Tarkan Back on Track

By Adelind Osmanlı reporting from Munich, Germany

As Tarkan's official space Tarkan.com is finally unmarked by Google as a malicious site over three weeks after it was first reported, the main culprit of the Eurovision rumour fiasco, disreputed Turkish paper Sabah has run a short interview between Turkey's famous popstar and correspondent Didem Seymen today.

Headlined as "I Don't Diet My One Luxury is Salted Snacks" (31 August 2009/Sabah), the short article contains four questions on healthy living and the star's own lifestyle - in which he reveals he skips junk food, sugary confectioneries and processed food to keep in form.

When preparing to do a show what do you prefer to eat?
On the day of the concert and a day before I make sure I don't eat oily foods or foods that can cause indigestion. I start the day with a good breakfast. Breakfast is one of my favourite and most important meals of the day for me.

Are there special things you eat and drink?
In the mornings alongside my usual breakfast, I prefer wheat, oats, more grains and cereals in the main. I choose rye, brown and oat bread. Sometimes, very rarely, I eat white bread. I make sure I eat a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables in season. I especially eat a lot of fruit. I prefer freshly squeezed fruit juice. I eat a lot of yoghurt. I love garlic and onions. I eat fish at least two or three times a week.

Do you change your eating habits before a concert?
During my concerts at home and abroad I try to stick to my regular foods. But sometimes, especially as the regional foods in our country are so delicious, it's difficult to stick to that. But I still avoid different local, oily and heavy foods before a concert.

What do you do to keep healthy and in shape?
I especially avoid fast food, very sugary foods and ready-made foods. I try to eat in the evening and not skip meals. I eat a little often. Between meals I eat salted snacks, fruit and vegetable snacks. It doesn't do to leave the stomach empty for too long. I especially eat walnuts, almonds, dried apricot; of course I don't over do it. I do sports at least four times a week. During my sports regime I take the necessary energy sports drinks with amino acids. Plus I especially try not to take too much salt. And I drink a lot of water.

Translation very kindly provided by Ali Yildirim.

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