Get Fit with Halle
RESPIN your nutrition with health coach Kelly LeVeque.
Holistic nutritionist, wellness expert, and celebrity health coach Kelly LeVeque started working with Halle at the beginning of 2023. “Many of us were not taught how to support our health through nutrition. I love empowering women through this process of reclaiming their health and gaining the knowledge to pass along to future generations,” says LeVeque, who believes in ditching dieting in favor of what she calls “body love, energy balance, and food freedom.” A certified health coach, personal trainer, and yoga instructor, LeVeque worked in the medical field for Fortune 500 companies and the personalized medicine space before founding her consultancy, Be Well By Kelly.
Here, LeVeque shares a look at her journey helping Halle get film-ready for her next role with her signature Fab 4 approach and ways we can rē-think nutrition in our own lives.
The Fab 4 Formula
The Fab 4 is LeVeque’s tried-and-true formula for creating blood sugar-balancing meals through clean protein, fat, fiber, and greens. “Eating the right amount of each category at each meal helps naturally burn fat and keep energy consistent throughout the day, avoiding insulin spikes that tell our bodies to stop burning fat and start storing it,” says LeVeque. “Eating complete meals elongates your blood sugar curve, helping you stop mindless snacking and ensuring your body has the nutrients to thrive.”
Building a Nutrition Routine
Halle’s customized nutrition routine is focused on Fab 4 meals for lunch and dinner. These include lean proteins such as grass-fed steak, lamb, salmon, and shrimp. These help her hit her target of 100 grams of protein daily. (“She may also supplement with a Fab 4 smoothie containing 25 to 30 grams of protein to help her meet her protein-intake needs,” explains LeVeque.) Each meal also includes 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat and 2 to 4 cups of non-starchy vegetables.
For the first six weeks, Halle’s priorities included:
- Detoxifying her liver.
- Supporting her gut microbiome with nutrient-dense Fab 4 meals.
- Laying an overall foundation to create sustainable habits.
After that, she shifted to a lower-carb diet to support the fat-burning process.
“Depending on her workouts, we are also carb cycling at lunch by including more carbohydrates to refuel and replenish the glycogen stores with the nutrients needed to build muscle. This includes light starchy vegetables like squash and the occasional sweet potato post-workout, and then low-starch veggies in the evening,” says LeVeque. In addition, she notes that Halle is also practicing circadian-synced intermittent fasting. This involves eating when it is light out and stopping when it is dark.
The Benefits of Ketone-IQ
One of the supplements Halle started using at the six-week mark of her journey is Ketone-IQ, which supplies the body with 10 grams of ketones “to support energy, focus, endurance, and fat-burning,” says LeVeque. “Halle takes Ketone-IQ first thing in the morning in a fasted state before working out. Eating a carb-restricted diet reduces the number of carbs that our body stores for energy. When our carb stores are depleted, our body will search for other fuel sources and convert fat into ketones.” These are the primary fuel for cognitive function and performance capabilities and have been shown to reduce the hunger hormone ghrelin significantly.
With the addition of Ketone-IQ to her regimen, Halle’s brain is supplied with extra ketones to fuel her workout. “Ketone-IQ is a great supplement for anyone looking to enhance their athletic performance while being in a lower-carb state,” says Leveque, who notes that the supplement’s cognition-enhancing abilities offer the added benefit of improving Halle’s concentration as she readies to step into her next movie role. “As always, consult with a healthcare professional before use,” cautions the health coach. “But based on the scientific evidence to support Ketone-IQ claims and ongoing research, the supplement should be beneficial for a healthy individual to include in their regimen.”
Small Shifts, Big Impacts
A good place to start changing your own nutrition habits is with breakfast. “Your first meal will have the biggest impact on your blood sugar, energy levels, and satiety levels the rest of the day,” says LeVeque. She points to one of her Fab 4 smoothie recipes as a convenient way to pack 30 grams of protein into your diet, as well as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. “A high-protein breakfast will support blood sugar balance, cognitive function, and mental focus,” she says.
Green Ginger Fab 4 Smoothie
1 Serving
Ingredients:
- One scoop of BWBK vanilla protein powder containing 20+ grams of protein
- One tablespoon of MCT oil
- Two tablespoons of acacia fiber
- 1/4 cup of chopped cucumber
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- One teaspoon of grated fresh ginger (or a fresh ginger turmeric shot)
- 1-2 cups of filtered water or unsweetened almond milk
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender.
- Blend to desired consistency.