Padma Lakshmi says she often eats ‘over 7,000 to 8,000 calories’ in a single day on Top Chef

She is the glamorous host of the popular cooking competition series Top Chef.

And Padma Lakshmi admitted in the latest issue of Women’s Health that she often consumes ‘over 7,000 to 8,000 calories’ in a single day of filming.

‘Those chefs are cooking to win, so they’re putting in as much lard and butter and salt as they can,’ said 49-year-old model, who began hosting the show in 2006.

At the start of a Top Chef season, Lakshmi may sample ‘more than 30 dishes’ in a single episode.  

Although she has the privilege of indulging in decadent dishes for a living, Padma explained that this has forced her to keep an extra watchful eye on her health, due to the prevalence of diabetes in her family.

‘My parents are diabetic,’ said the cook book author, who diligently reports to her doctor to run routine blood work and to monitor her weight at the beginning of and at the end of a Top Chef season.

Although Padma does not have diabetes, herself, her doctor has her on ‘a preventive medication to regulate blood-sugar levels,’ while she is filming the show. 

When Padma is not working on the set of Top Chef, she relies on the principles of ‘mindful eating’ to keep herself in check. 

But when it comes to maintaining her enviable physique, Laksmi credits her 90-minute exercise regimen that she adheres to five times a week.

She prefers jumping rope for cardio, doing ‘2,000 strokes every day, which takes about 35 minutes’ to complete. She stops for water every 100 strokes.  

Padma insisted that the most beneficial form of exercise – for her strength and back health – has been Pilates. 

‘I started going to Pilates a few years ago, because my chiropractor recommended it for my back,’ explained Lakshmi, who was ‘diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 13, then fractured her hip and shattered her arm in a car accident when she was 14.’   

‘Pilates changed my body. It made me strong in places I didn’t know I needed to be. I have a butt now that I didn’t have during my modeling career!’

Even with such an intense exercise regimen and healthy approach to food, Padma admitted that she has ‘nacho night’ with her 10-year-old daughter Krishna ‘probably once or twice a week.’