Anna Friel slammed for `syrup diet`

London: Anna Friel has come under fire for promoting an extreme diet where 12 cups of a syrupy cocktail replaces solid food.

The 36-year-old hopes the “master cleanser” drink will help her stay looking young. But diet experts warn she is setting a bad example to teenagers, the Daily Star reported. Friel revealed that she drinks 12 cups a day of a mix of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and water instead of eating regular food. Recently, Friel has been on the liquid diet over several weeks, existing on less than 600 calories a day. The actress told the publication that she has been drinking it for two months and she feels so much better and her skin has really benefited. “If you’re vain, as you get older you start thinking: ‘I’ve got to do everything I can to save my skin,’” she said. According to Sioned Quirke, of the British Dietetic Association, the diet is “extreme and unnecessary”. She warned that such a diet leads to a lack in all the essential nutrients, which your body requires on a daily basis to function. Quirke said that it’s a myth that what you eat affects your skin as any detoxing that needs to be done is done by the liver. She said that Friel- a tiny size eight- was not sending out a “healthy message” to teenagers, who are unsure about their appearance and “vulnerable” to comments by celebrities about their diets. ANI