Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen has spoken about the restrictive eating habits she adopted for several years after facing intense criticism over her appearance.
The 43-year-old recalled the experience during a recent interview on a web programme, saying she significantly changed her diet while preparing for the 2014 drama The Romance Of The Condor Heroes.
Chen, who played Little Dragon Girl, faced criticism from some viewers who felt she did not fit their expectations of the character’s appearance.
She said she subsequently consulted a nutritionist and began drastically limiting her salt intake.
“For about five years, I almost never ate anything with salt. Even when I went to restaurants, I wouldn’t eat anything with salt,” she said.
Her approach to food later became even more restrictive after she consulted another nutritionist.
Chen also recalled using an app to closely monitor her nutritional intake, describing that period as involving the strictest dietary controls she had experienced.
“Each day, I would calculate precisely how much carbohydrates and protein I ate,” she said.
Chen added that eating only one meal a day eventually became the approach she found most effective for maintaining her figure.
She would sometimes have nothing more than coffee during the day.
“If I have work during the day, I usually don’t like eating because I would feel more bloated or sleepy. I feel that if I don’t eat anything and just drink coffee, I’ll be more awake,” she said, as quoted by Singapore news portal 8days.
