Padma Lakshmi, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s newest model, reveals how she stays in shape: ‘Really difficult’

Padma Lakshmi is serving some sizzling looks.

The “Top Chef” and “Taste the Nation” host is making a splash in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. The culinary star, who was photographed by Yu Tsai in Dominica, rocked an itsy bitsy bikini by Toxic Sadie beaded with golden mother-of-pearl sequins. 

For the spread, Lakshmi also modeled a two-piece made of seashells, a suit that resembles seaweed and a sunshine yellow bikini.

Lakshmi, who got her start as a model in the ‘90s, revealed that it’s empowering to appear in the magazine at age 52.

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“It’s a weird thing. I would’ve killed for [this] when I was a model in my 20s,” she chuckled to Fox News Digital.

“[Now] that it’s happening to me at this point in life – it’s kind of sweet, actually.”

In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, SI Swimsuit’s editor-in-chief MJ Day said the decision to feature Lakshmi in the 2023 issue was a no-brainer.

“Mother, author, activist, TV host, Emmy-nominated producer, philanthropist and now, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model. Padma’s list of accomplishments is as stunning as she is, and it’s an absolute honor to feature her in the 2023 issue,” Day wrote.

“The importance of Padma’s presence here is multifold,” Day shared. “She is here because she feels better than ever both inside and out. At 52, she has curated a life that represents who she authentically is: a powerful, beautiful, brilliant, accomplished woman in her prime. She can make the world look and listen and is here to remind us all that women can be all of these things and feel sexy AF.”

“We will let the photos speak for themselves,” Day added.

The bestselling author stressed that staying in camera-ready shape all year long isn’t always smooth sailing, especially when you’re savoring delicious, comforting dishes for a living.

“I’m not gonna lie. You have to work out all the time,” Lakshmi explained. “I probably work out when I have the time one to two hours a day, six days a week. I eat a lot of food both on ‘Top Chef’ and on ‘Taste the Nation.’ And, honestly, I eat very simply at home. I don’t eat a lot of red meat. I eat mostly plant-based, though I will have fish and chicken and eggs. I eat a lot of beans, a lot of lentils. I have to give up alcohol, fried foods [and] a lot of sweets.”

“It’s really difficult,” she admitted. “It’s just a push and pull. I have a great wardrobe stylist on ‘Top Chef’ who buys me things in three different sizes. … I always tell women, ‘Don’t try and squeeze into those jeans you wore in college. Just get a bigger size.’ Because you’ll look slimmer in the size that’s right for you.

“No one is going to check the label on the back of your jeans or your blouse. Just be comfortable. And I do gain weight. I gain like 10-15 pounds when I come home from filming each season. It takes me six weeks to gain, it takes me 10 to 12 weeks to lose. And there’s no magic bullet. There’s no other healthy way to do it.”

According to Lakshmi, her secret to staying in shape is simple.

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“Just watch what you eat, drink a lot of water, get enough sleep and exercise your little butt off,” she noted.

But the pinup, who is a mom to a 13-year-old daughter, said she’s mindful of what she eats whenever she’s traveling.

“When Krishna was younger, she used to travel with me, and I didn’t want her to have hotel food,” Lakshmi explained. “So, we would set up a kitchen in any hotel room I went to. We had a hot plate, we had a little blender and we had a little cutting board. And you’d be surprised at what you can do.

“When I’m traveling, I always try and get the hotel kitchen to make me an egg white omelet with a salad and just some roasted potatoes, not fried potatoes. Even mashed potatoes are better than French fries. And usually, they’ll do it that way. You’re getting some starch, some protein and some vegetables.”

The Bravo star is also a big fan of lassi, a yogurt-based Indian drink that keeps her feeling full longer. In 2021, Forbes announced she was joining DAH!, an Indian-inspired natural foods company, as an investor. She noted that lassi is rich in probiotics, which promotes digestion.

“I try and drink a glass of lassi before I even go out,” said Lakshmi. “And that tides me through until dinner.”

But Lakshmi happily indulged while filming season 2 of “Taste the Nation.” 

The HULU series, which premiered in 2020, aims to celebrate the cuisines of American immigrants and indigenous people. It chronicles Lakshmi as she travels across the country to learn the origins of beloved foods while hearing stories of perseverance from locals. Lakshmi came to the U.S. when she was just 4 years old.

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“I want people to take a look at the show, of course, for the beautiful food, but I also want them to take a look at it so that hopefully it makes them more curious about their neighbors across the street who maybe have a funny accent or a strange name they’ve never pronounced before but really are what makes this country great,” she explained. “So unless you are a Native American, you too are an immigrant or a descendent of an immigrant.”

“You can call them settlers, you can call them whatever you want. It’s the same thing,” she continued. “And that’s what I want to do. We’ve gotten so polarized in this country that this is really just my attempt at bringing people together from all points of view, from all ethnicities, to show that we are indeed all American.”

And there’s plenty of tantalizing, wonderfully unique meals to try, she said.

“There’s no shortage of delicious food in this country,” she said. “And that’s what I love about the show. It shows how diverse we are but also how yummy everything that we have here is.”

Season 2 of “Taste the Nation” premieres May 5.