How To Make the Fiber-Filled Salad Jennifer Aniston Ate While Filming ‘Friends’ Every Day for 10 Years

Photo: Stocksy/Nadine Greeff
When you find a meal that tastes delicious and makes you feel good, it's basically human nature to crave it every day. It's mentally draining to have to figure out what to eat all the time and having a reliable go-to nips that issue right in the bud.

But have you ever liked a meal so much that you had it on repeat for a decade? Word on the street (okay, word on TikTok), is that Jennifer Aniston did, eating the same exact salad every single day while filming Friends for 10 years. Aniston's go-to salad was published by food blogger Erin Perry, creator of Ice Cream and Neon Dreams, after she heard on an NBC tribute special to frequent Friends director James Burrows that the cast ate lunch together every day. And recently, the recipe has been seeing a resurgence on TikTok.

"This is what [Aniston] called the perfect salad," recipe developer Snejana Andreeva shared in her viral video of the recipe.

@themodernnonnaJennifer Aniston Salad ? Let me know what other celebrity salads you want to see in the comments ❤️♬ Little Bitty Pretty One - Bobby Day

Experts In This Article

So what's in the A-lister's favorite lunch? Bulgur, onion, parsley, mint, chopped pistachio nuts, diced cucumber, chickpeas, and feta cheese. Pretty simple, right? Nutrition expert Maggie Michalczyk, RD, says Aniston's bulgur salad recipe definitely gets her lunch seal of approval.

One major reason why is because the dish packed with heart-healthy fiber, thanks to both the veggies and the bulgur. "Bulgur is a whole grain with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean origins. A one cup serving contains eight grams of fiber and it also has other beneficial nutrients including magnesium, iron, and zinc," she says.

While Andreeva opts to skip the chickpeas in her video, keeping them in is key for ensuring this salad has enough protein to make it a truly satiating lunch. Chickpeas are also yet another fiber-rich source, plus they're packed with folate, manganese, and copper (which means major bone health, brain health, and anti-inflammatory benefits).

Watch the video below to learn more about the health benefits of chickpeas:

Michalczyk says the feta cheese brings its own benefits to the table, too. "This salty cheese gives anything you put it in more flavor and creaminess," she says. "Feta is also a good source of calcium and the B vitamin, riboflavin. An ounce contains about four grams of protein which is also a good thing."

Even the herbs in Aniston's bulgur salad recipe are beneficial, both in terms of taste and nutrition. Michalczyk says the mint helps aid the digestion process while working with the parsley to add a layer of brightness to the whole bowl. "What I really like about adding it to this salad is it adds so much fresh flavor," she says.

Literally everything in this bulgur salad makes it a lunchtime win and while it's better to vary what you eat instead of having the same thing every single day so you get a wider variety of nutrients, it's definitely a solid go-to. Could this salad be anymore of a winner? I think not.

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