Padma Lakshmi, 51, Shares Her Top Tip for ‘Growing Older Gracefully’

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• Padma Lakshmi, 51, opened up about aging in a new interview.

• The Top Chef star said that the key to aging gracefully is "having a keen curiosity about learning things about the world."

• Lakshmi previously shared that "beauty comes from what you put into your body, not just on your skin."

For Padma Lakshmi, aging well has little to do with external beauty—it's all about the mind and what you put inside your body. In a new interview with Esquire, the Top Chef star opened up about her thoughts on getting older.

According to the 51-year-old, learning new things is the key to aging gracefully. "Growing older gracefully means having a keen curiosity about learning things about the world that you didn’t know yesterday, no matter how many yesterdays you've had," Lakshmi told the outlet.

She also added that, at 51, she "doesn't feel guilty taking pleasure in things anymore." So, living a pleasurable life has become more important to her over time—something we could all take into account.

When it comes to beauty, Lakshmi said that "like anything powerful, beauty is a double-edged sword." She believes that society tends to gaslight women by placing unrealistic expectations on them. "We expect them to be smart and sexy and nice and ambitious—but not too ambitious," she explained.

This isn't the first time Lakshmi has discussed beauty on the inside, though. She previously told Vogue India that true beauty stems from within. "Beauty comes from what you put into your body, not just on your skin," she said. That's why the star focuses on eating a mostly plant-based diet, featuring fruit, veggies, simple carbohydrates, and lean proteins.

She also told The Skincare Edit that she drinks "copious amounts of water," which helps her skin tremendously. And the star makes sure to move her body at least five times a week for 90 minutes, focusing on jumping rope and doing Pilates with a trainer.

And although she previously admitted to Into The Gloss that she's naturally blessed with good genes, Lakshmi also takes pretty good care of her skin with natural products, too.

Jojoba oil is her all-time favorite skin product. "I will use jojoba oil—either to do a treatment for my hair, and I just put a little cup of it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Or I use it on my skin, in the bath, or after for massage," she said.

She told Byrdie that she steams her face with water and a few drops of tea tree oil, and she lives for honey face masks. But perhaps most importantly, she never goes outside without sunblock and a hat. "I wear an SPF called EltaMD, which I love," she told The Skincare Edit. "I use the 46 SPF because I have hyperpigmentation issues."

But the "most important beauty tip" she's ever learned is to try and live a stress-free life. "I don't want to look like someone else, I just want to look like the best version of me, and most of that comes from your mental attitude and emotional wellbeing," she said in The Skincare Edit interview.

She's not alone in her thoughts, either—stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Andie MacDowell, and Helen Mirren have all been vocal about the need to age gracefully. And we couldn't agree more!

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