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gwyneth-paltrow-covers-instyle-october-2012.jpgGwyneth Paltrow covers InStyle's October 2012 issue, and the Oscar winner chats about family, food and turning forty!

On celebrating her 40th birthday next week, Gwynnie says, "I'm taking stock and really looking at everything. I’m trying to accept myself. There’s a Rumi poem, 'The Guest House,' about welcoming in all aspects of yourself: The dark, the light, the jealous, the happy. Let them all in. But know that you’re not defined by any single one of them. I’ve become much more serious after experiencing all the ups and downs of life—heartbreak, the death of people I love … These days I feel pretty grounded.”

Gwyneth opens up about her two kids, telling the mag, "When Apple was born, she had the hugest blue eyes. I looked into them, and she was looking at me, and I felt like, You are here to teach me everything. After [Moses] was born I had postpartum depression. It was a difficult time, and because of that I believe I have an extra empathy for him, and he for me."

So how does she maintain that perfect figure? Discipline and dieting, of course! "I was very strict for a while," she reveals. "I was macrobiotic for a couple of years, then I got pregnant and just ate ice cream. What I’ve learned is I want to enjoy my life, and food is a big part of it. I love to cook and feed people. I cook every day. I [indulge] but I don’t like sweets. My indulging is a fresh baguette with cheese and a glass of red wine or French fries and fried zucchini. Or a turkey burger.”

SUCH an indulgence. Then again, she looks amazing!