Gwyneth Paltrow says she has moved away from her yearslong strict Paleo diet and is venturing back into carbs and cheese.
Speaking on “The Goop Podcast,” released Tuesday, the 52-year-old actress and founder of lifestyle brand Goop said “longer-term inflammation and health stuff” was the reason she and her husband, Brad Falchuk, “became Paleo a few years ago.”
She had previously told her podcast listeners that she had genes APOE3 and APOE4, raising her risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and “I have to be really careful not to have inflammation in my brain.”
Under the Paleo diet, people follow a meal plan intended to be similar to that of hunters and gatherers who lived during the Paleolithic era, between 2.6 million and 10,000 years ago. They eat lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meats and fish, while cutting out dairy products, sugar, grains, legumes and highly processed foods.
The restrictions of eating Paleo have started to rankle with Paltrow, however. “I’m a little sick of it if I’m honest,” she continued. “I’m getting back into eating some sourdough bread and some cheese. There, I said it. A little pasta. After being strict with it for so long.”
Nevertheless, she maintained that “it’s a good, sort of, template, right? Eating foods that are kind of as whole and fresh as possible.”
“It sounds like Gwyneth is moving towards a more balanced and nutritious diet. Considering her realm of influence it is good to hear that she is finding this of benefit,” she added.
“Nutrition research shows us that cutting out whole food groups is not good for our overall health. We need diversity and variety to help us meet all our nutritional needs, to bring taste into out diets and prevent boredom and to also bring pleasure!” Tew continued.
The Paleo diet is not the first strict eating regimen that Paltrow has tried.
She told podcast listeners that her father was diagnosed with throat cancer when she was around the age of 26, and it was “at that time that I started wondering, really through trying to see if there was anything we could do to help my father, if there was any kind of intersection between wellness and food.”
“I went into hardcore macrobiotics for a certain time,” she added. “That was an interesting chapter, where I got kind of obsessed with eating very, very healthily. I think that was – I was really trying to heal my dad by proxy and he just didn’t really want anything to do with it.”
People on a macrobiotic diet aim to avoid foods that contain toxins, with many eating only vegan foods, according to the charity Cancer Research UK’s website. The diet also involves strict rules, such as only eating when hungry, only drinking when thirsty, not having any vitamin or mineral supplements, and avoiding cooking with electricity or using a microwave oven.
It was developed in the 1920s by Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa, who believed the diet could help us live in harmony with nature and cure cancer and other serious illnesses, according to the charity. However, there is no scientific evidence that supports the idea that this diet can prevent or cure cancer.
“As a dietitian I would not agree that there is enough evidence to prove a macrobiotic diet is a cure for throat cancer or that a Paleo diet is beneficial, either,” said Tew.
“Carbohydrates are a vital part of our diets, providing fibre, B vitamins and energy. They are also key for our gut microbiome and also bring taste and enjoyment to meals!” she added.
Goop, which Paltrow founded in 2008, has faced criticism over the years from various quarters. In 2018, prosecutors in California hit it with penalties totaling $145,000 for “unsubstantiated claims” relating to vaginal eggs and an essential oil-like product.