Lauren Bushnell truly knows that every rose has its thorn — and that goes for diets as much as relationships.
Speaking to Us Weekly at Rails’ first ever pop-up at The Grove on Saturday, April 20 (which is open through April 30), the Bachelor alum shared her thoughts on all things eating and nutrition. When asked if she’d ever done the keto diet, she was emphatic about balance. “I’m not a dieter,” she said. “I just feel like any time I try to deprive myself or restrict myself into a box, I end up obsessing about it. I just think food should be energy and it should be eaten to get your nutrients and your energy. I don’t necessarily believe in dieting.”
And though she doesn’t follow the celebrity-approved keto diet — a low-carb, high-fat way of eating that is designed to put the body into a ketogenic state to burn fat — she consumes relatively few carbs. “My little brother has Type 1 diabetes, so as a family I’d say we all eat relatively low-carb and low-sugar just to kind of support him,” she explained. “We just kind of adopted that style of eating as a family, and I do think that’s a healthy way of eating whether or not you have diabetes.” But, clarified the star, “I don’t like the word diet. It’s a lot of pressure and I don’t think your day should revolve around eating or what you’re going to eat.”
“I think you should eat for energy, you should listen to your body and live a balanced lifestyle,” said the 29-year-old Portland, Oregon native — who now lives with her boyfriend, country singer Chris Lane, in Nashville after her split from Ben Higgins. “But at the same time, whatever works for you. That’s just what works for me.”
A Pilates fan, Bushnell needs her energy to get through her impressive fitness regimen! “In terms of exercise, I feel like I’m fairly active,” she said. “But for me, Pilates — and it’s a specific method of Pilates called Lagree — it has by far changed my body the fastest.”
She also works out with Bachelor Nation’s Shawn Booth! “I’ve actually been going to — Shawn Booth has a gym in Nashville called Booth Camp and it’s circuit training and that also changes my body very quickly,” she noted. “Circuits and Pilates and eating healthy.”
But as she noted again, the way you think about food is key. “You can’t just work out 24/7. You’ve got to eat healthy,” she said. “With that comes balance, though. I’m such a believer that if you’re craving a cheeseburger, eat a cheeseburger but just don’t eat it every day. And eat balanced 70 to 80 percent of the rest of the time and you’ll be fine.”
With reporting by Kayley Stumpe
