Giada De Laurentiis Reveals Her Food Philosophy
Giada De Laurentiis is best known for whipping up amazing meals on Food Network. Here’s what she shared about her approach to food.
Giada De Laurentiis doesn’t stick to a diet
You might wonder how De Laurentiis stays so slim. She says in her book Giada’s Feel Good Food that she doesn’t diet. “I just don’t believe in them for me,” she writes. She says diets are difficult to stick to and they promote deprivation. As a result, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of weight loss and gain. This process can also lead to unwanted mood swings.
Instead of depriving herself, De Laurentiis aims for balance. She says it’s important for her to have balance in the way she cooks, eats, and lives. This has been a gradual process for De Laurentiis. She reached this point by listening to her body and making necessary adjustments.
Giada De Laurentiis’ food philosophy
How does De Laurentiis approach food? The celebrity chef says she lives by a simple food philosophy: “Eat a little of everything, but not a lot of anything.” For her, it’s best to do everything in moderation when it comes to food. De Laurentiis likes to enjoy her meals, but she knows when to step away from the table. According to her, denying yourself the foods you enjoy can make cravings worse and lead to a “vicious cycle of negative feelings.”
De Laurentiis also says eating too much of one thing will leave you wanting more. You’ll get to a point where you keep eating that particular food because you’re trying to get the same experience you felt the first time. Each time, you feel compelled to consume more. Before you know it, you can’t stop overeating.
How Giada De Laurentiis got her own Food Network show
De Laurentiis first came to Food Network’s attention in 2002. She appeared in an issue of Food & Wine magazine in a story about her grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis. According to the book From Scratch by Allen Salkin, Food Network executive Bob Tuschman saw De Laurentiis’ photo in the magazine and was interested in putting her on the network. She was not only attractive but also had impressive skills.
The magazine article revealed De Laurentiis had studied at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. The piece also mentioned she used to work in hotel restaurants and at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. Furthermore, she had a catering company named GDL. De Laurentiis accepted Food Network’s offer right away.
Shortly afterward, De Laurentiis appeared in her own Food Network cooking show, titled Everyday Italian. The show made her an instant celebrity chef on the network.
Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay
De Laurentiis is currently filming a show with Bobby Flay titled Bobby and Giada in Italy. The series follows the chefs during a six-week trip to Italy. In the first episode, they spend time sampling some of Rome’s classic pastas. Flay told Delish that filming the show with De Laurentiis was like taking a long vacation.
“It’s almost like we were on some sort of extended vacation, but we’re also working at the same time,” said Flay. We always have a great time together. I love Giada in Italy—like the person, not just the show—because she’s so relaxed there. And I feel the same way.”
Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
