What Does Giada de Laurentiis Eat in a Day for Balanced Wellness?

December 12, 2025 •

4 min read

Did you know that after turning 50, celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis replaced her morning espresso with chicken broth? Learn exactly what does Giada de Laurentiis eat in a day, and how she balances her famously delicious Italian cuisine with mindful eating for energy and wellness.

Quick Summary

Giada de Laurentiis maintains a healthy lifestyle by eating four to five small, protein-focused meals, utilizing fresh ingredients, meal prepping, and practicing a 12-hour fast overnight.

Key Points

Frequent, Small Meals: Giada eats 4-5 small, protein-rich meals daily to maintain consistent energy and avoid blood sugar dips.
Morning Broth Ritual: She starts her day with a warm cup of chicken broth and collagen, replacing her previous coffee habit for better digestion.
Savory Breakfasts: Her breakfasts often feature savory oatmeal or buckwheat with olive oil and almonds, or avocado toast.
Meal Prep is Key: Batch-cooking grains like quinoa and roasting vegetables on weekends makes assembling quick, healthy meals like salads easy throughout the week.
Moderation, Not Elimination: She emphasizes a balanced approach of eating a little bit of everything, including pasta and cheese in controlled portions, rather than strict food avoidance.
Focus on Freshness: Her diet is rich in fresh, minimally processed, and often organic ingredients, following a Mediterranean-inspired, anti-inflammatory pattern.
Strategic Snacking: Healthy, satisfying snacks like toasted nuts and garbanzo beans help her stay full between meals.

A Shift Towards Mindful and Anti-Inflammatory Eating

For years, Giada de Laurentiis was known for her indulgent Italian recipes, but her approach to food has evolved significantly. After experiencing digestive issues and fatigue, she shifted her focus to eating better to feel better, chronicled in her book, Eat Better, Feel Better. Her diet today emphasizes minimally processed, fresh, and often anti-inflammatory ingredients, proving that healthy eating doesn't require sacrificing flavor. Instead of eliminating entire food groups, she practices mindful portion control and listens to her body to identify which foods make her feel best.

Giada's Daily Meal Structure

Instead of the traditional three-meal structure, Giada eats four to five smaller meals throughout the day to keep her energy stable and prevent blood sugar spikes. Each meal contains a consistent amount of protein, typically aiming for 80 to 100 grams daily to support her body weight. This eating pattern helps her avoid the sluggishness that can follow large meals, providing sustained energy for her busy schedule. Giada also incorporates a 12-hour fast between dinner and breakfast, a habit that she says helps her digestive system.

The Morning Ritual: Broth to Buckwheat

Giada's morning routine starts with a warm cup of chicken broth mixed with collagen powder, which she finds gentler on her stomach than her old espresso habit. Her actual breakfast is served later and varies. On some days, she enjoys savory oatmeal or buckwheat cereal topped with almonds, flaxseeds, salt, and olive oil for a balanced mix of complex carbs and healthy fats. On other days, she opts for avocado toast sprinkled with flaky salt and flaxseeds, adding crunch and flavor.

Midday Fuel: Salads, Quinoa, and Meal Prep

Lunch is typically a large, vibrant salad featuring a variety of ingredients. A favorite combination includes shredded cabbage, kale, carrots, sunflower seeds, and almonds, topped with a flavorful Parmesan dressing. To make her meals easy to assemble on busy days, Giada is a fan of meal prepping. She batch cooks items like quinoa, brown rice, and roasted vegetables at the beginning of the week. This allows her to quickly build nutrient-dense meals in minutes. Her lunches often feature a small portion of protein, like leftover chicken or beans, mixed into her salads.

Mindful Eating and Family Dinners

For dinner, Giada focuses on balance and listening to her body. While she still enjoys pasta, she practices moderation and portion control, often opting for smaller servings of high-protein pasta like fregola. Her dinner choices are often inspired by classic Italian dishes but with a healthier twist, such as Sheet Pan Chicken Parm or Chicken Piccata Meatballs, which her daughter enjoys. She emphasizes using fresh, high-quality ingredients to maximize flavor without relying on heavy sauces or excessive dairy.

Giada's Ingredient Spotlight

Giada's food philosophy highlights fresh, high-quality ingredients sourced from local farmers' markets when possible. She incorporates specific superfoods and flavor enhancers into her daily meals:

Olive Oil: A staple in her Italian heritage, she uses it extensively for cooking and as a finisher.
Anchovies and Sardines: Used for their potent, savory flavor to add depth to sauces and pastas.
Beans and Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, and garbanzo beans are cooked in batches and added to salads and dishes for plant-based protein.
Fresh Herbs: Basil, rosemary, and thyme are used to naturally enhance flavor.
Lemon and Salt: Her go-to flavor enhancers for boosting the taste of any dish.

Giada's Food Philosophy vs. Typical "Dieting"


Aspect	Giada's Philosophy	Typical Dieting	Notes
Focus	Holistic wellness, energy, and digestion.	Weight loss, calorie counting, and restriction.	Giada's focus is on how food makes her feel, rather than just numbers.
Meal Frequency	4-5 smaller meals a day.	3 large meals or extreme intermittent fasting.	Smaller meals provide more consistent energy throughout the day.
Food Avoidance	Avoids processed foods, excess sugar, and heavy dairy based on bodily feedback.	Often involves banning entire food groups like carbs or fats.	This approach reduces inflammatory foods without causing a feeling of deprivation.
Mindset	"A little bit of everything, not a lot of anything".	All-or-nothing approach, leading to feelings of failure.	Promotes a sustainable, long-term healthy relationship with food.
Inspiration	Traditional Italian and Mediterranean cooking.	Often based on transient, short-term trends.	Draws on timeless, flavor-rich, and healthy traditions.

The Role of Snacks and Hydration

Giada's strategy of eating smaller meals throughout the day means healthy snacking is essential. She keeps nutrient-dense options readily available, like her homemade toasted garbanzo beans, almonds, and pistachios, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and herbs. This provides a satisfying mix of protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep her full. In addition to her morning broth, she stays hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day and sometimes begins her morning with warm water and lemon or a hydrating celery-lemon juice.

Conclusion: A Blueprint for Balanced Wellness

Giada de Laurentiis's daily diet is a blueprint for balanced, mindful eating that prioritizes wellness and enjoyment. By shifting from three large meals to four or five smaller, protein-rich portions, she maintains steady energy. Her day begins with a gentle, collagen-infused broth, followed by savory breakfasts and fresh, vibrant salads for lunch, often prepared in advance. Dinners are balanced, family-style affairs where moderation is key, especially with staples like pasta. Her overall philosophy of "a little bit of everything, not a lot of anything" and her emphasis on fresh, anti-inflammatory ingredients offer a sustainable path to feeling better inside and out. Her journey from heavy meals to mindful eating serves as an inspiration for anyone looking to achieve better health without sacrificing flavor.

For more insight into Giada's approach to cooking and wellness, consider exploring her official website, Giadzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Giada starts her day with a cup of warm chicken broth mixed with collagen powder, followed by either savory oatmeal with olive oil or avocado toast with flaxseeds. She also practices a 12-hour fast overnight.

Yes, Giada still eats pasta, but she does so in moderation. She emphasizes portion control and often opts for high-protein pasta like fregola, or substitutes like gluten-free pasta when it suits her.

Giada handles cravings by enjoying small amounts of high-quality treats, like a square of good chocolate, rather than a less satisfying substitute. She believes in balance over deprivation.

Giada includes a variety of protein sources, including lean animal proteins like chicken and fish, plant-based proteins from beans and legumes, and even small amounts of high-protein pasta.

As a key component of her Italian heritage, olive oil is a staple for Giada. She uses it frequently for cooking, as a flavor enhancer for dishes like savory oats, and even for beauty purposes.

Giada avoids restrictive fad diets, instead focusing on an overall philosophy of balance and mindful eating. She eats foods that make her feel good, based on her body's response, which is often an anti-inflammatory approach.

Beyond her morning broth, Giada stays hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. She has also mentioned starting her day with a warm lemon water or a celery-lemon juice.