Food Advice from the Stars

Gwyneth Paltrow, to be exact.

I actually like Gwyneth Paltrow for some reason.  I can't quite put my finger on it, and no, it's not because people tell me I look and sound like her.  (I still don't fully buy such a compliment, but I'll take it.)  It's probably because I think she cares about personal improvement.  She seems to have a "good head on her shoulders," anyway, and I appreciate that quality in a celebrity.

I don't, however, think she's super-accessible.  I mean, she doesn't have a girl-next-door quality the way Emily Blunt does, for example, and I'm not into her clothing style lately . . .  But I like her, just the same.  And so.  It pains me a bit to say that I didn't like what she said in the April issue of Self Magazine:

A couple of years ago, I got really run-down. I had to sing at awards shows, which was fun but stressful. I'd have a Guinness and a beta-blocker every time. I also was constantly getting on airplanes, trying to knock myself out with sleeping pills and wine, waking up, trying to sweat it out with exercise and a steam, and then working really hard all day. Eventually, I had a panic attack. My body was like, "What is happening?"

My doctor, Alejandro Junger, recommended that I cut out basically everything: dairy, sugar, gluten, anything processed. I was like, "What the f--- am I going to eat now?" That's why I made the book: to stop eating brown rice out of the fridge because I didn't know what else to eat and it was demoralizing.

So let's pretend she didn't use an expletive and just look at the content.  Seriously???  She was running on sleeping pills and alcohol, but she put all the blame on dairy, sugar, gluten, and processed foods?  I mean, I know eating tons of sugar is not healthy and depending on your tolerance for particular foods, eating dairy and gluten can be unhealthy as well.*  But to just go straight to blaming food -- and not addressing the alcohol consumption -- is a disservice to humans everywhere.  Granted, this quote is taken out of context.  I have no idea what she said just before or just after or whether Self omitted something important, but it seems to reflect a general trend in pop-health discussions.  "No sugar!" they say.  "No gluten!"  "No processed foods!"  I, for one, would like to see celebrities say, "Cool it on the alcohol.  Try to get enough sleep.  Follow the CDC's dietary guidelines.  Eat a little less.  Cut back on the soda."

Oy.


*I left processed foods off of this list on purpose, and here's why:  I really have no idea what people mean when they recommend eating unprocessed foods.  Do they mean "organic" foods?  (As though there is such a thing as non-organic.  Ha.)  Do they mean, you-grew-it-yourself foods?  Do they mean unpasteurized foods?  Foods without preservatives?  Water without flouride?  Milk not fortified with vitamin D?  Foods that aren't canned?  "Processed foods" can refer to a lot of things, and I for one, really enjoy some processes.



Thing I'm thankful for: my momma.