Inside Taylor Swift's diet including trend she followed before it was cool
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: TheStewartofNY/WireImage
Megastar Taylor Swift once confessed to following a popular diet that celebrities such as model Ashley Graham, former Disney star Demi Lovato, and trainer Megan Roup all practice.
What famous faces eat to fuel their hectic lifestyles and maintain their figure continues to fascinate, and some are lauded by fans for the insights they give into their routines.
Reese Witherspoon has previously gushed about the daily smoothie she swears by, while Jeremy Clarkson, who recently revealed his cancer diagnosis, has detailed the ‘only thing’ he avoids after ‘cheating death twice’.
Jeff Goldblum makes sure to have his starters, main, and dessert at the same time; Jelly Roll has lost 300lb by eating a Waffle House-inspired breakfast dish, and footballer Erling Haaland consumes the exact same meal before stepping onto the pitch.
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Over the years, Taylor Swift, who is expected to tie the knot in New York City on Friday, has edged her way into the pantheon, sharing snippets of what food she enjoys eating with fans and the press.
In a 2010 interview with WebMD, the ‘Blank Space’ hitmaker said she doesn’t exactly follow any kind of strict diet.
Instead, she eats relatively healthy during the week while allowing herself to indulge in her favourite comfort foods over the weekend.
“During the week, I try to eat healthily, so that means salads, yoghurt, and sandwiches. No sugary drinks. I try to keep it lighter,” she said.
“But it’s nothing too regimented or crazy. I don’t like to create too many rules where I don’t need them. We know what’s good for us, thanks to common sense.”
According to the interview, ‘comfort foods’ such as burgers, fries and seemingly ranch (IYKYK) are her weekend go-tos.
“I’m never cutting out what I love,” she added.
Swift has previously struggled with an eating disorder, as outlined in her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana.
"I learned to stop hating every ounce of fat on my body. I worked hard to retrain my brain that a little extra weight means curves, shinier hair, and more energy,” she said in an ELLE interview.
“I think a lot of us push the boundaries of dieting, but taking it too far can be really dangerous. There is no quick fix. I work on accepting my body every day.”
Swift’s approach to nutrition isn’t an ‘all-or-nothing’ mindset, but rather a rejection of diet mentality.
Instead of restricting calorific foods like burgers, pizza, and ice cream, the ‘Bad Blood’ favourite will healthily allow herself to indulge in the items ever so often.
According to The Association of UK Dietitians, eating intuitively can help you make peace with food by letting go of restriction, which often drives cravings and binges.
“It’s not just about the permission to eat whatever you want; it’s about having the curiosity to notice how those foods actually make your body feel,” dietitian Anabelle Johnson told Vogue Singapore.
It can also help to dismiss unhelpful thoughts that label food as ‘good’ or bad’, as well as shifting focus from controlling your body to caring for it.
However, Johnson warned that those with perfectionist tendencies may find intuitive eating difficult.
“These individuals might struggle with the lack of rigid diet rules involved in intuitive eating, or they often want to ‘do IE perfectly,’ which can lead to feelings of guilt if they eat past the point of fullness,” she warned.
Other celebrities who have spoken about the so-called ‘anti-diet’ diet in the past include Demi Lovato, who said via Instagram: “Our bodies will do what they are supposed to when we let go of trying to control what it does for us.”
While Swift has been papped on multiple occasions heading for dinner in New York with her friends and beau, Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, the star also loves chowing down on homemade food.
"I’ve always cooked a lot, but I found three recipes I know I'll be making at dinner parties for life: Ina Garten's Real Meatballs and Spaghetti (I just use packaged bread crumbs and only ground beef for meat), Nigella Lawson's Mughlai Chicken, and Jamie Oliver's Chicken Fajitas with Molé Sauce,” she previously told ELLE.
The 36-year-old has also previously delivered cinnamon buns to Kelce at practice, and is known to be obsessed with her sourdough starter like its 2020 all over again.
"I have a new baking obsession every six months,” she claimed on the New Heights podcast.
“Right now, we're very deep in a sourdough obsession that has taken over my life.”
Sticking with the home-cooked theme, Swift apparently likes to take a well-rounded and healthful approach to eating from the word go.
In a chat with Bon Appétit, she claimed she liked eating buckwheat crepes with ham, Parmesan cheese, and a fried egg on top.
The dish was washed down with a glass of orange juice.
It should be noted that the Bon Appétit confession was recorded back in 2012, so the 14-time Grammy winner’s tastes may have developed since then.
In a 2016 ‘73 Q’s with’ video for Vogue, Swift revealed that she loves drinking caffeinated beverages.
In the clip, she proudly showed off her espresso machine - and in 2021, she took her obsession to the next level by collaborating with Starbucks.
In November 2021, customers could head in-store and order a ‘Taylor’s Latte’ or a ‘Taylor’s Version’, which was a grande caramel nonfat latte.
One thing about Swift is that she knows how to have fun — just look at viral images of her at the Knicks game with the Haim sisters for proof.
And while she enjoys making cocktails, including Aperol spritzes and mojitos, Swift has been known to ditch the alcohol while training for shows.
Before her record-breaking Eras Tour kicked off, Swift told TIME Magazine: “I stopped drinking for a couple of months before the show except for on Grammy night. Doing that show with a hangover… I don't want to know that world.”
Swift uses her food to fuel her rigorous training regime, which often sees her in the gym for up to two hours at a time.
Her trainer, Kirk Myers, founder of New York and LA’s Dogpound Gym, told British Vogue that he and his client will ramp up training as she gears up for tours (called ‘in-season’) and scale it back a bit during the ‘off-season’.
Due to the Eras Tour coming to a close in December 2024, it can be assumed that Swift is still in her off-season. But who knows, she could be training due to having some tricks up her sleeve.
During this period, she will spend lots of hours in the gym, working on her strength.
"When she’s not touring, we’re in the gym up to six days a week for sometimes two hours a day,” he confessed.
Outside of the Haus of Gains, Swift does cardio, including treadmill running, and enjoys ‘trying and failing and trying again’ when it comes to her workouts.
“Taylor is the most resilient person I have ever met,” Myers stated in the interview.
“It's super inspiring to see her consistently overcome obstacles and become better and stronger in the end. This also translates into her training and throughout her workouts.
“I give her a difficult exercise or challenging workout… not only is she able to complete and push through it—but she also perseveres, moving forward into the next exercise. This ultimately makes her stronger, better and faster,” the fitness expert added.