Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed a surprising ingredient she uses as a dairy substitute when cooking. The 53-year-old actress and Goop founder shared her culinary tip during a cooking segment on Wednesday's episode of the Today show.
Arugula as a Dairy Substitute
'If you want to avoid dairy, one trick that I do is I dice up arugula and I put it in,' Paltrow said while preparing turkey meatballs. 'It sounds weird, but it kind of adds, like, a nice texture to it. And it's delicious.'
Fans were left perplexed by the suggestion, with some finding it 'disgusting.' One Reddit user commented, 'Let's never ask her for a recipe again. Please,' while another added, 'Oh Gwyneth, why are you so darn weird.'
Paltrow's Evolving Diet
Paltrow's eating habits have long made headlines. Last year, the Oscar-winner ditched her ultra-strict Paleo diet after following it for years. The Paleo diet eliminates modern foods, focusing on meat, vegetables, nuts, and limited fruit while excluding grains, legumes, dairy, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.
In April 2025, Paltrow said on her Goop podcast, 'I went into hardcore macrobiotic for a certain time... Lots of fish, vegetables, rice, no dairy, no sugar etc. I think that period of time I might have got a little didactical about it.' She noted that 'inflammation' was a reason she and her husband Brad Falchuk, 55, 'became Paleo a few years ago.' However, she admitted being 'sick' of the diet and has started reintroducing favorite foods like sourdough bread, cheese, and pasta.
Paltrow also practices intermittent fasting, detoxing, and enjoys bone broth for lunch, as revealed in her 2023 Art Of Being Well podcast appearance.
Goop Kitchen Expansion
Alongside her viral dairy substitute, Paltrow discussed the expansion of her Goop Kitchen empire on the Today show, hinting at nationwide scaling. After 14 successful locations in California, Goop Kitchen is now in New York City. 'It's takeout and pickup and delivery only,' she explained. 'We engineered the packaging... we put it in the back of a car for 45 minutes to make sure it arrived still tasting great.'
She emphasized that food is 'the quickest way to feel better and to look better' and that Goop Kitchen offers gluten-free, peanut-free, allergen-free items that can be made vegan or dairy-free.
Empty Nest Reflections
Paltrow also opened up about her two adult children, daughter Apple Martin, 22, who recently graduated from Vanderbilt University, and son Moses Martin, 20, a sophomore at Brown University studying music. 'I really struggled when they all went... But now I feel like, it's what you want to happen,' she said of her empty nest.
Goop's Evolution
Founded in 2008 as a weekly lifestyle newsletter, Goop has grown into a multi-faceted wellness empire, selling everything from vibrators to 'sex oil.' The company faced criticism for the 2020 Netflix documentary The Goop Lab, which explored controversial wellness topics. In March 2021, Paltrow launched Goop Kitchen, a clean-eating chain prioritizing delivery. New locations in Midtown West, East Williamsburg, and the Upper East Side are opening, with four more by year's end. Despite growth, Goop underwent staff layoffs in May, citing a 'pivot to AI workflow.'
