3 Things Trudie Styler Wants You to Know About Your Health and the Environment

 

Being "Sting's wife" sounds like a job in itself. But Trudie Styler, who's played that role for almost two decades, manages to juggle many causes with equal passion—actress and producer, yoga DVD star, natural foods entrepreneur, environmental activist, and organic farmer, to name a few.

On Tuesday night, she sat down with Dr. Frank Lipman, who introduced her as "a force of nature," at ABC Carpet & Home, to talk about advocating for the health of the planet and the billions of people who inhabit it.

The discussion was the first in a series of conversations Dr. Lipman will be hosting at the store with "people that inspire me and should inspire all of us," he said.

Here are three things Styler spoke passionately about:

1. Gluten is the devil. Dr. Lipman is famous for his staunch opposition to gluten as part of a healthy diet, because, he says, modern gluten has been altered in a way that makes difficult for our bodies to process. Styler agreed, telling the story of how after years of bloating and constipation and feeling "awful, tired, and depressed, " she cut it out of her diet and immediately began feeling better.

2. Biodynamic is even better than organic. Styler and Sting have their own farms in both England and Italy, and she's long been an advocate of the organic movement. "Making friends with pests, the enemies of your garden, is the only way to create better energy," she said. But in recent years, Styler's switched her focus to biodynamic methods that adhere to lunar cycles. Her overall farming philosophy is simple: "If the plants and animals are happy, everything wants to grow and thrive."

3. You should care about the rainforest. Styler has been advocating for preservation since she first visited the Amazon 24 years ago. "It's all X-rated, what I'd really like to say," she said, referencing the dumping of oil by companies like Chevron, which has resulted in devastated land and petroleum-laced drinking water for native populations. Styler said that she hopes everyone will get on board to help, for the sake of both the planet and the people.

And, no surprise, Sting is Styler's biggest fan. On our way out, we spotted him sitting proudly in the back of the room. A reporter said, "Your wife's pretty amazing." He smiled back and said, "I know." He probably thinks that every little thing she does is magic. —Lisa Elaine Held