Padma Lakshmi Reveals the Only Food She Wants to Eat After Filming Top Chef

Bravo's Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi recently revealed just how deeply she struggled with anxiety and "imposter syndrome" earlier in her role on the show. Now, fully confident in her work, Padma is revealing just how "uniquely qualified" she is to do her job — for one very important reason.

In short, it's because she can't get enough of food, she told Trevor Noah as a guest on The Daily Show — but even she has her limitations. He asked if Padma binges on junk food when the cameras stop rolling, and she replied, "It's not junk food, but it’s really simple food. I just want toast or I want chicken soup or I want mashed potatoes."

On Top Chef, she said, "I am eating a lot — but I'm eating a lot of all these different things. So then your stomach starts to feel a bit murky at the end of the day. When I come out of Top Chef, I just want the plainest, simplest, cleanest food — a lot of salad, a lot of vinegar."

Noah then asked if Padma actually gets sick of food when she's eating so much for the show. And she assured him it's definitely not that.

"No, I'm not sick of food — that's why I'm uniquely qualified to do my job," she said. "I have an endless appetite and a curiosity. I genuinely like simple things. Like fried chicken would be [my favorite food or it might be] just lentils and rice. It’s very boring, but it’s my comfort food."

Watch Padma Lakshmi on The Daily Show. And catch the finale of Bravo's Top Chef Thursday 9/8c!