It’s been almost two years since Gwyneth Paltrow, aka the internet’s controversial queen of wellness, shocked netizens with her highly restrictive and malnourishing diet. Now, the actor has opened up about her new effort to eat more healthy and holistically to be “strong” instead of “thin,” showing that she’s taken some of the criticism from dietitians and concerned fans to heart.
If you need a quick refresher about the previous controversy, it all started with an episode of Dr. Will Cole’s podcast The Art Of Being Well, where Paltrow was asked to spill the tea regarding her daily eating habits and wellness routines.
Paltrow’s diet has always been highly contested, specifically after a food diaries interview with Harper’s Bazar in which the Goop founder revealed that she’s essentially on a strict low-carb diet and consumes less than 900 calories a day—a terrifyingly small amount for a grown woman.
Completing the interview with an IV drip attached to her arm, the actor essentially detailed the same diet as the host: at around 12 pm, she will just drink coffee so that it “doesn’t spike [her] blood sugar.” For lunch, she’ll often have “bone broth” which is a stock or liquid made up from boiling animal bones and tissue, that is meant to serve as the liquid for soups or stews, not supplement a whole meal.
For dinner, Paltrow stated that she tries to eat “paleo” and will stick to a vegetable-heavy dinner to “support [her] detox.” This usually takes the form of fish or some white meat mixed with potatoes and some veggies. And that’s it.
In her Harper’s Bazar interview, the actor mentioned some snacking on cashews and mini pretzels but this still wouldn’t help her reach the daily recommended amount of calories, which is roughly 2,000 a day, according to the NHS.
However, in an unexpected change of turn, Gwyneth shared that she’s now “making an effort” to switch her mindset around eating from what it’s been in the past.
On a recent episode of The Goop Podcast, where she spoke to menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver, the 52-year-old noted that she’s been trying to “eat to be strong instead of eat to be thin.”
“It’s tough. It’s hard,” Gwyneth noted in reference to eating more protein. The actor confessed that her generation “was raised” to value being thin over being “strong.” “I mean, I’m making a real effort to do it, I’m really trying but sometimes I’m, like, gagging down cottage cheese—I know that it’s necessary, but…”
The actor continued by explaining that it was an open conversation between her and her doctor, not meant to be advice for anyone else. It was simply what worked for her and it had been very powerful and positive.
Well, we’re thrilled that Paltrow’s finally filling her plate—after all, even the queen of wellness can’t thrive on air and kale alone.