Meghan Markle is the queen — ahem, duchess — of healthy eating. After her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, she’s reportedly turned him on to a plant-based diet. The couple even plans to raise the new royal baby, expected to arrive in mere days, on a vegan diet, according to an insider who spoke to Women’s Day. However, despite her love for the granola-crunchy lifestyle, Markle has tried her fair share of strange foods. From sea urchins to “beaver tails,” Markle certainly isn’t afraid to taste the unusual.
As Markle confessed to The New Potato in 2017, “I’m a nibbler.” While she was still living the Hollywood lifestyle pre-induction into the royal family, Markle constantly snacked on veggies, hummus, and her daily green juices. The former Tig blogger has also raved about her love for pasta, seafood, and wine. Now, having to follow some pretty strict royal food rules (Queen Elizabeth does not allow pasta, garlic, or shellfish within the palace walls), Markle’s diet has most likely shifted a bit.
It’s a good thing she was an adventurous foodie prior to her life as a royal.
Check out some of the foods Markle has admitted to trying, loving, and craving.
Could you stomach the Duchess’s faves?
1. “Beaver Tail”
Well, she thought she was about to be eating the real deal. However, according to Delish, Markle and her Suits costars celebrated the last day of filming the fifth season with BeaverTails — the Canadian pastry.
“I was like, ‘Wait, I’m sorry; what’s coming in?'” Meghan told the site in 2018.
She was relieved to see that it was actually a funnel cake-like treat covered with caramel, chocolate, and marshmallows. “Apparently, it’s a Canadian thing,” she explains. “It’s a sticky, delicious indulgence.”
2. Chia seed pudding
Although it looks like a mishmash of alien spores, chia seed pudding — a favorite mid-afternoon snack of Markle’s — is actually pretty tasty.
It’s squishy texture may not be for everyone.
But with a bit of cinnamon, vanilla, and almond milk, and topped with bits of fresh fruit, it’s a sweet treat with health benefits galore.
3. Apple slices with almond butter and sea salt
In a 2017 interview with The New Potato, Markle said her go-to snack while on the Suits set is sliced apples with an almond butter spread and a sprinkle of sea salt on top.
A unique combo that perfectly meshes sweet and savory.
4. Squid ink pasta
When The New Potato asked what catches her eye on a restaurant menu, Markle answered, “Squid Ink Pasta.”
The pasta dough is made with real squid ink, which gives the pasta a jet-black appearance.
When fresh, squid ink pasta has a bit of a “fishy” flavor, and pairs wonderfully with a seafood sauce.
5. Bee pollen
Who knew you could eat bee pollen? Well, Meghan Markle does. She reportedly puts this stuff in her steel-cut oats with a bit of manuka honey.
Bee pollen reportedly is packed with vitamins and nutrients that can fortify the immune system.
It also contains minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and anti-oxidants, which help with vitality and can help one manage stress.
6. Kale salad with hot Sauce
While filming Suits, Markle usually got a kale salad from the caterers each day.
“I usually grab some kale salad and steamed vegetables with a side of hummus and lots of hot sauce (either Habanero or Sriracha),” she told The New Potato.
That combo wouldn’t be our first thought, but honestly, it sounds like a great idea. Hot sauce is good on anything.
7. Boxed mac and cheese
She may have access to the best of the best ingredients one could ever buy, but the Duchess of Sussex likes her Annie’s boxed macaroni and cheese. She told Eyeswoon in 2017:
“You know what I do really happen to lovvvvve is that boxed macaroni and cheese. I now buy the Annie’s organic one if I’m craving it, but I throw some frozen peas into it and have this gooey simple childlike meal.”
8. Hot water with lemon
This (supposedly) digestion-boosting beverage isn’t the most appetizing thing one can sip on in the morning — especially when Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Frappuccinos exist.
But Markle supposedly likes to keep things simple in the morning and do her future self a favor by getting the gut running efficiently bright and early.
9. Raw sea urchin
When Eyeswoon asked Markle what her last “swoon-worthy food experience” was, Markle responded, “Hand diving for sea urchin in Jamaica and scooping out the freshest uni and eating it in the ocean… swooooooooon.”
10. Wild boar ragu
“I’ve never met a Wild Boar Ragu I didn’t like,” Markle told The New Potato in 2017. Yup, wild boar. If one was to make wild boar ragu at home, one would have to place a special order at a local butcher shop for the wild boar — you definitely won’t find it stocked in your local grocery store.
Ragu is traditionally made with (non-boar) meat, tomatoes, and a myriad of different savory spices.
11. French fries
Believe us — we know there’s nothing weird about French fries. It’s just weird that the clean-eating Meghan Markle would choose fries over guys any day of the week (sorry, Harry).
“On hiatus, all bets are off,” Markle told Delish of her French fry obsession. She continued, “I’m always hoping I’m having lunch with people, so we can share fries. It’s its own food group for me.”
Same, girl. Same.
12. Poutine
For those who have never eaten poutine, it probably sounds and looks pretty bizarre. Basically, poutine is crispy French fries doused in gravy and cheese curds. Yeah, it’s definitely not something you’d expect a Duchess to chow down on. However, Markle is obsessed.
“It’s got to squeak when you bite into it,” Markle told Delish. “Really. The cheese curds should make a squeaking noise when you bite into them or squeeze them. That’s how you know you’ve got the right kind.”
But for those of you who have had a great poutine, her obsession is warranted. A good poutine will change your life.
13. Mushy zucchini pasta sauce
Markle told Delish that her friend turned her onto the idea of slow cooking a zucchini to turn it into pasta sauce. She cooks her zucchinis for up to five hours until it turns into a “filthy, sexy mush.”
The Duchess continued, “The sauce gets so creamy, you’d swear there’s tons of butter and oil in it, but it’s just zucchini, water and a little bouillon.”
14. Tater tots with sriracha
“I’m also not averse to eating tater tots,” Markle told Eyeswoon in 2017. “With ketchup and sriracha.”
Again — definitely not a snack we’d expect a royal to indulge in. But hey, everyone likes tots.
15. Meyer lemons
Meyer lemons are not to be confused with regular lemons. A favorite of Markle’s, and definitely the inspo behind her famous lemon-flavored wedding cake, they’re sweeter than a standard lemon, and often used in desserts.
Meghan Markle’s tastebuds are unlike any other. We’d definitely *try* all of the above foods.
16. Steak with… lemon
That’s right. One of Markle’s food hacks is adding lemon to her steak right before she serves it to guests. It supposedly makes the steak much tastier.
“Nobody tastes the lemon, but it really brings out the steak’s flavor,” Markle told Delish.
17. Green juice every day
Meghan Markle doesn’t do coffee, she does green juice (which usually has kale, spinach and celery to give it that bright green color). Markle told Delish, “Green juice is a food-as-medicine philosophy for me.” She talks about her avoidance of coffee in an interview with Shape, where she said:
“I think trying to go for coffee or things like that only end up hurting you in the end. [Green juice] is a really good natural source of energy… that gets right into your system as a nice pick-me-up.”
TBH, coffee also gets right into our system and is a nice pick-me-up, but hey. To each her own!
