7 Eating Habits Courteney Cox Swears By to Look Amazing at 59
Courteney Cox is crushing it on Instagram. Not only is she game for showing off her dance moves and musical talent (which we can't get enough of), but her impressive culinary skills are on display, too. The Scream star is constantly whipping up delicious dishes for her and her famous friends and regularly shares her recipes with fans. (Maybe she's channeling Chef Monica Geller from Friends.) At 59, Cox is living her best life and looks stunning. Besides having a strict skincare routine, she takes care of herself with healthy lifestyle choices—starting with her diet. Here we delve into her favorite foods to see exactly what she eats and asked nutrition experts about why her choices can work for you.
She Drinks Cucumber, Pineapple, Ginger and Lemon Every Morning
Cox starts her morning off by sprucing up her water with certain fruit which can help improve digestion. "I am doing the cucumber, pineapple, ginger, and lemon thing," she told Marie Claire. "I don't know if it's cleaning my gut, but it's a way to get something liquid down because it's hard for me to drink water. Finally, I have a cup of decaf coffee with oat milk and honey."
What the Expert Says: Maggie Berghoff, a functional medicine nurse practitioner, author, entrepreneur, and sought-after health and wellness expert, says, "I love this morning drink! Way to go, Courteney. The health benefits of the drink can help you debloat and detoxify. In fact, many use it to aid in digestion and weight loss, although I prefer not to focus on the weight loss aspect, but rather on the antioxidant boost and digestive support. When you have a mindset around nourishing your body vs losing weight, I've found the pounds fall off with ease."
She adds, "The only swap we may recommend is to try it without the pineapple for less of a sugar spike if this is an everyday thing. I always say I'm imagining myself 'flooding my body with nutrients' when I eat and drink, and the cucumber/lemon/ginger/filtered water is definitely accomplishing that. Doing this versus adding fake flavors to water in order to help you hydrate more is absolutely a huge upgrade I can get behind. Bonus points if you drink this before any caffeine at all, as we know it's harmful to gut health and hormone balance to drink caffeine first thing in the AM and on an empty stomach."
She Cooks A Lot
Cox didn't just play a chef in her Monica Geller days. She loves home cooking, which is a great way to stay healthy.
What the Expert Says: "Cooking at home is wonderful because you are able to control exactly what goes into your body and what goes into your cooking," says registered dietitian Jesse Feder with My Crohns and Colitis Team. "You can control fat, salt, and calorie content quite easily when you cook at home. This is great for staying healthy and even losing weight."
She Loves Turkey Burgers
Never one to turn away from a comedic bit, Cox shows how she can cook and tone up her legs at the same time in one Instagram post, making turkey cheeseburgers on a grill while using a Thighmaster alongside Suzanne Somers. "Cook and tone," she wrote in the caption.
What the Expert Says: Sports performance dietitian Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD, says, "A turkey burger with cheese is a meal that is lower in saturated fat and higher in protein when compared to a beef burger with cheese. The health benefits that come with us are your diet will be higher in nutritional quality and more efficient in protein intake. I would ensure that you add the appropriate vegetables, such as lettuce, tomato, or onion, to create a balanced meal." Berghoff adds, "Turkey, in particular, is jam-packed with B vitamins which are essential for energy production. And if you're focused on fat and calorie reduction, turkey is typically more lean than a beef patty. And I ABSOLUTELY love that she's not cooking with meat alternatives…most 'vegan' patty are highly processed and quite frankly – fake. Feed your body real food with real ingredients."
However, she says, "When it comes to cheese, I encourage clients to avoid dairy for the most part when aiming to reduce inflammation and heal.. and most of them feel their best without dairy. However, I would rather you have cheese on the burger and enjoy every bite of it from a place of love versus restrict yourself and be stressed/anxious/worrisome about the dairy, and then end up binging on it later that night. Once your body is healed, you'll likely be able to enjoy high-quality dairy in moderation without it harming your body. It's really about you and your unique situation!"
She Eats Veggies
Scroll through her many recipes on social media, like this vegan soup, and you'll see Cox using a variety of vegetables, which is a great way to get in essential vitamins and nutrients.
What the Expert Says: "The cool thing about fruits and vegetables is that there are myriad colors to choose from depending on the type of produce you are looking at," Moody says. "Many people don't know that these colors come from the type of antioxidants the fruit or vegetable contains. For example, beta-carotene gives carrots and sweet potatoes their deep orange color, and lycopene makes tomatoes richly red. Therefore, when you eat various vegetables of all different colors, you're doing yourself a favor by providing your body with a wide range of antioxidants, thus keeping you healthier." She adds, "Vegetables can also help make you slimmer by providing volume to your meals. You can eat a large amount without contributing many calories to your diet. This means you can make your meals more substantial without adding substantially more calories, thus helping you to keep weight off."
She Eats Protein
Whether it's meatloaf, chicken, or steak, Cox loves a good protein and can cook them all!
What the Experts Say: According to Moody, "Eating protein can help you stay slim by helping to conserve your muscle mass and controlling food intake. When compared to the other macronutrients, carbohydrates, and fat, protein promotes the most satiety. Satiety means a feeling of fullness and by including protein in each of your meals, you can stay fuller for longer, which can eliminate the need for extra snacks or unwelcome hunger." She continues, "Protein is also critical for health reasons as it has a role in many of the body's processes, such as creating hormones, maintaining the integrity of our tissues, and the health of our skin, hair, and nails."
She Doesn't Deprive Herself
Cox eats a balanced diet of whole foods, but she doesn't deprive herself. She isn't afraid of carbs and has pizza and pasta.
What the Expert Says: "Many people are shocked to hear that I, a registered dietitian, encourage the people I counsel to have a cheat meal every week. I even ask them in our sessions what their cheat meal was and wag my finger if they skipped it for that week," Moody shares. "Taking a break from your diet is necessary to maintain your diet in the long term. Though the willpower to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time is admirable, we are all human and deserve to indulge in meals that are a little naughty now and then." She continues, "Not only does this give you a mental break from 'watching while you eat,' but I can give you permission to go to a restaurant with friends, eat the food you love at a family gathering, or simply have your favorite ice cream on a Saturday night without feeling any guilt about it. Cheat meals help you maintain a healthy relationship with food, which is often neglected when people decide to diet and could have long-term damaging effects. Permitting yourself to have a meal like this will also prevent you from binging later on because you have been restricting yourself for so long. The best part is that one indulgent meal at the end of the week isn't sabotaging all of your progress during the week."
She Takes Vitamins Every Morning
In the interview with Marie Claire, Cox shared that part of her morning ritual includes taking vitamins daily. While she didn't specify which ones, supplements can be an effective way to get the vitamins needed.
What the Expert Says: Moody explains, "Taking a multivitamin can never replace eating the foods with the nutrients these supplements contain, as these foods also offer calories, fiber, and antioxidants that you cannot get from a vitamin." She adds, "However, taking one can keep you healthy while working towards eating a healthier diet by filling nutritional gaps. Multivitamins are also helpful for those who adhere to diets that eliminate certain food groups, such as veganism, as these diets can lack critical nutrients."
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