Gwyneth Paltrow Clarifies Controversial Diet and Wellness Routine After Criticism

During an appearance on Dear Media's "The Art of Being Well" podcast earlier this week, the goop founder shared her daily meal and fitness plan, with her diet including fasting until noon, bone broth for lunch and vegetables for dinner. Paltrow subsequently received criticism over her bare bones meal plan and what was deemed an "almond mom" diet.

On Friday, the actress participated in a Q&A with her followers on her Instagram Stories, with one user asking about her thoughts on the "backlash" surrounding her "nutrition/diet regiment." In response, Paltrow, 50, clarified her comments, and explained why she follows an anti-inflammatory meal plan.

"I think it's important for everybody to know that I was doing a podcast with my doctor, so this is a person that I've been working with for over two years now to deal with some chronic stuff," she began, referencing the podcast's host, Dr. Will Cole, who is functional medicine practitioner.

"I have long COVID, and the way it manifests for me is very high levels of inflammation over time," Paltrow continued, adding that she's been "working with Dr. Cole to really focus on foods that aren't inflammatory."

The Oscar winner named "lots of vegetables," "all kinds of protein" and "healthy carbs" as examples of foods she eats that "really lower inflammation."

Although Paltrow said the diet has been "working really well" for her, she stressed the meal plan was designed specifically for her and noted that it shouldn't have been interpreted as her promoting the diet to others.

"This is based on my medical results and extensive testing that I've done over time," she explained. "This was a transparent look at a conversation between me and my doctors, not meant to be advice for anybody else. It's really just what has worked for me. It's been very powerful and very positive."

"This is not to say that I eat this way, all day every day," she added. "By the way, I eat far more than bone broth and vegetables. I eat full meals, and I also have a lot of days of eating whatever I want and eating French fries and whatever. But my baseline really has been to try to be healthy and eat foods that will really calm the system down."

Meanwhile, in addition to diet, Paltrow also revealed the weirdest wellness thing she's ever done during her appearance on "The Art of Being Well" podcast, sharing that she's done rectal ozone therapy.

"I have used ozone therapy, rectally. Can I say that?" the "Iron Man" actress said. "It's pretty weird. It's pretty weird, yeah. But it's been very helpful."

The procedure involves a catheter inserted into the colon to deliver a powerful gas. Some proposed benefits of rectal ozone therapy include reduced pain/inflammation, increased energy, improved metabolism/circulation, stimulated immune system, detoxification, anti-aging, and fighting bacterial/viral infections.

However, the FDA published a statement in 2019 that stated there has been no conclusive evidence ozone is useful for supportive or preventative medical practices and labeled it as a toxic gas.

To be used for disinfectant or anti-viral properties, the FDA stated "[i]n order for ozone to be effective as a germicide, it must be present in a concentration far greater than that which can be safely tolerated by man and animals."

Elsewhere in the conversation with Dr. Cole, Paltrow also detailed her daily exercise routine which involves transcendental meditation, Pilates, the Tracy Anderson workout and 30-minute infrared sauna sessions.

The "Seven" star has long been known for her adoption of various wellness tactics that have included yoni eggs and vaginal steamings, but looking back, she explained that her interest began when her father was diagnosed with cancer.

"I didn't think about [wellness] a lot until my father was diagnosed with cancer. I started realizing there had to be a connection through what we were eating and what we were being exposed to," Paltrow said of her findings. "And how that was being expressed through disease. And that's when I started researching whatever I could. Talking to people. Understanding the links between environmental toxins, cancer … what led to the creation of disease in our culture."