Gwyneth Paltrow is one of those people who’s always making headlines for something or another. Between her conscious uncoupling, Goop’s “science,” and the actress’s overall lack of understanding of how non-celebs live, Paltrow is consistently rubbing people the wrong way. The latest controversy plaguing Gwyneth is that of her wellness routine. But, does her lifestyle really deserve all this criticism?
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has grown extremely popular in recent years, even though experts haven’t come to a consensus about its safety or effectiveness. Paltrow explained her method by saying, “I eat dinner early in the evening. I do a nice intermittent fast I usually eat something [at] about 12.”
It’s worth pointing out that trying to get through the whole morning without food is like trying to drive a car that hasn’t been fueled up — it’ll be a bumpy ride at best.
Bone Broth
After intermittent fasting, Paltrow finally has lunch — which is typically just some bone broth. Most bone broths are only around 50 calories per portion, which certainly isn’t enough to end a morning of fasting.
That said, it’s important to point out that Gwyneth hasn’t specified which type of bone broth she has, or if she adds some sort of protein or veggies to it. Hopefully, she meant that she has more of a soup dish for lunch, rather than truly just liquid.
Exercise
Something Paltrow does that we can stand by is upholding a healthy exercise routine. The actress explained, “I try to do one hour of movement, so I’ll either take a walk or I’ll do Pilates or I’ll do my Tracy Anderson.”
Gwyneth has come under fire for saying that everyone has time in their day to work out. While she may not have phrased herself in the best way, we agree that it’s important to try and find time each day to take care of oneself.
Saunas
Part of Paltrow’s daily routine is dry brushing and spending 30 minutes in an infrared sauna right before dinner, an experience which she calls “really detoxifying. It’s a real gift to myself.”
The difference between a regular sauna and an infrared one is that infrared saunas heat the body, rather than the air around it. Both types of sweat sessions have benefits and risks. Gwyneth knows how important it is to hydrate while in a sauna, so she often sips celery juice during her sessions.Study Suggests Monet’s Work Illustrates Rising Pollution Amid the Industrial RevolutionKeep Watching
A Paleo Diet
For dinner, Paltrow sticks to a strict paleo diet, which she eats at roughly 6:00 pm, after which she begins her fast. Although doctors warn against following diet fads, Gwyneth has jumped onto the paleo bandwagon.
Some of the foods that people following a paleo diet eat are fish, fresh lean meats, eggs, nuts, fruits, vegetables, seeds, olive oil, and shellfish. The trend disallows refined grains and sugars, dairy products, adult beverages, coffee, salt, and most processed foods, among others.
IVs
One of the most controversial aspects of Paltrow’s lifestyle (and that’s saying something) is her usage of IVs. IV drips are used to insert vitamins into a person’s body, rather than the person simply getting nutrients by eating food.
They’re usually used in hospitals for people who are ill and unable to eat, but many celebs utilize this medical tool for weight loss. Gwyneth says, “I love an IV, I’m an early IV adopter.” Make no mistake, though — doctors insist that healthy people have no need for IV drips.
Ear Seeds
Paltrow has a reputation for dabbling in some wacky wellness stuff, and ear seeds are a perfect example of that. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Ada Ooi, explains, “Ear seeds are small seeds that are placed on your ear on various acupressure points to serve as tiny acupressure devices.”
As it turns out, Gwyneth’s methods may not be as goofy as they seem. Although American doctors are divided on the issue, ear seeding is widely accepted in some countries.
Energy Healing
Paltrow believes that the “energy field” surrounding one’s body affects their physical and mental health. Therefore, her theory is that one can heal ailments by altering their energy fields. So, how does it work?
Apparently, one lies on a table while a practitioner uses their hands to move the energy field around. While there currently isn’t any scientific evidence that this method works, doctors do say it can provide a placebo effect — so there’s that.
Moon Dust Juices
Plenty of people drink smoothies for breakfast, but only someone like Gwyneth Paltrow would start her day with moon dust. Before she got into intermittent fasting, the actress would have moon dust juice every morning.
The beverage claims to help with everything from improving brainpower to aiding sleep and Paltrow insists it’s “magic.” Look, if you’re eating a healthy breakfast then it makes sense that your day will improve. So, basically, this moon dust drink is the same as any other health shake.
Vampire Repellent
We all have people in our lives who emotionally drain us, but Paltrow seems to think she has the solution for it. She uses a spray to ward off emotional vampires. Does it have garlic? No.
According to Gwyneth, the spray contains love and moonlight — in a bottle. In all fairness, if we were to walk towards someone and then they started spraying “love” and “moonlight” at us, we’d walk away. So, we guess it works!
Burning Bras
We’ve all seen those movies in which a character going through a breakup chooses to burn something that reminded them of their ex. That being said, no one actually does that stuff — no one except Gwyneth Paltrow.
The actress recommends burning one’s undergarments in order to get over a romance, because “the lingerie you wore with past lovers can carry the toxic residue of a relationship.” Um, does she not realize how expensive good bras are?!
Bee Sting Therapy
Beauty is pain (it doesn’t have to be, though) and Paltrow has no problem enduring discomfort for the sake of her appearance. Gwyneth routinely gets bee sting therapy, which is supposed to reduce inflammation and skin scarring.
The actress insists that “it’s actually pretty incredible if you research it,” but admits, “Man, it’s painful.” Bee sting therapy is extremely popular in the world of holistic medicine, so this certainly isn’t something Paltrow made up. Still, though, isn’t suffering for beauty a bit pre-feminism?
Caring About Water’s Feelings
We can’t fault Paltrow too much for this one, as she did cite actual scientific research. Scientist Masaru Emoto conducted a study in which he “proved” that one’s energy influences the physical world around them, particularly water.
So, now, Gwyneth is conscious of how she speaks near H20. Before you go whispering sweet nothings to your beverages, it’s worth noting that other scientists have accused Emoto’s experiment of not having been conducted in a scientific manner.
No Adult Beverages
As much as we love a good drink or two, we have to admit that Paltrow’s got a point when she says that she never indulges in adult beverages. Gwyneth finds refraining from drinking easy because her friends tend to do the same.
The actress explains that she doesn’t attend events or hang out with people who overdo it. She said, “I find it very degrading. I think, ‘Oh, you’re really degrading yourself right now, to be this pissed out in public.'”
Expensive Toilet Paper
When you’re as rich as A-list celebs, you end up spending insane amounts of money on completely pointless things. The expression ‘flushing money down the toilet’ becomes literal with Paltrow, as she invests in toilet paper that costs nearly $1,000!
Rumor has it that when she isn’t home, the actress demands untouched toilet paper that’s in an unopened package. With that attitude, we’re genuinely surprised that she doesn’t have someone else doing the wiping for her!
Detoxing
Paltrow has done quite a few detoxes over the years, although she tends to struggle with them. The actress claims that her “body is not a natural detoxer.” However tempting the promises of a successful detox might sound, they’re completely unnecessary and can even be unhealthy.
Dietitian, Sammi Haber Brondo, explains, “Our kidneys and liver do all of our detoxing. Unless you have really severe kidney or liver disease, your kidneys and liver will detox for you.”
Tongue Scraping
Brushing one’s teeth with a toothbrush is too peasant-like for Gwyneth Paltrow. Instead, she practices tongue scraping each morning. Tongue scraping is when a person uses a tool they scrape against the tongue, ridding the mouth of built-up bacteria.
While some experts say it’s a great way to get rid of toxins, other professionals argue that tongue scraping is unnecessary and will likely irritate the tongue, which can damage the taste buds and appetite.
Dancing
One of Paltrow’s more advisable habits is dancing each morning. Given the importance of daily physical activity, and the mental well-being dancing provides, this is a part of Gwyneth’s routine we can absolutely get behind!
The actress often does her dance workouts with her friend/celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson. Experts say that dancing is a highly recommended form of exercise, as most people find it fun and, therefore, aren’t as likely to quit as they are with other gym routines.
Sleep Strips
Paltrow uses sleep strips at night, which is a device that essentially tapes your mouth shut. The actress claims that the strips improve sleep quality, prevent snoring, and “is probably the single best wellness tool I found recently.”
It makes sense that having one forcibly silenced by tape would help with snoring, but we highly doubt these strips improve sleep quality. On the contrary, if we wore this, we’d be having anxiety-induced nightmares for sure!
Meditation
One of Paltrow’s lifestyle habits that are worth imitating is daily meditation. While regular meditation is also beneficial, Gwyneth participates in transcendental meditation, which involves the use of silent mantras.
The actress meditates for a healthy 20 minutes a day, which doesn’t seem to be excessive at all, despite her usual tendency to overdo wellness trends. Paltrow has aptly said, ”Sometimes you just need to take that one conscious breath to get back into your body.”
Injectibles
While we certainly can’t fault Paltrow for her natural look, she has admitted to using injectables to help keep wrinkles and sagging at bay. However, she’s extremely careful not to overdo it.
Gwyneth has said, “We’ve all seen beautiful women who go overboard and end up looking even older. If you have integrity with yourself, there is a much smaller chance of doing something you’ll regret — and that’s true for most aspects of your life. I learned that lesson many times over when I was younger, but I think it finally stuck.”
Sleep
Not everything Paltrow does is all woo-woo. For example, her views on the importance of sleep are… healthy. The actress has said, “The lifestyle I lead is based not just on clean eating, but also on clean sleeping: at least seven or eight hours of good, quality sleep, and ideally even 10.”
She achieves that high quality of sleep by unwinding with a 20-minute bath before bed. Hey, if we had the time, we’d do that too!
Supplements
Like many people, Paltrow has found herself increasing her supplement usage as she gets older. The actress takes vitamins for thyroid health, fatigue (on longer days), and menopausal symptoms, the latter of which she has a unique opinion about. Gwyneth has said, “Menopause needs a rebranding — it’s a very natural part of our process as women.”
We couldn’t agree more! Knowing Paltrow, she’ll probably start this rebranding process by making a menopause-scented candle. Honestly? We’d buy it just to support the re-branding cause.
Facials
Like many of us, Paltrow gets routine facials. Unlike most of us, she has a facialist for each major city she spends time in. When she’s in New York, Gwyneth likes to get “a peel of some sort.” In London, though, the actress prefers “a holistic experience.”
For those of us who can’t fly to another city — or country — every time we’re having a bad skin day, Paltrow recommends doing facial massages on your own. In fact, there are tons of free apps and YouTube channels dedicated to teaching the techniques!
Cheat Days
Despite her overall strict diet, Paltrow does indulge in guilt-free cheat days every now and then. When she received backlash for her eating habits, the actress let fans know, “I eat full meals, and I also have a lot of days of eating whatever I want and eating French fries and whatever.”
Gwyneth clarified, “But my baseline really has been to try to be healthy and eat foods that will really calm the system down.”
Healing Stickers
Sometimes, wellness gurus really do have good intentions but they don’t always understand the science (for example, Paltrow worrying about water’s feelings). With this one, though, we’re not really sure what Gwyneth was thinking.
The actress promotes stickers that she advises fans to wear because they “rebalance the energy frequency in our bodies” thanks to NASA space suit material (?). Your guess is as good as ours on this one — we have no idea what since-debunked research she got it from!
Ice Water
Many celebrities have been jumping on the trend of ice water therapy and Gwyneth Paltrow is no exception. While submerging oneself in cold water does have benefits (such as reducing muscle soreness and inflammation), it also has risks (for example, hypothermia and stress on the heart).
Essentially, if your doctor okays it, this is one Goop lifestyle method that’s not totally baseless. Those who do ice water therapy utilize breathing techniques to help their bodies deal with the pain. Can we maybe learn the breathing tricks without dunking into freezing water?
Natural Substances
Paltrow has admitted to using natural substances for spiritual purposes — a confession that, of course, earned her a lot of criticism. The truth is that the research on this topic is extremely limited but certainly promising.
Regardless of the potential benefits of the practice, these substances aren’t widely recognized as treatments by the medical community, which means it’s not regulated or administered by a doctor. Either way, Gwyneth swears by these substances as part of her “optimization of self.”
Keeping it Natural
It’s no secret that Gwyneth Paltrow loves anything organic and natural (who can forget her famous “I would rather die than let my kid eat Cup-a-Soup” quote?) However, she also dabbles in some very unnatural practices.
It seems the hypocrisy hasn’t gone over the actress’s head, as she’s said, “You know, I use organic products, but I get [laser treatments]. It’s what makes life interesting, finding the balance.” Let’s be real, even the healthiest of us have our vice.
Sharing Wellness Tips
One of the reasons people dislike Gwyneth Paltrow so much is that she believes strongly in sharing her wellness tips with the world. While a lot of her advice is unrelatable, incorrect, or even dangerous, some of what she says is basic health stuff — it’s just Gwyneth Paltrow saying it.
The Goop founder had a moment of self-reflection in 2023, in which she said that her methods are “not meant to be advice for anybody else. It’s really just what has worked for me.”
