Zoë Saldana Focuses on Healthy Eating Because She ‘Can’t Work Out Regularly’

With three kids under age 3, daily workouts just aren’t possible for Zoë Saldana. Instead, the actress focuses on eating a healthy diet.

“I can’t work out regularly, so I compensate by eating a lot healthier than I might otherwise,” Saldana, 38, tells SHAPE for their June cover. “Once you have relatively healthy eating habits, your workout can become playing with your kids, strolling around the neighborhood, playing airplane, or just changing diapers.”

And fans of Saldana know she’s telling the truth — the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 actress is known for sharing videos of her kids playing while she fits in a few squats.

Saldana says that eating healthfully helps her appreciate her food.

“When I eat in a balanced way, I think less about food and more about everything else,” she says. “It’s not that I like to eat super light, just super clean. I like food that is fresh. I don’t go for things that come in cans — and I’m losing trust in things that come in plastic.”

And she doesn’t worry about her body fitting any specific image.

“If we could design ourselves, we’d all be perfect. But we can’t, so why be unhappy about it?” Saldana says. “I’ve never wanted different hair or my body any other shape. And I’ve never thought of a person as ugly unless they opened their mouth and their heart was full of venom.”

But if Hollywood pressures — or any others — start to bear down on her, Saldana focuses on her three kids and the rest of her family.

“When I feel overstimulated by the world, I lean on my family,” she says. “I have a great partner in life, great sisters, a mom who is a friend and some male friends I love to pieces too,” she says. “If I’m suffering and in pain, it hurts more if I don’t share how I feel and ask for help. It’s so healing when you ask for love and are loved back.”