Gwyneth Paltrow Is Over Diet Cleanses
And the experts back up her decision.
Jim Spellman
It’s not uncommon to find detox cleanses featured on Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness-heavy lifestyle website. But as a part of the actress’s personal health plan? These days, not so much.
On a recent episode of her Goop podcast, Paltrow pretty much said she’s no longer swearing by the latest juice cleanse craze. "I’m basically never cleansing," she admitted while answering an AMA question. "Only if I’m guinea pigging something for the website. Or, I try to do one good cleanse a year," she added.
So is the Oscar winner-turned-wellness guru smart to mostly snub the trend? If the cleanse only involves juice, then the experts say yes. "The ‘liquid only’ plans are extreme and can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride," says Elissa Goodman, a Los Angeles-based holistic nutritionist. "Plus, detoxing through deprivation means there's no feeling of satiation, so you're more likely to give in to unhealthy indulgences, defeating the purpose of the detox."
Instead of resorting to a potentially hazardous—and pointless—detox cleanse, it’s better to focus on a gentle one that features whole foods and can ease you into a regular routine of clean eating. (FYI: Goodman recently created an option for LA residents) "Our bodies naturally detoxes themselves," says Chicago-based RDN Dawn Jackson Blatner. "Just focusing on drinking water, exercising, and eating a mostly balanced diet can keep those organs working well and detoxifying us naturally."
The balanced diet regimen seems to be one Paltrow has pivoted towards as well. On the same podcast, she also described her typical eating habits: "On a normal day, I’ll have a smoothie for breakfast, and I have a pretty healthy lunch, with some protein and salad," she said. But when it comes to dinner, all bets are off. "I have whatever I want," Paltrow revealed. "But I do always try to avoid highly processed foods and high-fructose corn syrup."
Her eating plan also gets a thumb’s up. "In the end it’s really all about the small daily habits you do rather than the once-in-awhile cleanses," Blatner says. "So if Gwyneth loves to have this eating template that includes an enjoyable balanced dinner, I’m all for her system."
Is it dinner time yet?
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