Jennifer Aniston Is “Giving Herself a Break” When It Comes to Her Diet

Many people make drastic changes to their diet in the name of health. For some people, that means cutting back on calories and increasing the amount of exercise they do. Other times, people eliminate certain foods from their diet, such as carbs, and increase other types of foods, such as protein.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind with any diet is that while one diet works for one person it may not work for another person. While one person can happily give up carbs, another person may not be able to stick to a diet that doesn’t include bread.

Jennifer Aniston has been on a low-carb diet for years, but at age 52, she has decided to make some changes. She told PEOPLE, “[I] started to give myself a break, allowing yourself to have pasta, a sandwich.” The actress added, “Everyone’s very afraid of the bread basket, and I’m no longer afraid. As long as it’s all done in moderation.”

While Aniston is allowing herself to eat carbs within moderation, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t on any sort of diet. She does intermittent fasting most days. She explained, “I kind of naturally do intermittent fasting, just because I’m not a breakfast person.” For Aniston, breakfast usually consists of coffee and collagen. 

If you’re on a low carb diet, you might worry that adding carbs back into your diet would make you feel bad or sluggish, but Aniston thinks her body is actually thanking her for the bread and pasta. She said, “There’s something my body appreciates about [having carbs], like, ‘Oh, thank you! Why are you depriving me of things I love?'”

Besides changing her diet, Aniston has also changed the way she exercises; however, this change wasn’t by choice. In October, Aniston’s back went out. She woke up one day and couldn’t get out of bed. An MRI revealed a 9-mm bulging disc. As a result, she had to give up running, which is one of her favorite ways to exercise. She shared, “My whole workout had to change.”

As a form of rehab, Aniston has been doing Pilates because it is gentle on her body. Now that time has passed, she intends to try incorporating running back into her exercise routine.

Are you scared of the bread basket? Are you on a low-carb diet? Do you think carbs will become less taboo now that Aniston admits she’s eating them and her body is thanking her? What’s your favorite way to exercise?