Here’s What Jennifer Aniston Eats in a Day to Feel Strong and Vibrant

Plus, discover the 54-year-old actress’s favorite dinner party menu when she’s in charge of hosting.

Jennifer Aniston Films Workout SceneWhether 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 53?

She looks at least a decade younger—no wonder Aniston is a spokesperson for wellness-minded brands like Vital Proteins and Aveeno.

jennifer-aniston-in-leggings-on-the-set-of-mothers-day-in-atlanta-09-01-2015_2  – HawtCelebs
We’ll have what she’s having, right?! Well, we will 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/IRL pals Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow. (FYI, 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.

Aniston admitted to PEOPLE when she was selected as their 2016 most beautiful woman that she now has followed the lead of her yoga practice, and has allowed for much more flexibility beyond that staple salad.

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“I’m not as strict as I was. It was always sort of a monitored watch. Then I thought, ‘Just give yourself moderation.'” To her, 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],” she adds. “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.

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.

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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 “fluffy texture that’s delicious” and some extra protein, she adds to Elle, or a sippable meal like this Chocolate Protein Shake.

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.)

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,” she adds.

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.

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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 with no sugar, no mixes, no agave,” she tells InStyle. “I don’t like sweet drinks.”

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.

Jennifer Aniston, 51, shows off her incredible figure as she does yoga in  skin-tight workout gear | The Irish Sun

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 more restrictive diets that she dabbled in 20 years ago or so—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,” she explains 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.”

Jennifer Aniston's Fitness and Diet Routine - Vital Proteins Interview
Having zero rules looks great on Jen, if you ask us, 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 and 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 has said.