15 Ways To Be Healthy Like Gwyneth Paltrow This Summer
If there's one celebrity that is totally healthy inside and out, who seems to embody the definition of "health" both emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually, it would definitely be Gwyneth Paltrow. She's published three beautiful and health-focused cookbooks, she's started her own lifestyle website Goop.com and she's also in the news for health-related stuff. Sometimes there's a ton of controversy over her decisions, thoughts and opinions -- okay, there's usually controversy. We're talking about Gwyneth Paltrow here. But we think she's pretty healthy and we would love to adapt some of her lifestyle beliefs and choices -- at least the ones that fit into our own crazy busy days since we don't have millions and tons of resources. Who wouldn't want to feel better and look better any time of year, especially since now it's finally summertime? Here are 15 ways to be healthy like Gwyneth Paltrow this summer.
15 Make A Breakfast Smoothie
The Internet pretty much went insane recently when people started talking about Gwyneth's "200 dollar smoothie." The media swore that it really cost that much money, but when people started experimenting and adding up the ingredients and making the drink themselves, they found out that, nope, it didn't cost nearly as much as 200 dollars. Phew. But you can still be like Gwyneth this summer and make a breakfast smoothie every day of the week. Her fave one involves almond milk, almond butter, coconut oil and a bunch of other supplements/special ingredients like "Action Dust" and "Beauty Dust." You don't have to do that, though, especially because it seems like those ingredients would be pretty difficult to find. So go ahead and use the staple ingredients which are full of healthy fats and protein and really will start your day off on the right foot. And who doesn't want that?!
14 Cut Out Gluten
Yup, Gwyneth is pretty much the Queen Of Going Gluten-Free. It's tough to think of another celebrity who is the public face of cutting gluten out of your diet. If you're still eating gluten, well, what are you waiting for? Don't you know all the cool kids aren't eating wheat and gluten grains anymore? Just kidding (sort of). It's not the worst idea in the world to cut out gluten and see how you feel. Maybe you'll hate it and cry over your fave pizza and pasta and cupcakes every day… or maybe you'll love it and start making healthier choices. It's kind of a snowball effect: you stop eating gluten, and you start eating more veggies and all that good stuff. It's worth a shot, right? Thankfully there are tons of gluten-free products out there (and there is gluten-free bread that doesn't resemble or taste like cardboard, we promise).
13 Work Out Like Crazy
The workout that Gwyneth swears by? She loves, loves, loves Tracey Anderson. The two are pretty much BFFs and promote each other, but it does seem like a pretty awesome workout routine. If you don't live in L.A. and can't catch one of her classes in person, check out the 15-minute version on (where else?) Goop.com. If you want to get healthy in general, you know that you have to watch what you eat and also eat the right types of food… but you also have to hit the gym. So if you are super limited on time, like every person on the planet really, this is a great option since you can do the workout before work or when you get home. You could even sneak off into your office board room or conference room and knock off a quick workout. Get your coworkers involved too and you can bond, which is always a good thing.
12 Eat Vegan Desserts
You don't have to go totally plant-based (unless you want to, of course). But you can get healthy like Gwyneth this summer by making some fun, homemade vegan desserts. Her third cookbook, It's All Easy, has an entirely vegan dessert chapter. Calm down, it's going to be okay: the desserts actually look absolutely amazing. You really would barely notice they had zero dairy or cream or anything like that in them. Just think about this one recipe for a moment: it's a vegan Coconut Key Lime Tart. There's almonds in the crust and all kinds of good stuff. You will automatically get a ton healthier if you only eat vegan desserts since the simple truth is that dairy-free desserts can be a lot better for you since they use healthier ingredients. If you're lactose-free or dairy-intolerant but love cheese too much to really admit that, you're going to do your body a massive favor.
11 Make Avocado Toast
Unless you seriously live under a rock and stay there, you've probably heard of avocado toast. It's pretty simple -- you literally smash some avocado slices on a piece of toast -- but it's so much more than that. It's pretty much a religion or even a cult at this point. Just search for it on Instagram and you're going to see thousands and thousands of photos. People go crazy for the stuff. Well, Gwyneth goes pretty nuts for avocado toast too, and she's got a yummy and easy recipe in her latest cookbook to prove it. She combines avocado slices, pieces of bacon and a slather of almond butter on a piece of toast. Sounds weird but it's actually an insanely amazing combination. Avocado is chock-full of healthy fats and it's going to make you super full since it's got fiber, too, so you don't want to miss out. This is such an easy way to get healthier this summer since you probably already consume tons of avocado since, let's be honest, we're all a little bit obsessed.
10 Go Nuts When You Travel
Okay, okay, maybe don't go nuts. That would kind of derail your whole plan to get healthier this summer season. But Gwyneth has told the media that when she goes on vacation, she likes to let loose (in terms of her diet, that is). She has said that when in Italy, she's all about pizza and pasta. Because, well, doesn't everyone eat those dishes in Italy?! But you heard it from Gwyneth so you can totally follow that advice. So no matter where you're traveling this summer -- your cottage a few hours away from the city you live in, a tropical island, or Europe -- you have Gwyneth's permission to eat what you want. Within reason, though, of course. It's actually much healthier to treat yourself sometimes, because life is meant to be lived, and it's not great to force yourself to stick to a super strict diet. You're just going to binge later and feel terrible, and that's pretty much the worst.
9 Eat More Fish
Gwyneth is really into fish. Like really into it. Check out any one of her three cookbooks and she's cooking up salmon burgers, making tuna salad for what she calls a nostalgic lunch, and even roasting a whole fish. Okay, you probably don't want to do that last one. First of all, well, let's be real here: staring at a whole fish (with a head included!) is not for the faint of heart and if you're kind of squeamish, you're not going to want to do that. Plus it seems a bit too elaborate for a casual Tuesday night dinner when all you want to do is watch Netflix and go to bed. It's just not the most practical dish in the world to attempt. So take her advice and eat more fish because it's good for you, but you can definitely stick to salmon and tuna. That's totally okay.
8 Eat A Bit Of Everything
So Gwyneth encourages you to enjoy delicious and healthy vegan desserts and to go gluten-free… but she also wants you to eat a bit of everything? Yup, it's true. Her latest cookbook is all about eating gluten-free foods sometimes and then enjoying pasta and that kind of stuff other times. It's all about being balanced. So if the idea of cutting out too many food groups totally freaks you out, don't worry. You can eat less of the stuff you know is bad for you but still indulge when you feel like it, and as long as you're still feeling good and energetic enough to be productive enough at work and get through your barre class, you're totally fine. We love that her attitude has changed a bit recently because it seems a lot healthier to recognize that it's okay to crave pasta and gluten sometimes.
7 Get On The Superfood Train
It's no secret that certain foods like quinoa, kale, almond butter, almond flour, almond milk (basically anything with almonds in it!) and smoothies (and smoothie bowls) have become super trendy recently. Everyone is eating this stuff, everyone is talking about it and sharing it all over social media. So, naturally, GP is really into these types of foods, too. So don't be afraid of trendy superfoods. They're popular for a reason. Think of them as the celebs of the food world. They deserve the hype, though, so they're not like that Hollywood blockbuster that you keep hearing is amazing but totally bores you to tears. You probably can tell that celebs like to feel good and look good, too, so they tend to eat the trendiest foods because everyone believes they're the healthiest for you. It's actually true, though. So take GP's lead and eat some kale. Your body will thank you for you.
6 Get Advice
The thing about Gwyneth is she doesn't think she knows absolutely everything. If you're not the biggest fan of her, you might not believe that, but just think about how many experts she interviews and features on her website and in her three cookbooks. She asked her trainer Tracey Anderson to contribute her fave afternoon smoothie in her first book (it's a pumpkin pie type of thing that apparently helps curb sugar cravings) and gets inspiration for recipes from different friends who are also cooking superstars. So don't be afraid to ask for advice, whether that means Googling to find out the proper portion of avocado or nut butter (unfortunately, we can't just eat the gallons of this stuff that we would want to!) or asking your most fit friend some questions.
5 Go Meatless Sometimes
Gwyneth has said that she eats some vegan meals because her adorable daughter, Apple, chose to be a vegetarian a while back. There are tons of studies on how eating less meat is a good idea, and of course, Meatless Monday has become a super popular thing (plus a super popular hashtag). So go ahead and eat some vegan meals. It's not as hard or boring or terrible as you might think. After all, you can make some healthy tacos on gluten-free corn tortillas with black beans, avocado, and salsa. You've got healthy carbs in that meal plus protein from the beans. Or you could make some veggie burgers, grain salads using a healthy carb like quinoa and adding some vegetables, or even a monster salad as big as your head. The possibilities are endless and since cooking meatless is a bit easier and less messy and a lot quicker than cooking meat, you might fall in love with your kitchen. And the desire to cook more and spend more time taking care of yourself is going
4 Eat Lunch Salads
Gwyneth told Women's Health when she was on the cover in the spring of 2015 that she loves eating a huge salad for lunch with some chicken. You can totally follow her lead, right? How easy is a salad with some protein in the form of chicken? Totally easy. You could even just make a salad, bring it to work and buy some grilled chicken from a nearby take-out place or restaurant and make your healthy meal. The thing with salads is they really will fill you up. You may totally associate them with diet food but that's not the point at all. They can honestly make you full because there's such a volume of food, and the fun part, you can add anything you want, like walnuts or avocado or a tiny bit of cheese if you can handle dairy.
3 Don't Give Up Coffee
You may think that even though you are totally and utterly addicted to caffeine, it's a healthier idea to give it up. Not so, at least according to GP. She has joked about being a crazy person without her morning cup of Joe, so don't worry if you can't give up the stuff. You really don't have to and it's not going to make a big difference in your health. If anything, giving up coffee will totally give you headaches and all that fun stuff, so if you're not into that, there's no reason you can't enjoy a cup of coffee every morning. As long as you don't go nuts on the stuff and drink it all day long, it's nothing to be concerned about. Phew. Don't you feel so much better now? You're already creating some new healthier habits, so don't do too many things at once or give up too many things or you're going to crash and fast.
2 Ferment Your Foods
Fermented foods are pretty in these days, so naturally, GP featured them on her website recently. Think kimchi or pickles or fermented veggies. You can buy them from your local market or make them yourself if you want a fun, creative weekend project. Okay, maybe you're not ready for that yet, but here's why you really will get healthier this summer if you enjoy more fermented foods: they help your gut health. Your gut has all kinds of bacteria: the good ones that you want, but also, unfortunately, the bad stuff. When your stomach is all out of whack, you have way too much bad bacteria and you're going to have messed up digestion plus get sick. Like all the time. So if you don't want to spend your summer in bed with the flu, then go ahead and eat some more fermented foods. You won't regret it and they're easy to add to your meals or salads.
1 Love Your Wine
If you don't think this is a healthy living and eating tip, well, you're kind of wrong. It really is, because Gwyneth enjoys her glass of wine at night to relax and recharge and chill out for a bit, and apparently, that's not the worst thing to do. As long as you don't binge drink or indulge too much, experts say that it's okay to drink a glass of wine (or two at the very, very most) an evening. So go ahead and enjoy your glass of wine with your BFF on a patio this summer. You already know that wine has antioxidants and that's definitely true -- that's the stuff found in fruit like blueberries. Who knew that being healthy like GP would be as easy as drinking the wine you want to drink anyway? Now you know.