Alexandria Wyckoff
Catherine Zeta-Jones may be 56, but it seems as if she’s aging backwards with radiant skin and a toned figure. So, what’s her secret to youthfulness?
The secret may be in her diet, balancing a structured weekday routine with a more indulgent weekend.
Zeta-Jones recently shared what she eats in a day with husband Michael Douglas (81), and their two children, Dylan (25) and Carys (22). Maybe we can take some notes from the Welsh actress.
Starting Her Morning
Catherine Zeta-Jones starts her mornings early in a “super quiet house” with a French press coffee before taking her dog out. Zeta-Jones is a fierce believer in having breakfast every morning, though it tends to shift with the seasons.
During winter, she enjoys a bowl of porridge topped with brown sugar, bananas, and blueberries. When the temperature rises, Zeta-Jones switches to non-fat vanilla yogurt with Bear Naked granola, blueberries, and raspberries.
She shared with Harper’s Bazaar, “I don’t usually eat breakfast until about 8am, I like to have breakfast. I’m a three meals a day kind of girl but I do have very specific breakfast needs and it’s all about daylight saving.”
However, on the weekend, Zeta-Jones switches her tune to a more indulgent breakfast. The whole family enjoys a full English breakfast with imported British bacon, sausages, baked beans, and scrambled eggs.
The centerpiece is French toast using Martha Stewart’s recipe, perfectly blending her British roots and American household.
“Every weekend it comes together in a fabulous family brunch.”
Midday Meals
Around 11 am, Catherine Zeta-Jones allows for a small indulgence, having a cup of tea with either a cookie or a piece of Cadbury chocolate.
Lunch is back to healthiness, usually light and nourishing, and enjoyed with Michael and whoever else is in the house at that time.
“We’re very big on family meals. I don’t know whether it is my European connection. When the kids are here, any family members, anybody that is in our household we stop and we sit down and have lunch.”
A fresh salad is the foundation, often topped with grilled chicken, fish, or aubergine (eggplant). The meal is finished with a cup of Casa Zeta Jones coffee and homemade scones.
End of the Day Food
As for dinner, it’s often based around healthy choices, too.
When talking about her dinner choices, Zeta-Jones commented, “Michael and I usually sit down for dinner before 8pm. We aren’t really into eating late at night but when we are in Europe our whole life shifts into European hours so we tend to eat later but then go to bed later and get up later.”
Catherine Zeta-Jones usually enjoys dishes like apple and avocado salad with fillet mignon with shiitake mushroom sauce and vegetables. She does have a soft spot for comfort food now and then, including cauliflower cheese.
“What I do love is cauliflower cheese, I guess I’m a big cheese lover. I think it’s because my mum wasn’t a great cook but that was her thing, her specialty. It’s just a little piece of home.”
When it comes to dessert, though, Catherine Zeta-Jones indulges.
“I love desserts, I am a huge ice cream lover and of course my mother’s apple pie – coupled with some ice cream and I’m a very happy woman.”