Audrey Hepburn, a name synonymous with elegance, grace, and timeless beauty, remains an icon for more reasons than one. She was a gifted, Oscar-winning actress and dedicated philanthropist, but she also inspired generations of young women with her signature style and seemingly effortless figure. This article delves into the Audrey Hepburn diet and lifestyle, separating fact from fiction and exploring the eating habits and beauty regimes that contributed to her enduring appeal.
Debunking the Myths: Audrey's Relationship with Food
Over the years, Audrey Hepburn's notoriously thin figure has been the subject of eating disorder accusations. However, those closest to her vehemently deny these rumors. As People reports in this week’s cover story, these rumors were never true. In fact, Hepburn was never even partial to dieting. Her son, Luca Dotti, has stated that his mother loved to cook and eat, believing in eating “a little bit of everything,” according to Luca in Readers’ Digest.
A Love Affair with Pasta: The Italian Influence
"She loved Italian food and pasta," her son Luca Dotti said. Hepburn's love for Italian cuisine, particularly pasta, is well-documented. "Mum had a serious pasta addiction. She couldn’t do without pasta," Dotti wrote in his book Audrey at Home. Her signature dish was spaghetti al pomodoro, which she cooked at home practically every week. “Her absolute favorite was spaghetti with tomato sauce. She could live on that alone,” Dotti said. After marrying Italian Andrea Dotti (Luca’s dad) and moving to Rome, Hepburn considered herself Italian. She even hated to go more than a few days without eating pasta.
A Balanced Approach: Meals and Moderation
While pasta held a special place in her heart, Audrey Hepburn's diet was not solely based on carbohydrates. Robert Wolders, her partner from 1980 until her death in 1993, revealed more of her go-to meals in a separate People interview: “We had brown bread with jam for breakfast, lunch would be chicken or veal or pasta, often with vegetables from the garden, and for dinner we often had soup with chicken and vegetables. She had chocolate after dinner, baking chocolate. As you can probably guess from Robert’s recollection, Audrey Hepburn’s diet really wasn’t much of a diet at all. She ate a lot of grains, not a lot of meat, and a little bit of everything.
Hepburn’s longtime partner Robert Wolders said that although the actress did not diet, the two enjoyed taking long walks together and that she would often outwalk him. “She had a healthy metabolism, but she was not excessive,” said Wolders, who began a relationship with Hepburn in 1980 that lasted until her death in 1993. Audrey’s secret was ultimately moderation.
Read also: Hepburn's Vitality: Diet and Exercise
The Importance of Hydration and Fresh Produce
Staying hydrated was key In his book Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother’s Kitchen, Hepburn’s son Luca Dotti revealed the importance she placed on drinking water and staying hydrated. “She was really about drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of vegetables,” he wrote. “It was a matter of how she was brought up.” Audrey had a simple diet rich in fruit and vegetables with the occasional plate of pasta. On an average day at home, Luca revealed in a Bon Appetit interview that Audrey had a regular knack for checking that meals on the table included a variety of different colors. These colors often came from produce such as carrots, potatoes, farmers’ market vegetables, and fruit. As we know now, research suggests that eating nutritious foods with different colors can reap many health benefits.
Indulgences and Detox: The Occasional Treat
That’s not to say Hepburn didn’t indulge-her partner recalls “she had chocolate after dinner, baking chocolate [and] she had a finger or two of Scotch at night.” Luca revealed in an interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle that Audrey also did a detox day about once per month. This detox would consist of fruits, veggies, yogurt, and tons of water.
Audrey's Beauty Secrets: Beyond Diet
As one of the most enduring beauty icons of all time, it should come as no surprise to learn that Audrey Hepburn took a considered approach to her regime. From the hair mask that was made especially for her (and remains cult today), to her religious use of a good SPF, British Vogue takes a look at some of the things that helped to make Audrey a timeless beauty - inside and out.
Signature Eye Make-up
As well as the feline flick she used to define her almond-shaped eyes, Hepburn also used another trick to help create her signature doe-eyed look. She and her make-up artist, Alberto De Rossi, would use tweezers before and after applying mascara to painstakingly separate every one of her individual eyelashes. If that isn’t dedication to the clump-free life, what is?
The Power of Strong Brows
Way before Cara Delevingne wowed the fashion world with her fulsome brows, there was Hepburn, whose thick arches were immaculately groomed using a dark brown eyebrow pencil. Her look continues to spawn countless how-to videos even today, because who doesn’t want brows like Audrey’s?
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Hydration and Skincare
Staying hydrated was key In his book Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother’s Kitchen, Hepburn’s son Luca Dotti revealed the importance she placed on drinking water and staying hydrated. “She was really about drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of vegetables,” he wrote. “It was a matter of how she was brought up.” As well as ensuring she was well hydrated from the inside, Hepburn said that she used “a lot of moisturisers and oils, because I have rather a dry skin”. As well as these two skin saviours, she also applied yoghurt to her face, leaving it for half an hour, before washing it off. Fresh, Greek yoghurt contains lactic acid which helps to gently exfoliate while hydrating the skin.
Dermatological Care
Alongside the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner, Hepburn used to see Hungarian dermatologist Erno Laszlo, whose skincare line still exists to this day. “I owe 50 per cent of my beauty to my mother, and the other 50 per cent to Erno Laszlo,” she once said. She always removed her make-up - thoroughly“Working in the theatre, I’ve seen what not removing make-up well can really do to the skin, so I’m very careful about that,” said Hepburn, who referred to herself as a “soap-and-water girl” (with some of Laszlo’s skincare products thrown in). While nowadays soap is very much not recommended, using a good cleanser every morning and evening is.
The Cult Hair Mask
Heard of Philip Kingsley’s now-cult Elasticiser? A repairing hair mask that delivers moisture directly into the hair cuticle, leaving it shiny, soft and bouncy, it was originally created for Hepburn after the pair met in 1974. She loved it so much that she is said to have had large tubs of it couriered to her regularly - and it’s just as good today as it was then.
Holistic Approach
She took a holistic approach to her skinHaving proclaimed that “good health is the key to good skin; if your skin isn’t good, it’s a signal that something is wrong” - a very modern ethos - Hepburn ensured she got lots of fresh air and sleep, while keeping her exposure to the sun to a minimum.
Sunscreen
You know it, I know it - and Audrey did, too. Sunscreen is essential for healthy skin, and while she stayed out of the sun as much as possible, she was religious about wearing SPF.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Lessons from Audrey: A Sustainable Lifestyle
The Audrey Hepburn diet and lifestyle offer valuable lessons for those seeking a balanced and sustainable approach to well-being. Her emphasis on moderation, fresh produce, hydration, and skincare, combined with her love for simple pleasures like pasta and chocolate, provides a refreshing alternative to restrictive diets and unrealistic beauty standards. Hepburn’s example reminds us that true beauty comes from within, nurtured by a healthy lifestyle and a joyful appreciation for life's simple pleasures.
A Student's Experiment: Eating Like Audrey for Five Days
This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Washington chapter and does not reflect the views of Spoon University.Most people don’t know I am obsessed with old Hollywood actresses. My favorite by far is Audrey Hepburn. When I found out her son had written a book called Audrey at Home, I freaked out. I could not believe that a book combined my two favorite obsessions: Audrey Hepburn and food.After reading the book, I thought, “Hey, why don’t I try eating like her for five days? She’s pretty fit, and I’m always looking for ways to eat healthy-ish, so why not?” After reading more details and researching what she ate, I figured out her eating habits. Here are the rules: Have a small breakfast, eat a lot of fruit, no snacking in between meals, a piece of chocolate a day (apparently she had a giant stash), eat pasta everyday (Audrey loved pasta too), and only eat until 80% full.The rules didn’t seem bad. I mean, there’s no going wrong with pasta and chocolate. The diet seemed pretty lax, and not too different from my normal meals. What could possibly go wrong?Disclaimer: This diet is heavily based on the book “Audrey at Home,” and not her actual diet.
Day 1: A Challenging Start
The first day was hard, but only as hard as any diet. For breakfast, I ate something small but sweet since I knew Audrey ate things like croissants with jam. I settled for toast with honey and almond butter.Breakfast kept me pretty full, so I lasted until lunch at my go-to college pasta place. Since I wasn’t really hungry, I only ate two-thirds of my marinara pasta.The period between lunch and dinner was terrible, though. I typically eat an early lunch since I’ve got class at noon and study group meeting right after. So, yeah, it sucks. Usually, I eat something small in between (such as hummus and carrots). That wasn’t allowed anymore, unfortunately, so I was literally starving. I remained so hungry throughout the day that I inhaled my small dinner. After dinner, I was fine. I definitely felt less bloated at the end of the day, and happily finished off the first day with a piece of chocolate.
Day 2: Finding a Rhythm
I actually felt better on the second day of the diet. Mostly because I added some protein and greens to my pasta. The rest of my meals went pretty much the same. However, I did eat dinner a little earlier-and I ended with a slightly larger piece of dark chocolate.I noticed that, even though I was eating more carbs than usual, I was feeling less bloated overall. I also didn’t feel as starved between meals. It could have been because I was eating earlier, or because I had more protein.
Day 3: Getting Used to It
By day three, I was finally getting used to the diet. I had no strong urges to snack in between meals. Again, I was definitely feeling less bloated, even though I ate cheese pasta for lunch. I was eating about 3/4 of what I normally ate. Overall, I was feeling pretty great.
Days 4 & 5: Feeling Great
These were probably the best days of the diet. Almost all my cravings to eat between meals were gone. I also had a high amount of energy throughout the day-probably the highest amount I’ve felt in a while. I noticed that all my meals came in closer proximity to each other. I think it may be the combination of eating small portions and not eating in between meals.
Overall Thoughts on the Experiment
I loved this diet. It was very lax, and I liked how Audrey didn’t have to sacrifice the foods she loved to be healthy. There were some negatives, though. I didn’t enjoy getting used to small carb-heavy meals with no eating in between. To solve that, I’ll be eating more protein and veggie-heavy meals, or I’ll add one snack. I also think that, while pasta is yummy, eating it every day isn’t a good idea.