Zoe Saldana's approach to food is simply, clean. "If my husband and I had different professions, where we didn't need to shop in supermarkets and could live more naturally, we could eat more sustainably," the Guardians of the Galaxy actress told Shape Magazine. "I grew up partially in the Dominican Republic, and I remember what eating was like when my grandma would pick herbs from her garden, and we'd get seafood that had been caught that morning. Life was very simple and much healthier."
Zoe appears on the June cover of Shape Magazine Photo: Nino Munoz
The 38-year-old, who was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2012, said that her family is taking a new approach to eating. "It's not that I like to eat super light, just super clean," the mother-of-three shared. "I like food that is fresh. I don't go for things that come in a can—and I'm losing trust in things that come in plastic. And we're starting to move in the direction of becoming a vegetarian family; society has a very violent, dysfunctional, and wrong relationship with how we cultivate and produce meat."
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Zoe, her husband Marco Perego and their two-year-old twins Cy and Bowie and Zen are leading a gluten and dairy-free life. "If I have to pay more to eat better, then I'll just balance my checkbook better," she said. "I know what it's like to live on a tight budget, but my mom was one of those parents who gave us great food despite our budget." The Avatar actress also hopes to be an example for others. She explained, "I'd like to be a voice of inspiration for my Latino community, as underage diabetes and high blood pressure are on the rise."
The Guardians of the Galaxy star opens up about avoiding diets and not stressing about exercise Photo: Nino Munoz
While she may be 'a boring person to take to dinner,' for Zoe, diets are just not a part of her lifestyle. "I try not to deprive my body of anything, because the moment I have just salads and protein for a few days, I crave carbs," she said. "But when I eat everything in balance, I think less about food and more about everything else. It’s about eating to live, not living to eat." That motto also translates to her work outs. The host of the YouTube show, Rosé Roundtable noted, "Once you have relatively healthy eating habits, your workout can become playing with your kids, strolling around the neighborhood, playing airplane, or just changing diapers."
When she does hit the gym, it's not overkill. "Between travel, meetings and shoots, schedules are rough for me. I try to work out three times a week, but I don't believe in getting on one machine for 30 minutes," she explained. "If I do a lot of cardio, it usually just means I’ll be dragging my feet for the rest of the day. And when I’m shooting, I really don’t like to be strict with my workout, since I’m already putting in 16-hour days."