Gwyneth Paltrow wants to get into your kitchen.
This isn't exactly breaking news, of course. Ever since the Oscar-winning actress reinvented herself as a healthy lifestyle guru, authoring two quotable cookbooks and launching the lifestyle website Goop, she's been trying to insinuate herself into the American diet.
But now Paltrow is going a step further. She and her personal trainer Tracy Anderson, one of the country's most prominent fitness gurus, announced last week that they will soon start selling a line of prepared foods designed according to their exacting nutritional specifications. They revealed the details of their joint venture, to be called 3 Green Hearts, in a glossy spread in the most recent issue of Hamptons Magazine.
In an interview with the magazine, Anderson said that the line was inspired by her work with Paltrow.
"Along the journey, we've always understood how important [food is] to our bodies; it's a complete marriage with the fitness," she said. "As people become more aware of organic foods, the importance of eating things that are whole and nutritious [becomes clear]."
Hamptons Magazine reports that 3 Green Hearts will be sold at Anderson's new studio in East Hampton and will feature such dietetic delicacies as "made-that-day juices and smoothies, gluten-free pastas with herbs and roasted tomatoes, quinoa salads, grilled salmon, fish tacos and kale ravioli." Oh, and "frosting shots," which Anderson felt to be a necessity because she considers herself "a major foodie."
Anderson said that their goal is to give people access to foods that will "settle the inflammation fire that is so many bodies." Paltrow often refers to this same nebulous "inflammation" in writings on Goop, arguing that typical American diets allow so-called "toxins" to accumulate in the body, sparking an immune response that can eventually cause "the collapse of all systems, one by one."
The scientific evidence supporting this claim is scanty at best. Though some studies have shown that foods high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation, organic and gluten-free foods have never demonstrated anything like the power Anderson and Paltrow ascribe to them. And even if a healthy diet can fight inflammation, there's no real evidence that this effect has anything to do with toxins, or that "detox diets" actually eliminate toxins lurking in your body.
Diets high in fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains do offer many other health benefits, though -- so if Paltrow's stamp of approval gets people to eat more of them, that's a good thing, even if her own beliefs don't hold water.
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