Could You Live on the 'Jennifer Aniston Diet?'

Oct. 25, 2010— -- Last year, Jennifer Aniston wrote the foreward to a cookbook called "The Family Chef." But eating the meals in the book won't guarantee you her radiant looks and seemingly ageless body.

In fact, sometimes a name tacked onto a food product or book leads only to confusion.

Last week a writer for Britain's Daily Mail, commenting on the book, wrote that it "finally lifts the lid on the contents of Jennifer's sauce pans," and referred to the celebrity's "cucumber diet" and "a 151-calorie lunch." The article prompted more than 100 reader comments.

"Those were unfortunate statements," said Jewels Elmore who, along with her sister Jill, wrote "The Family Chef." As personal chefs, the Elmore sisters' sole client is Aniston. Jewels has been cooking for Aniston for seven years, and Jill joined her a couple of years ago.

"The comment about the cucumber diet is especially misleading and could even influence young girls who want to lose weight to think this is a weight-loss measure," said Jewels. "We do not consider ours to be a diet book. The recipes are for healthy, delicious food."

And, she added, "We're not authorized to comment on thr specifics of our client's eating habits or whether the meals in our book are what we cook for Aniston."

It's not the first time people, eager to know every iota of Aniston's life, have jumped to wrong conclusions.

Even the tamest comments can be subject to misinterpretation. Many people thought that the "baby food" diet – a cleansing diet involving some pureed food items – was literally baby food.

It's also not the first time that what a celebrity eats -- or does not eat -- has made headlines. Kate Moss, the icon of uber-waif fashion, prompted a collective gasp last year when she was quoted on the fashion Web site WWD.com as saying her personal mantra was "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

Kate Hudson dropped 20 pounds after cutting alcohol out of her diet. Gwyneth Paltrow swears by fasts and detoxes. Elizabeth Hurley swapped wine for vodka and, after the birth of her son Damien, took to eating only one meal a day.

So what's the fuss – and confusion – behind how celebrities eat?

"Celebrity sells, and there's an implied message when you see a celebrity's name attached to a book of food," said Stephen Gullo, a celebrity weight-loss expert and author of "The Thin Commandments." "When President Bill Clinton spoke about the South Beach Diet, he sent the book over the top. His statement was all it took."