How Rosario Dawson Stays Fit and Glowing at 42

Michael Simon

Rosario Dawson is an actress, producer and environmental activist. Although Dawson grew up on the Lower East Side of New York City, she says, "My family used to take me out of the state to go camping and be outdoors. [Even though] I grew up in the concrete jungle, my parents were really thoughtful about getting us access to green spaces." Now Dawson has partnered with Tom's of Maine to help other children have similar experiences. The Get Into Nature Campaign is a three-year initiative that funds outdoor recreation to give children from underserved communities equitable access and resources to get into nature.

Dawson wants us to shift our focus from tech to nature. She says, "Spending time on our screens all day isn't natural. We're not computers, we're not robots, we are alive and need to be in the alive world around us." In fact, Dawson isn't really even a huge fan of the gym and instead prefers to get her workout outdoors. She says, "I'm not a big workout-y person ... but as a born-and-raised New Yorker, I'll walk 100 blocks and not even think about it." She adds that even though she doesn't love to work out, "I love sleeping outdoors. I love camping and hiking. I'm big into views."

Dawson is a big proponent of connecting with nature to feel our best. She says she likes to lie in the sun for 15 minutes a day to get her vitamin D, and she even meditates outside. We love her natural health and wellness approach, and her diet follows a similar pattern.

What Rosario Dawson Eats in a Day

Dawson says that what she eats depends on the time of the year, since she tends to eat with the seasons. The plant-based actress says she loves veggies and tries to incorporate them into all of her meals. For breakfast, she says that she loves overnight oats during the summer and heartier warm oatmeal or avocado toast during the colder months. For lunch, she opts for big salads or stir-fried veggies. And for dinner, she says, "I like changing it up." Dawson loves stir-fries, noodles and ramen. She says, "I put turmeric in everything. I use a lot of ginger."

Dawson says that after her father's cancer diagnosis, she got "super into" food and its connection to gut health. She says, "I learned a lot about gut health with my dad's cancer treatment. Gut health is emotional health, physical health, etc." She adds that she eats lots of fiber and probiotic-rich foods: "I love sauerkraut, kimchi and vegan yogurt."

Dawson is smart to eat a gut-healthy diet, since research has linked it to reduced stress and anxiety, weight loss, immunity, reduced chronic disease risk and more. EatingWell's Associate Nutrition Editor Jessica Ball, M.S, RD, says, "Dawson's diet is packed with veggies and whole grains, which is a plus. If you are following a plant-based diet, there are plenty of great sources of protein that would be worth adding to help you feel full and satisfied, like tofu, legumes, nuts and seeds. Including fiber- and probiotic-rich foods is another positive, especially if they're paired with prebiotics, which are what feeds our existing gut bacteria."