Jennifer Aniston has long been admired not only for her acting talent and iconic roles—especially as Rachel Green on Friends—but also for her age-defying wellness and beauty. Now at 56, Aniston is opening up about the roots of her health-conscious lifestyle, revealing that it wasn’t something she adopted later in life, but something deeply embedded in her childhood—thanks to her late mother, Nancy Dow.

In a recent interview with People, Aniston reflected candidly on how Dow’s strict approach to health and nutrition left a lasting impact. And while it may not have seemed like a gift at the time, the list of forbidden foods and holistic principles her mother enforced during her upbringing quietly shaped her relationship with food, health, and self-care.

“I was never allowed to have a sugary piece of anything,” Aniston shared. “And I was also served spelt bread.” She grew up in what she calls “one of those holistic households,” where processed foods, artificial sweets, and conventional indulgences were completely off the table.

Spelt bread, a whole grain known for its dense texture and nutty flavor, was a far cry from the soft white bread most children enjoyed. But that was only the beginning. Aniston’s mother was deeply committed to wellness at a time when holistic health wasn’t yet mainstream. “She drilled into me the importance of staying hydrated,” Aniston recalled.

This early focus on hydration has endured throughout Aniston’s life. “I’ve been so hyper-aware of people who don’t drink water now because I’ve always been such a water drinker,” she said. “I have girlfriends that just can’t drink water, they just don’t like the taste of it. It’s like, ‘It’s water. It’s just water.’ And I constantly say, ‘You have to hydrate. You must hydrate.’”

While Dow’s restrictions may have felt burdensome to a child who just wanted a slice of cake or a bowl of sugary cereal, they helped cultivate habits that would guide Aniston into adulthood—and ultimately into her own philosophy of balanced wellness.

Though her mother’s rules were strict, Aniston has developed a more flexible and forgiving relationship with food over the years. Speaking with TODAY.com, she explained that she follows the popular 80/20 approach to eating: 80% of the time she sticks to nutrient-rich, wholesome foods, and 20% of the time she allows herself the freedom to enjoy what she craves.

“I do 80/20. I give myself days where I can have whatever I want. I don’t deprive myself,” she said, emphasizing that balance, not restriction, is the key to sustainability.

That said, her day-to-day meals are simple and health-focused—what she calls “boring,” in a self-deprecating tone. “It typically includes plenty of protein, vegetables and salads,” she explained.

Perhaps in another nod to her mother’s influence, Aniston now chooses to flavor her meals subtly, avoiding heavy dressings or unnecessary salt. She’s grown to love the power of herbs, seasonings, and acidity to elevate taste without relying on fats or processed ingredients.

“Stuff like that will create a taste that is so delicious, where you’re not just dousing everything with salt and butter or olive oil to make it taste good,” she said. These are lessons learned not from a nutritionist, but from years of conscious eating that trace back to a mother who made health a priority before it was fashionable.

While Aniston never outlined a full list of the foods that were banned in her household, it’s clear that sugar, processed grains, and sodium-laden snacks were among them. Cakes, cookies, sodas, and white bread were off-limits. And even today, decades later, her preferences still reflect those early restrictions.

“I’m not a sweets person,” she admitted. “I don’t go for ice cream or cakes. I definitely have a savory tooth.” When indulging, she opts for burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, or Mexican food—savory delights that offer comfort without breaking the discipline she’s carried for years.

Jennifer Aniston’s relationship with her late mother was famously complicated, but there’s no denying that Nancy Dow passed on a powerful legacy—one rooted in discipline, wellness, and self-respect. Though Dow passed away in 2016 at the age of 79, her impact lives on in her daughter’s everyday choices, from her commitment to hydration to her love of clean, flavorful food.

In embracing the healthy habits her mother instilled—while allowing room for joy and flexibility—Aniston offers a modern blueprint for wellness: one that honors the past, listens to the body, and ultimately finds peace in balance.