Gwyneth Paltrow has recently opened up about her evolving relationship with diet and nutrition, revealing a shift away from the strict dietary regimes she has long been known to follow. The 52-year-old actor, who once famously declared she would rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a can, spoke candidly about this change during the latest episode of The goop Podcast.
For several years, Paltrow adhered closely to the Paleo diet—a nutritional plan inspired by the presumed eating habits of early humans, focusing on unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds. The decision to adopt this “caveman diet” came after she began experiencing stomach inflammation, prompting her and her husband, Brad Falchuck, to make the dietary shift.
However, Paltrow admitted on the podcast that she has grown “a little bit sick of it,” and she no longer follows all the rules of the diet strictly. She has started to reintroduce some foods she had previously avoided, saying, “I’m getting back into eating sourdough bread, cheese, there I said it. A little pasta after being strict with it for so long.” Despite this, she maintained that the Paleo diet remains a useful template, emphasising the importance of consuming foods that are “as whole and fresh as possible.” She added, “I don't think there’s any doctor or nutritionist in the world who would refute that.”
Paltrow also reflected on her earlier dietary journeys, recalling a phase when she was deeply invested in macrobiotics—a dietary approach focusing on organic whole grains, vegetables, and avoiding sugar and dairy. She described it as an “interesting chapter” where her obsession with health and nutrition deepened. “I really deepened my connection with food,” she said. She spoke about how she was “intoxicated” by the idea that treating oneself well through hydration and whole foods could dramatically improve well-being, a belief she maintains to this day.
In 2023, Paltrow sparked controversy when she shared details of her intermittent fasting routine on Dr Will Cole’s The Art of Being Well podcast. Her regimen involved having coffee in the morning, consuming bone broth at noon, and eating vegetables or fish for dinner at 6pm. This led to criticism from some nutrition experts, including dietitian Kim Lindsay, who described the eating pattern as problematic.
Responding to the criticism, Paltrow clarified the context of her diet, stating that she adopted these habits to “deal with some chronic stuff” and to “focus on foods that aren’t inflammatory.” She emphasised that the approach was developed in consultation with her doctor and was not intended as a recommendation for others. “It really just works for me, and it’s been very powerful and very positive,” she said.
She further reassured that the intermittent fasting routine was not her daily norm, explaining, “And by the way, I eat far more than bone broth and vegetables. I eat full meals, and I also have a lot of days of eating whatever I want. And eating, you know, French fries and whatever.”
Gwyneth Paltrow’s reflections offer insight into her personal journey with diet and health, marked by experimentation and adaptation as she seeks to balance well-being with enjoyment.
Source: Noah Wire Services