Kristen Bell brings magic to every project she's involved in with her chipper attitude,
and overall good-natured talent. Bell is also in killer shape, in part because she monitors
what she eats to feel as healthy and happy as possible. Find out what Kristen Bell really
eats in a day.
If you were to go grocery shopping with Kristen Bell, you'd notice that it's not going to
be a quick trip where she just grabs whatever looks good at the moment. Instead, you would
find yourself taking your time as she reads the nutrition label on everything she puts
in her cart. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said that food is her jam
and added,
"I want to know what's in everything. I'm obsessive about food. I want to know who made
it and where it came from."
That's definitely a noble ambition.
Bell encourages others to do the same with their grocery lists, as knowing exactly what's
in your food, as well as how it's been produced, can help you to demystify your pantry. She
said,
"Food feels confusing, but it's not. If you have the inkling to better your life and health,
there are resources out there and a little understanding goes a long way."
Being an actress means that Bell often has to spend long hours on set, which means she's
dependent on what food offerings are available. In an interview with Grub Street, she shared,
"For breakfast I had an egg-white scramble with avocado and habanero sauce from the caterer
on set, and I made a matcha latte with almond milk. I'm not that fancy, but it has some
nice caffeine and doesn't give me the slump that coffee does."
Sometimes Bell will change it up, opting instead for oatmeal with fruit, or perhaps going with
what she can throw into a blender. She also shared,
"Breakfast was a smoothie with organic spinach, organic kale, frozen organic berries, maca
powder, chia seeds, and chocolate vegan protein powder."
And, of course, that was accompanied by her usual matcha and almond milk latte. Bell definitely
seems to have taken note of all the things healthy people eat for breakfast.
One of the strategies Bell uses in order to eat healthy and feel satiated is mentally
tracking her macros or macronutrients, which helps her make the most sensible food choices
throughout the day. In an interview with Shape, Bell said,
"I pay attention to a food's nutritional value and then balance my diet really well. Like
knowing, OK, I've had enough protein today, I'm going to eat carbs for dinner, or vice
versa."
At the center of this concept for Bell is balancing her diet, which ensures that she
looks great, can think clearly, and isn't constantly starving. Bell added,
"I try to balance everything. Does an avocado have a ton of fat in it? Yes, but it's healthy
fat, so have an avocado with sea salt. Same thing with fruit."
When it comes to lunch, Bell has a go-to dish that she prefers, as it can be customized
every day to be a little bit different. In an interview with Grub Street, she shared,
"We always have a big salad bar, and my personal favorite dish in the world is my 'garbage
disposal' salad because it's never boring. I try to add a little bit of everything and
keep my diet very diverse."
As to what that can look like, there are a variety of different options. Sometimes she'll
throw red beans and peppers on her salad, and other times different legumes and vegetables.
She continued by saying,
"Today's on-set salad included spinach and romaine lettuce, chickpeas, red beans, broccoli,
cauliflower, jalapeños, red pepper, feta, and a fig glaze and olive oil dressing."
Sometimes she'll also have sweet potatoes on the side, and will wash it all down with
Perrier.
To supplement her main meals, Bell likes to have snacks on hand for when she gets hungry
during the day. Additionally, one of her mainstays is something she created herself to cater
to her own palate — and do good for people who need it. In an interview with Grub Street,
she shared,
"For a snack, I had a dark-chocolate-cherry-sea-salt bar from This Bar Saves Lives. I'm a co-founder
of the company, so I made sure all the flavors were my favorites."
Bell added that for each box sold, the company donates nutritious food to hungry children
in need.
When she's not reaching for a snack bar, Bell has a few other favorite go-to foods to whet
her appetite. In an interview with Shape, she explained,
"As a snack at work, I'll grab a Chobani yogurt. At home, I'll pick things that are blooming
in my garden – mulberries, nectar plums, blackberries."
"Woah, it somehow tastes how i felt when my cell phone was fully charged. I'm so relaxed."
Sometimes she'll reach for vegan cookies, too, but opts for those with plenty of protein.
When it comes to what Kristen Bell likes to make for dinner, she's especially fond of
pasta, a food she unabashedly loves. She also has a go-to recipe that she and her family
enjoy for their evening meal. In an interview with Shape, she said,
"What I'll do is cut up some cherry tomatoes, fry them in a pan with a little olive oil,
throw the cooked noodles in, then add a little more olive oil, and maybe some ghee, and crack
an egg in it for creaminess. The dish is like a carbonara, but with tomatoes and without
meat, and it's truly divine."
If Bell wants to add some extra textures and protein, she just reaches into the fridge
in order to round out the dish. In an interview with Delish, she shared,
"I really like the Beyond Meat crumbles to add some protein. I also add in whatever Paul
Newman's Own pasta sauce we have in the cupboards."
Bell doesn't just grab any old box of spaghetti off of the shelf at the supermarket — that
would not be in alignment with her nutritional principles. Instead, she has discovered a
pasta that she adores, which is healthier than your standard, regular semolina-based
products. In an interview with Shape, she revealed,
"There is a brand of pasta that I've been getting at Thrive Market called Banza that's
made from chickpeas and pea protein. It's got a lot of protein in it – about 25 grams
a serving – and it tastes like regular pasta."
Bell isn't shy when it comes time to sing Banza's praises, saying,
"It's so good. I'm telling you, this pasta has changed my life."
Obviously, being healthy is super important to Kristen Bell, who's extremely mindful about
what she eats and drinks. But it's not just about having a fit bod for Bell — she has
more important motivations, as well as ways in which she measures her well-being. In an
interview with Shape, she said,
"To me, being healthy means feeling good about the choices I'm making. And most important,
it's about keeping fit mentally and physically. I'm constantly reminding myself that it's
not about my thighs: It's about my commitment and my happiness level."
That being said, Bell doesn't just eat vegetables and other healthy foods all day, as she has
a rather indulgent number one pleasure. She revealed,
"My favorite food, though, is croutons. Any and all croutons. I don't discriminate."
Chances are, then, that croutons make a regular appearance in her salads. They certainly do
add a nice crunch and flavor to meals.
Croutons aren't the only indulgent food that Bell keeps in her otherwise healthy diet.
Most notably, she refuses to take pizza off of the menu for a variety of reasons, late
nights being one of them. In an interview with Grub Street, she confessed,
"I got home around midnight from work, and there was leftover pizza from Lucifers that
my husband and the kids had eaten, so I snagged some of that before passing out on my pillow,
dreaming about carbs. I allow myself to do that, a) because it's delicious, and b) because
85 percent of my diet is healthy and thoughtful."
Bell just doesn't see the need to be ultra-restrictive, instead allowing herself the freedom to have
a decadent meal every now and again. She said,
"I don't beat myself up when I eat foods that are indulgent. Also, if I can bribe my kids
to eat vegetables by giving them pizza at a later point, I'll do it."
Though Bell includes some decadent foods in her diet, there are some things you won't
see her chowing down on anytime soon, especially meat.
"Is Kristen Bell vegetarian? Ding ding ding!"
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she revealed,
"I was vegan and am now vegetarian. I'm all about eating clean and ethically, but I also
believe that it's important to listen to your body."
Additionally, Bell understands that everyone has different nutritional needs, and she isn't
here to police anyone else about their food intake. She said,
"Some people's bodies tell them to eat meat. There's a better way to do it because factory
farming is a nightmare. I give my children meat; the chicken they get has been raised
in, basically, a spa."
She added that the chickens even get manicures, so you know they're living large.
Instead, Bell is more likely to reach for meat substitutes like Beyond Burgers, which
she eats freely during periods when she's working out a lot.
"What is that amazing smell? Chocolate!”
In addition to avoiding meat, there's another thing that Bell doesn't indulge in: sugar.
That all started when she and her husband did a 30-day no sugar challenge, then felt
sick after reintroducing it to her diet once it was over. In an interview with Delish she
explained,
"You have to change your brain's receptors to thinking it's bad for you [versus] it's
good for you. You have to associate it with something negative in order to give it up."
Bell does keep a little bit of sugar on hand in case the cravings hit hard, but it's definitely
not the first thing that she goes for when she has a snack attack. She said,
"I'll get a chocolate bar and keep it in the cupboard and have a piece of it if I really
want something, but I cheat very rarely. I will cheat with salty things, just not sugar.
But that I think is better for you. I think sugar's really bad for us."
Although Bell hasn't sworn off alcohol for life, it's not something that she indulges
in very often. In an interview with HuffPost, she shared,
"I personally don't have wine every day. But my wine is Netflix and cuddling with my husband
or our date night."
So when it comes to her take on the alcohol saturation in parenting culture, she's just
not that into it — though she does understand the message behind it.
"The wine memes, for me, they're all-encompassing in the fact that they represent, 'Remember
that you're an adult. It's OK if your kids are stressful and annoying. It's OK to take
time for yourself. But to me, that doesn't necessarily ever mean alcohol."
According to Women's Health, Bell did kick back and unwind in 2019, when she, quote,
"discovered rosé" and had one glass every day while she was on vacation. But those days
are definitely outliers, as the rest of the time she's fine being sober.
If there's one thing that sums up Kristen Bell's overall attitude toward food and nutrition,
it's that she "eats clean" about 90 percent of the time. That allows her the freedom to
indulge when it feels right and to maintain a healthy relationship with both food and
her body.
Additionally, Bell definitely adheres to the notion that all things should be in moderation,
including moderation. That's where portion control comes in quite handy, as it allows
her to eat whatever food she wants to without worrying about undue consequences, especially
when she's on set. In an interview with Women's Health she explained,
"I'm not super restrictive. If they make au gratin potatoes, I'm going to have some, but
I am mindful of the portion I take. I find that through conscious eating, I'm able to
have all the rewards and also maintain a healthy, steady diet."
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