Whether you know her from her time as Rachel Green on the TV show Friends, the love interest in movies like Rumor Has It, The Object of My Affection and Marley & Me, or, more recently, as Alex Levy on Apple TV+'s The Morning Show, chances are, you know Jennifer Aniston. But did you know that the actress and hair care entrepreneur is in her 50s?
Looking at least a decade younger, it's no wonder Aniston is a spokesperson for wellness-minded brands like Vital Proteins and Aveeno.
We'll have what she's having—well, unless it's the same salad every.single.day. ICYMI, Aniston was known to bring the same salad each and every day of filming Friends to share with co-stars and pals-in-real-life Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow (we have the recipe here!).
But the fact that Aniston is such a creature of habit in some areas of her life has served her well. Case in point—her dedication to yoga, which she has practiced for more than a decade, and her daily 10- to 20-minute meditation habit.
When she was selected as PEOPLE magazine's "World's Most beautiful woman" of 2016, she admitted that she started to follow the lead of her yoga practice, allowing for much more flexibility beyond that staple salad.
"I'm not as strict as I was. It was always sort of a monitored watch. Then I thought, 'Just give yourself moderation.'" To Aniston, beauty is "learning to love every single thing about yourself. And also realizing that it's not just clothes and what's happening [on the outside]. There's so much more that's beautiful in a human being."
That said, she is still cognizant of what she consumes.
"We've got to really be conscious and mindful around what we put inside our bodies. And how we sleep and how we eat and how we take care of ourselves," Aniston adds to PEOPLE.
Mindful Eating: The Key to Eating What You Want and Fully Enjoying It
What Jennifer Aniston Eats in a Day
Read on to discover the foods and drinks Aniston mindfully chooses to help her feel her best. Spoiler alert: It's much more than the same ol' salad.
Breakfast
Every day starts with a glass of hot water with lemon, then usually a cup of coffee with a splash of milk and stevia, she tells PEOPLE.
Alongside, she'll fuel up with avocado and eggs with a little coconut oil, oatmeal with egg whites whipped in for some extra protein and a "fluffy texture that's delicious," Aniston tells Elle.
The lineup for the blender beverage might change a bit throughout the week, but generally includes "some sort of pure protein, then bananas, blueberries, frozen cherries, stevia, a vegetable mix of dynamic greens that goes in there, maca powder and a little cacao," Aniston tells Well + Good. "There's a collagen peptide that I've been loving—I've been seeing a difference! My nails are stronger, and there's a healthier...glow. It's sort of that working from the inside-out thing."
It's worth mentioning that Aniston has a partnership with Vital Proteins, which is also one of our dietitian's favorite collagen powders.
Ayesha Curry's 2-Minute Smoothie Recipe Is Hydrating and High in Protein
Lunch
Lunch is "some form of vegetables or salad with protein—pretty basic," she tells Elle. But just because it's basic doesn't mean Aniston leaves it up to chance. She plans ahead to make it possible to toss something nutritious together even during the busiest of days.
"I always have cut raw vegetables in a Tupperware container. Hard-boiled eggs are always great to have in the fridge, as well as a big head of butter lettuce. I also include protein, such as pulled chicken," she tells Yahoo Food. When it comes time to transform that into a meal, it might be that chicken or seared ahi tuna with a salad, or a chicken burger tucked inside a lettuce wrap, she reveals to Harper's Bazaar.
One thing you'll never find in her fridge? Beets. "I'm not a fan. And you won't find caviar. Nope, you can't acquire that taste no matter how many people say that," adds Aniston.
Snacks
To stay energized between meals, Aniston drinks plenty of water and snacks on a healthy carb source and/or something that packs a protein punch. An apple with almond butter, a cheese stick, a handful of nuts or a cup of soup are on frequent rotation.
Dinner
Dinner is where Aniston really lets her creativity shine. Typically, her evening meal also includes a vegetable and a protein, although she goes on kicks when she's in the mood for Mexican food—margaritas included, just "clean, no sugar," she tells InStyle.
She enjoys having pals over for a DIY pizza night potluck with wine pairings, too. "Everyone can participate and make their own pizzas. I have one friend that brings sweets and dessert; other people bring wine. One year, a friend brought all of the pizza dough that we used for the party, so that was fun," she tells Yahoo Food.
Pasta is also a favorite, be it a low-carb swap like zoodles with pesto and roasted chicken or the real-deal noodles in a carbonara-style sauce. Her lightened-up version of carbonara features turkey bacon instead of pork, eggs and Parmesan. "No oil, butter or creams. And we use pasta water to make it juicier," she explains to Yahoo Food (Giada De Laurentiis would be so proud!).
The Bottom Line
Rather than turning to the more restrictive diets that she dabbled in through the years—including the Grapefruit Diet and Nutrisystem—any time Aniston feels like she's veering off track from a meal plan that makes her feel like her best and most vibrant self, she does a minor course correction.
"If anything, my exercise usually increases a little bit, and I keep the sodium super low. But again, because my diet's good all year round, I don't do a big reset," explains Aniston to Yahoo Food. "I don't let eating habits get out of control where I need a reset button. My general philosophy is to eat healthy. It's pretty clear: Eat as much organic fruits and veggies as you can, keep sugar [intake] low, drink tons and tons of water and get good sleep. I allow myself to indulge once in a while...I don't give myself any rules anymore."
If you ask us, having zero rules looks great on Jen, and her well-balanced, vegetable-strong, protein-rich menu seems like just one element of her healthy lifestyle that can definitely last a lifetime—a beautiful, delicious, long lifetime.
"I think our bodies are beautiful, and I think celebrating them and being comfortable in them—no matter what age you are—is important," Aniston told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. "There shouldn't be any kind of shame or discomfort around it."
We couldn't agree more.
