If you've been wondering what Adrian Grenier's been doing since Entourage wrapped in 2011, the answer is simple: Trying to save the world. No, really—the star's been dividing his time between all sorts of charity and environmental projects, and not in a smile-for-the-camera, sign-a-check way.
Although today, that's kind of what he's doing. He's mugging with handfuls of carrots and crates of tomatoes before a panel at Naked Juice's #DrinkGoodDoGood campaign, where the company donates $10 toward ending food deserts for every selfie a person takes holding fruit or vegetables. Before taking the stage, he took a few minutes to explain how he's getting in shape to swim through the Strait of Messina in a face-off against Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, what he's eating to fuel him throughout it—and why he's on a vendetta against plastic straws.
He Makes A Serious Breakfast.
Grenier often starts the day with a protein-rich breakfast, making one serious vegetable medley scramble. "I'll put broccoli, zucchini, carrots, tomato, garlic, basil in it," he says. "I par-boil, so I cook them very slightly, so they still maintain the crunch, but they're soft enough to integrate into the scramble."
The key to a good scramble, he says, is garlic. "Start with the garlic and cook it a little bit of butter, then sauté them with onions for a little bit," Grenier adds. "I like to julienne the zucchini and carrots, adding them in with a little bit of water to steam them, then you turn off the heat. You add the eggs once the vegetables are already cooked."
He Hates Protein Bars.
Grenier's making a two-mile, open-ocean swim from Italy to Sicily with Branson to raise awareness of marine conservation (he's swimming to support his foundation, The Lonely Whale). That means hitting the water just about every day, getting tips from marathon swimmer Buckner Chase and big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton. Instead of stocking up on standard gym-rat fare—protein bars and protein shakes—Grenier's been focusing on eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
"Really, at the end of the day, there's nothing more nutritious than fresh fruit right off the tree, or at a farmer's market or grocery store," he explains. "A lot of times you find processed bars and protein shakes and whatever, and while those may be very targeted, ... a fresh fruit or vegetable comes from nature and is designed perfectly to be integrated into your body. You're always going to miss something if it's processed."
He's Cut Back on Eating Meat for a Specific Reason.
For Grenier, ingredients are everything. "Really, it starts with good, raw ingredients—they're the building blocks of a good meal," he explains. He focuses his meals around vegetables, and at restaurants, if he orders fish or another protein, he'll share it with someone to cut down on food waste.
"Food and health concepts, for me, are about reducing our consumption, and making sure that when we do consume, it's the right kind of food," Grenier says. "There's no doubt about it: We overconsume meat products in this country. We don't rub elbow enough—we don't connect enough with each other—so sharing a meal provides an opportunity to get personal with the person you're having a meal with. God forbid, you might even touch each other."
He Doesn't Do Plastic Straws.
When Grenier goes out to restaurants, he makes one request: No straws, please. It's a small way he keeps from contributing to the plastics that often find their way into the water (which can kill marine life, hence his foundation's name).
"Right now, I'm focused on single-use plastics, because it's the most obvious, easy fix. That means I don't use plastic straws, if I can help it, and other single-use plastics, like grocery-store bags or [cases of] plastic water bottles," Grenier says.
Drinking plenty of water is crucial, especially given his regular laps in preparation of his Sept. 27 swim, which is why Grenier prefers to bring his own water bottle wherever he goes. It may not be the sort of flashy, Hollywood thing you'd expect from an actor—but then again, he left his Entourage behind years ago.
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