Interview with Gwyneth Paltrow Part 2 – It’s All Good #IronMan3Event
This past week I had the incredible opportunity to interview People magazine's most beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow aka Mrs. Pepper Pots in the new Iron Man 3 movie. She was completely down to earth and shared with us about her son's food allergies and how her love for food brought on by her dad led her to her new cookbook “It's All Good“.
She literally answered every question we threw at her and even gave us a signed copy of her book! Want to be a part of the interview? Check out the questions and answers below. She answered both about the movie and her new cookbook.
Question : How did you get into doing cookbooks?
Gwyneth : Um, basically, I, I started writing down my recipes because I was always a cook and a foodie, and my friends would call me and be like, okay, there’s Julia, my best friend since seventh grade, like, she called me once and she said, I have a guy coming over; I have no idea what to make- I have to make dinner. And I had a lot of friends kind of asking me how do you do that, or like all my friends would be, like, what temperature do I roast this at?
You know, what’s an easy dinner, or I have a dinner party, like, so I started writing them all down, and then when my dad died, I don’t know, I just thought it would be- because he was the one taught me cook, and like we learned together and our connection to food was so, uh, it was, like, such a part of our relationship, and so I thought it would be really nice because I sort of felt him in the kitchen, and I sort of felt it would be nice to write the recipes, um, and you know, kind of pay homage to him and our relationship at the same time, and it was cathartic.
It was really, it was really sweet. You know, I really felt him there and, um, and then this book I did basically because my son has really bad eczema, so I did the, um, his food allergy tests and stuff, and he’s really allergic to gluten and cow’s milk. And I felt so bad for him, like, not having regular ice cream and, like, meat balls and stuff. So I just started- it’s like, I’m gonna just make him, basically a, like a mini-encyclopedia of totally yummy comfort food that’s just, like, on his diet.
And it’s been incredible because so many people are trying to avoid gluten either for weight or, you know, they’re allergic to it, so yeah, that’s sort of how it all happened.
Question : Is that why there’s duck egg reference?
Gwyneth: Yes, because he can’t have chicken egg. I’m actually allergic to chicken egg, as well, so there’s some, there’s some duck egg in it, but we al- I also do regular eggs, as well, but there’s just, just to give people the idea, like, if you are. But that that’s why the whole baking, the whole sweet section has no egg, no milk, no butter, no, no gluten, so like, just to give really, really alternatives for moms who are trying, you know, follow that kind of regiment or whatever.
Question :Can you talk about issues that led you to the doctor?
Gwyneth: Yes. Um, basically, what happened was, I was doing, um, had this, like, two years ago, I had this real- uh, really insane period where I had this movie, Country Strong coming out; I was filming Glee, and I was having to sing, like, live. I had never even, you know, like, my husband was like, most people start, like, in a bar with their uncle. They are, and, you know, like, at the Grammy’s, this is fun to talk [LAUGHS]. And I was, it was really hard on me. I was so nervous; I was, like, taking beta blockers and, like, drinking a beer before I would it, like, really bad.
And then, of course, because I’m a mom, I would never be like, you know what? Let me get to L.A. one day early so I can actually sleep and, like, take a walk, and you know, it’s like, no, I have to get their the day of and I’ll just shower and do it, and like I’ll go home right away. So I was just like steadily wearing myself down and I think there was some emotional stuff, too, and I just, like, had this weird, um, episode where, I talk about it in the book, but I was making lunch, and the right side of my body went numb, and it was so terrifying, I thought I was having a stroke.
And then because I thought I was having a stroke, I started having an anxiety attack on top of what was this migraine that was, like, making my whole right side numb, and I really freaked out. And, um, I, I lay– I went to bed; I took a nap, and I, I remember hearing my kids playing in the garden, and like I can’t believe I’m here. Like, I can’t go down and play with them; what’s happening. So I went to the doctor and I was really super freaked out, and I got tested, like, for everything.
And it was basically like, I was, I had run myself into the ground; I had really, really high stress hormones- they were, like, killing my adrenals. I had really low vitamin D, vitamin B; my estrogen was messed up, like, everything was just off, and they said I had a cyst on my parathyroid, I had a cyst on my ovary- like, they found a million things wrong. And my doctor here said, um, I want you to- because the other doctors were like, go on this medication; get a surgery; and he said to me, just for three weeks, eat an elimination diet. Just eat super clean, just like how your ancestors would’ve eaten like chicken, fig, vegetables.
Gwyneth: You know, no coffee, no alcohol, no sugar, so like Velveeta cheese, whatever, and, and in three weeks, like my blood work had changed so much, um, and I ended up having and, and my parathyroid nodule went away over time which is amazing. I did have to get my cyst out with surgery, but other than that, like I fixed everything with the food. And I was like, this is incredible. Food really is, you know, medicine. It, it’s amazing. I mean, it’s only because I, I did it to myself, you know what I mean? And then I undid it.
Question : How do you keep your kids healthy when you’re away from home?
Gwyneth: You know, I try to, like, you know, we were just in Paris; I was on the Iron Man press tour. I mean, try eating gluten free in Paris. It is a nightmare. My poor child. So you know what I try to do? I mean, he totally ate a croissant; he ate bread, and it was inevitable. There were- but you know what, one day I was like, let’s go find Japanese food. Let’s go, you know, like, you know, Asian foods are amazing for avoiding a lot of that stuff.
Um, so I tend- like if we’re traveling or we’re out, like, I try to say, like- or even Mexican food, like, you know, the corn tortillas and guacamole, they don’t think, like, oh, I’m not allowed to have that- that plate of pasta. It’s like, it’s chips and guacamole. Like, it’s awesome and it’s- doesn’t feel like health food, but I’m avoiding what he’s not supposed to have. So I just try to get a little bit more creative about it. But, you know, when I go back home- this weekend he’s having his belated birthday party, and I’m like, his cake is a regular cake with flour.
Um, so I just, again, like, try for the most part, because his symptoms are so bad, and I feel like, when I’m, like, oh, it’s fine, you know, and then he breaks out, I feel so guilt- I feel terrible. You know, and in the moment, you, like wanna give them what they want, but then there’s this incredible consequence to it that’s, you know, like kind of a bummer. So, um, but I, I think, like, Asian foods, Mexican, that, like, those are all really what a great way to avoid it when you’re out.
Question :When you cook, do you rap?
Gwyneth: [LAUGHS] Do you have a hidden camera in my kitchen? That is so crazy. How do you know that? Yes, we are a hip hop household, a hundred percent. My son, especially, is like, he said the best thing the other day because he’s loves hip hop. He’s obsessed and, um, he, you know, Jay-Z’s a really close friend of ours and that was his sort of gateway into hip hop. And now he’s branched out and, um, the other day he was, like, Mom, I think that Jay is story rapper and Kid Cudi is a feelings rapper. And I was like, you’re totally right. This is so weird. Yeah, so yeah, the answer is yes.
Question :Do your kids cook with you a lot?
Gwyneth: Oh yes. My son, especially, is really, really into it, and he can, like, perfectly crack an egg. He has since he was four- no shells in the bowl. Um, every weekend, we’d cook something together. He loves it, and he lov– he’s always loved- like, my dad did with me where he always kind of- not cooking because we did that later, but he always kind of, um, sort of set up the space for me to win or to do something that I didn’t expect.
You know, that he would, like, allow me to do or, like something that was, you know, like, you can solve that. Like, you’re okay. You know, and I’m like what? And, um, and I thought it was such an interesting parenting philosophy, like, with very close supervision to be, like, set up to really surprise ourself and to grow in like one instant. And I do that a lot with my kids in the kitchen, um, you know, and they’re like, it’s dange– theirs knives and fire and their, you know, it’s- my boy is, like, so fascinated and, um, you know, so I’m like, no, you can stir that- just this part is really, really hot, so be careful.
And like, you know, it’s just cool. And then he’s, like, so proud of himself and I actually think that the kitchen is an amazing place to interact and teach kids. Like, we do math in the kitchen with, like, how many- okay it says, like two thirds of a cup? How, you know, or like just that time and it’s such quality time of interacting but, like, you’re also making dinner, you know what I mean? You’re not like on the floor water coloring which makes me wanna kill myself.
