a difference between pleasure and happiness'. A cupcake could be pleasurable, but it's not going to bring you happiness forever. I try and give myself grace and to understand myself,” Hadid told Harper's Bazaar.
2. Khloe Kardashian: 'I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train'
It's perhaps no surprise that the Kardashians feature in this list and it's Khloe who has been deemed the most influential reality TV sister when it comes to diet, with 3,300 searches on Google over 30 days.
The mum-of-two, 38, previously chronicled her weight loss journey, advising people to focus on their diet, get enough sleep and stay active. She also credited her sister Kim as one of her own inspirations in keeping her motivated to work out.
The former Revenge Body host told New Beauty that she is a creature of habit when it comes to eating.
“I have about two breakfasts and I rotate between [them] unless I’m on vacation or if I have time on the weekends to make my daughter pancakes, and I definitely eat those with her — she can’t do that alone. But usually I love steel-cut oatmeal. And after my workouts, I’ll do vanilla yoghurt with fruit. I’m not a huge breakfast girl but that’s what I’ll do after a workout, because I always have a protein shake immediately after my workout.”
In an Instagram post shared with her 292 million followers earlier this month, Kardashian showed off a toned figure in a shoot for Dubai's Sorbet magazine. Some followers suggested her physique was not achieved through diet and exercise.
Khloe clapped back: "Let's not discredit my years of working out. I get up five days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people."
The reality TV star has previously been accused of fat shaming after comments she made in an interview with Jay Shetty where she said she "can't stand" people who complain about their weight.
3. Kate Middleton: Healthy eating and a consistent workout regime
Prince William's wife came in third according to Total Shape's research.
The mum-of-three, 41, is one of the world's most recognisable women and has a packed schedule, but manages to maintain her svelte figure thanks to “nutritious, healthy eating with a consistent workout regime”, according to the Express newspaper.
An anonymous source told the Daily Mail, “Kate takes her toned physique exceptionally seriously. The Princess is reportedly also a fan of CrossFit and yoga, makes time to go for a run most days, enjoys cycling, and does most of her workouts without a personal trainer.”
And according to Cosmopolitan, she's also a member of the ultra-luxury Harbour Club gym in Chelsea.
4. Tom Brady: 'If you want to be good at sports, you have to work hard at it'
NFL quarterback Tom Brady, 45, is the only male celebrity in this top-five list and also the only one who follows his own branded diet.
The TB12 diet is a mostly plant-based plan that limits unhealthy fat sources. It's largely been accredited as the reason for his success as one of the best-ever NFL players.
The eating plan includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oil, nuts and seeds, as well as limited amounts of lean meats and fish. Specifically, the TB12 Method recommends an 80/20 split between plant and animal products.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneer is also known for his love of protein shakes, and has TB12-branded shakes available as part of his fitness plan.
The long-serving athlete also puts a huge focus on working out and looking after his mental health is integral to his plan. “I’m more of a thinker obviously than a physical specimen,” Brady told Men's Health in a 2019 interview.
He spends 15 minutes every day completing mental exercises, drilling his brain speed and pattern recognition.
“No one has to be Tom Brady,” he said in the same interview. “I just get to be Tom Brady. You get to be you. Everyone has a choice. But if you want to be good at sports, you have to work hard at it. If you want to be healthy, you have to work at it. But you can’t say, ‘I want to be healthy’, then eat [...] food and do crappy workouts.”
5. Taylor Swift: 'I try to keep it lighter, but it's nothing too regimented or crazy'
With more than 2,600 searches for the Taylor Swift diet, the singer is another top source of inspiration for fans seeking nutrition and fitness tips.
Swift has been spotted attending dance cardio classes at hip New York studio Body by Simone on many occasions, and has also shared her love of running.
“For me, running is about blasting a whole bunch of new songs and running to the beat. It's also good because it makes me find a gym wherever I am,” she told WebMD in an interview.
“I'm very much out in the world, and I love exploring the places we go when we tour. It's important for me to live a full life.”
During the same interview, Swift spoke about her balanced approach to eating.
“During the week, I try to eat healthily, so that means salads, yoghurt and sandwiches,” she said. “I try to keep it lighter, but it's nothing too regimented or crazy.” Then she says that on the weekends she treats herself to comfort foods such as burgers, fries, lattes and ice cream.
The multi-award-winning music star surprised fans in 2020 when she spoke openly and for several minutes about having had an eating disorder in the part during the Netflix documentary Miss Americana.
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Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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