Jessica Alba is the picture of health and beauty! She is consistently on the top of everyone’s most beautiful list. So, how does this beauty keep her body fit and trim? Read on to find out!

Alba took nutrition and fitness very seriously from a young age. She said, Everyone in my family is heavily overweight. I wanted to be healthier, so I started cooking for myself when I was 12 years old. When I eat breakfast, I’ll have an egg-white omelette and fruit, or cottage cheese and a peach. For lunch, I’ll have a salad. Dinner is usually vegetables and chicken or fish. During the day I’ll have some dried fruit, or I’ll have a chocolate or strawberry frozen yogurt. I don’t really eat desserts or bread.” Alba also exercises control over the amount of food she eats. She keeps carbs and desserts to a minimum but does not fully eliminate them from her diet. “You need to indulge and have that chocolate cake whenever you feel the need,” Jessica advises. She also uses the expertise of Nutrifit founder, Jackie Keller, for diet and nutrition advice. Here is a sample of Jessica Alba’s diet plan, which consists of lean meats, whole grains, low fat cheeses, fruits and veggies:

Breakfast: 1 cup oatmeal with berries with 3-4 scrambled egg whites when working on the film set.
Lunch: Salad with 6 ounces of chicken breast or fish (salmon, tuna).
Dinner: Sashimi or 6 ounces of petit filet of beef or other lean protein with unlimited veggies and 3 small red potatoes.
Snacks: Handful of almonds or hot air popped popcorn.

As for Jessica’s exercise routine, she does cardio every day for 45 minutes to 1 hour. She prefers the treadmill or elliptical, which she does for 10-15 minutes and then moves to floor work which includes 50 lunges and crunches. She goes back to the treadmill or elliptical for another 10 minutes and then moves on to doing 4 nonstop sets of shoulder, bicep and tricep exercises. Alba also does Tae Bo, kickboxing, martial arts. Another important ingredient to her exercise routine is that she constantly changes it to keep her body from adapting. It also helps her maintain motivation.

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