Jenna Dewan was on Ellen when Sean Hayes was hosting. Sean is engaging and is a good interviewer. He would make a great talk show host, especially compared to some of the other celebrities who have inexplicably landed new talk shows. (Kelly Clarkson, Drew Barrymore.) Jenna is promoting her new book, Gracefully You: Finding Beauty and Balance in the Everyday. The last time we talked about her was when we were discussing excerpts from that book in which she sort-of hinted that Channing Tatum, whom she’s in the process of divorcing, cheated on her. A lot of you said that we heard about Jenna’s new relationship about the same time we heard about Channing’s relationship with Jesse J, so it didn’t add up. It’s clear she was hurt, maybe by hearing about it in the press and not from Channing, but they’ve kept everything friendly and amicable apart from this minor shade.
Jenna is pregnant by her partner, Broadway star Steve Kazee. She told Sean about her pregnancy cravings, which she says she never gives in to. (What?! Eat the things when you’re pregnant.) She also said her daughter, Everly, six, has been so happy about her upcoming sibling. Also Jenna loves crystals and brings them everywhere with her, even to the airport in her pocket.
Her pregnancy cravings
All I want is Slurpees or like Cheetos. I’m a super healthy eater, vegetarian. I’m curbing. I’m not letting myself.Her daughter is excited to be a big sister
As soon as I told her she started crying, she said “This is the best day of my life.” Everywhere we go she pulls up my shirt “there’s a baby in this belly” and [she asks people] “don’t you want to touch it?”Everly loves Halloween
She wants to be an angel during the day and a peacock at night.On her love of crystals
I love crystals. I’m always wearing them. They’re beautiful but to me there’s different properties for different crystals. You can use them and place them on your body and in your room. I like to wear them to the airport. I put them in my pockets and purse. I go through security and half the time they’re like “ma’am what’s in your pockets?”“Hold on,” I’m pulling out ten crystals. It helps me feel grounded or whatever on a plane.
[From The Ellen Show via YouTube]
When Sean joked that Everly had a heart over her face, Jenna said very matter-of-factly, “we’ll let her decide when she wants to be on social media,” which is nice! I appreciate that perspective. As for crystals, I think they do have meaning for people and I like how Jenna is explaining what they mean to her and not saying everyone needs to be just like her. That’s a nice way to be, whether you’re into spirituality, new age concepts, or a particular religion. Just do you, share what works for you, and don’t expect other people to believe the same thing. Also I may own a few tiny crystals. I just think they’re pretty! I don’t ascribe any meaning to them. Put them in your purse though, don’t stick them in your pockets at the airport.
Here’s Jenna’s interview!
Photos credit: Backgrid and via Instagram
I don’t know how she does it! I couldn’t eat or drink for at least the first 6 or 7 months of my pregnancies, but when I could…. game on! I do not have that kind of self control.
Preoccupation with food and restriction is one of the many harmful side effects of diet culture.
How is not eating junk harmful? I would rather skip something I have a craving for than be overweight.
How do you equate eating …ANYTHING…to being overweight?
I agree with @Claire….
Well, she’s talking about Cheetos though, isn’t she. Not “anything.”
Having some cheetos once in awhile, isnt going to make you fat. Especially if you workout, like no doubt Jenna does. Its ok to indulge once in awhile.
But, like… it’s okay to skip them too. It isn’t “harmful.”
Agree with tealily – why are we criticizing this woman for NOT eating crap while pregnant? It’s her body, her choice what she feeds it. Surely skipping cheetos and slurpees is actually the responsible, healthy choice?!
So having discipline with food is “harmful”? In no way should anyone be eating junk foods like Cheetos in excess. It is bad for you period. Junk processed garbage. Sure it tastes good but it is garbage unhealthy food for your body and heath. Every now and then sure but no one should eat junk on a daily basis. People who eat healthy are often shamed because they eat healthy. That mentality needs to stop just as much as weight shaming.
What universe do you live in? No one gets shamed for eating healthy. What they do get shamed for is adopting a holier than thou attitude about it. Eating one way doesn’t make you better than anyone else.
Eating “healthy” varies by culture, history and availability – it isn’t a one size fits all thing. The bigger issue to my mind is when rich people try to dictate what poor people should eat, or someone is convinced that there would be no illness or weight gain if people never ate Cheetos. But…there has been, there always will be.
And yes you can eat those things regularly and not gain weight. I see it in my rich area all the time.
Can we just let a woman not eat Cheetos if she’d rather not eat Cheetos? Sheesh.
I thought the point was that she really wanted Cheetos (craved them) but would not “allow” herself, People are really reading a lot into the original comment that just wasn’t there.
If anyone is interested in learning more about recognizing diet culture, this is a helpful link. There are a lot of websites and research that discuss the negative effects of weightloss -related food restriction and how this very restriction causes healthy preoccupation and desire for “junk” food
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/recognizing-and-resisting-diet-culture
YESSSSS @Claire!!!
And it’s disguised as being “healthy”.
Your comment shows that @Rose.
You just associated the word craving with weight. Not how it would make you feel. How healthy/unhealthy it would be to your brain, intenstines, cholesterol. You went straight to fear of becoming overweight if you ate something you craved.
Why?
eat the cheetos!! Enjoy!
…or not. I fee like sh*t after eating junk carbs. Taste good at the time but junk carbs just don’t agree with me. I can gain 10bs in a month easy if I eat them even a few times a week.
That’s you, so do what works for *you*. I’m not saying scarfing down a bag of Cheetos on the regular is a good thing, but there’s no harm in occasionally treating yourself to something “naughty.” I’m definitely in the “everything in moderation” camp. For me it’s all about balance, for others it’s different. 🤷🏻♀️
So because you put on weight you don’t feel good and recommend others to not eat them either..? @Isabelle
i’m pregnant, still in my 1st tri and have a *VERY* health appetite. if i gave in to my cravings – i would have gained 50 lbs already b/c all i want is bread and red meat. i understand where she’s coming from. surely she could have a slurpee or two but maybe once she breaks bad she can’t stop?
my last pregnancy i craved grapes and lemonade, so i turned myself over to the grapes and ate about 20,000 of them and felt good about it until i read some stupid article about them being toxic to pregnant women but my doctor debunked it and told me to let it rip. ha!
I craved apples. I was eating 2-3 apples a day. It was nuts. Pregnancy cravings are wild.
My first tri was always about just eating the things my body would actually accept. If it’s only cheetos and sluurpies because everything else makes me vomit then so be it.
I loved apples too! And bagels with cream cheese.
@escondista – same! anything my constantly nauseous body could handle in the 1st trimester. my lowest point was eating top raamen noodles on the subway ride to work one morning and feeling no shame.
For my only pregnancy, I remember eating M & M’s in bed, visiting MacDonalds three days a week, etc. Those were the days. Did I pay for it in excess weight? You bet! But I still remember the fabulous feeling of eating whatever the hell I wanted with no guilt. Of course, now, I’m on what I call the “starvation diet for life.” I exaggerate, but after hitting a certain age, for me, the calories had to go way down to maintain a normal body weight (5’4″ and 119 lbs.). I do walk every day, too, but damn!
I’m so glad I gave birth in a different country than the one I grew up with. Mostly because I couldn’t easily get the totally RANDOM food items I craved. LOL. Good for her though, I guess.
I think she’s always looked amazing and as a trained dancer she could probably afford to indulge a bit, but I understand her thinking and applaud her discipline. More to the point, JANETFERBER, how did you make it back to 119? I’m the same height and used to weigh 119 5 yrs ago and felt amazing! Now…135 and feeling ugh-o. Tips, please about your “SDFL” plan. (I assume no slurpees or cheetos? 😔)
I had so many carb and fast food cravings for both of my pregnancies. I’d give in sometimes, but managed to only eat fast food like five times. I worried about the effects on my babies development from eating processed junk/gmo foods.
I could avoid foods knowing it was for my baby and not just denying myself tasty treats.
It seems like that’s more her issue. Or at least trying to maintain her health. I mean, slurpees are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and dyes and God knows what else. If she *can* resist it, it’s probably better.
Pregnancy cravings are so fun to talk about. Such a very real thing and it changes with each pregnancy. My first I couldn’t get enough lemonade. And fried chicken of all fattening things! My second I couldn’t keep enough milk in the fridge. OMG, it was bad. But my third? I lived on nothing but seafood and salads. My go-to meal was Pei Wei’s Vietnamese shrimp rolls. I only gained 25 pounds with my final go ’round as opposed to 75 first and roughly 55 to 60 second. But yeah, I don’t live in front of a camera so craving equals indulge lol.
I craved milk as well! My husband would get the giant jugs from Costco multiple times a week. I would eat a giant bowl of cereal every night. Blueberry Morning cereal. Yum.
Wanna know something funny? Following all three births, a few days after, I started craving beer. I hate beer. Never drink it. But my craving was acute so I asked all three doctors (each babe was delivered in different cities). Each said the same thing, go ahead, my body was obviously screaming for yeast or something. I’ve mentioned before how my babies were pigs and that I produced enough milk to feed a small country, how funny if it was because of nasty beer lol? And I wanted specific beer. Mexican beer with salt and lime. Apparently my cravings are particular.
I still really don’t think she was hinting that Channing was cheating on her. I don’t get how her comments would imply that at all.
I’ve heard a lot of gossip that he did.
LOL, of course she’s “curbing” them. Most of her job is to look beautiful and thin. Let’s not pretend Hollywood people look the way they do without lots of money, surgical aids, and calorie restrictions. It’s why it’s insane to use them as a gauge for normal mothers, particularly working ones.
I have a soft spot for her. I know she gets a lot of eye rolling here. I get it about not indulging in food cravings. I was always worried about nutrients for my baby. Luckily I craved pickles & potatoes. I really don’t know what I would have done if it was Slurpees and Cheeto’s. I do hope she cheats a little bit. I wanted a Sprite so bad when I was pregnant. I had one Sprite. It was the best Sprite in the world.
I craved Coke slurpees throughout all of my pregnancies. I wanted one Every. Single. Day. With my first pregnancy I also craved strawberries & pineapple. My second pregnancy I was so ill for almost 7 months that I practically lived on crackers and Coke slurpees. When the morning sickness finally eased up I craved taquitos. With my third it was cottage cheese (and slurpees-lol).
PattyC, Well, I commit to a certain calorie number per day that works for me. I always include a low-cal ice cream (Halo) and I drink up to 3 cups of coffee a day. I walk my dog daily. I’m sure to take my vitamin. That’s really about it. If I do “need” to splurge, I do. Then I go back to regular diet next day and don’t beat myself up. It also helps a helluva lot that I retired two years ago. The stress eating was insane then! And I weighed anywhere from 130 to 150. I never want to go back to that.
Thanks for the tips! And yeah…HALO!! I too, walk with my dog daily and am no longer in a traditional office atmosphere which does help a lot (no cake every damn day!). Problem now is that hubs likes to snack late at night while stresswatching the news. I should really figure out a calorie budget that I can stick to and just get it done. Fifteen+ extra pounds on a small frame like mine is no bueno.
I’m so tired of hearing women denying themselves just to be skinny. One woman at work doesn’t eat lunch. The one before that was taking water pills to lose weight. My other coworker is 5 ft 8 and 120 pounds. Her husband wants her to get back to her old weight of 100! I’m 5 ft 6 and 165-170. I wouldn’t mind losing a little weight. I try to stick to 1800 calories. It’s more like 2000 a day I end up eating. I like calorie counting because it made me aware of how many calories are in things and helps me to eat healthier. I live in north Florida, and the rich people around here try to be as thin, blonde and tan as possible. And then they’ll get a boob job to go w all that. And boy, have I seen some bad lip injections! So tired of seeing women around me practicing unhealthy eating or not eating, just to be skinny.
OK… but she says she isn’t eating cheetos and slurpees because she’s a healthy eater, not because she wants to be thin.
Slurpees kinda gross but eat the Cheetos. I love them, both the puffy and crunchy kind. Regular, not flaming hots. what’s the ping of pregnancy if can’t give into craving every once in a while.
When my mom was pregnant with me, she craved oatmeal and giant glasses of milk (??). She was also very concerned about everything being organic (and in the early 90s that wasn’t as easy to find). She did not eat anything with preservatives in it. When pregnant with my sister, she craved bologna sandwiches on Wonderbread with mayonnaise and other processed food. She normally hates bologna and white bread. My sister, ironically, has a MUCH better immune system and is generally more robust than me, the organic-fed baby. But I think women–pregnant or not–need to allow themselves to have the processed foods from time to time. If you let yourself have those things sometimes, you don’t crave them so much because they aren’t ‘forbidden’. They lose their power. I have struggled with disordered eating for many years. I have found that if I let myself just have a couple Oreos whenever I want them, I don’t go nuts and overeat other stuff, or eat twenty Oreos in one sitting after not letting myself have them for a month, and then restrict my calories down to almost nothing the next day. It’s been nice to feel like I can trust myself again. And occasionally I still over-do it, and then feel the impulse to restrict myself the next day, but overall my relationship with food has improved since I started allowing myself to eat all the different kinds of food. I feel so much more in control of the situation. And I haven’t gained weight since I started doing this. My clothes still fit me.
But apparently Botox & fillers are super healthy.