To this day, Marilyn Monroe is the epitome of Hollywood glamour. She’s a fashion icon and a timeless example of feminine beauty. Clearly, Monroe had an iron stomach — and we’re not just referring to her 1950s’ corsets. We gathered info from friends, family, and investigative reporters.
So What Did She Eat?
Compared to the popular diets of today, Monroe mostly stuck to a paleo-like menu. Accordingly, she ate mostly lean meats and protein-heavy meals.
In fact, she confessed to Pageant that she hates the feeling of being regimented. She even admitted to “developing a habit” of picking up an ice cream sundae after her evening drama classes.
Although she ate some pretty questionable foods here and there, Monroe’s diet was fairly simple for being such a public figure (pun intended).
Stewed Prunes
According to Laren Stover’s 2001 book The Bombshell Manual of Style, Monroe would usually start her day at around 8 a.m. with orange juice or stewed prunes.
They’re much higher in fiber than prune juice, and are naturally syrupy and sweet, with no need for added sugar. They’re also a popular dish in the Mediterranean.
This was if she was aiming to lose weight, according to Stover. Otherwise, she’d stick to the day-starting meal. That’s a pretty light breakfast, if you ask us.
Raw Eggs In Warm Milk
“Before I take my morning shower, I start warming a cup of milk on the hot plate I keep in my hotel room,” Monroe told Pageant magazine in 1952.
Rebecca Harrington over at The Cut tried the concoction and reported that it tasted “utterly delicious” and reminded her of “bland eggnog.” Well, that’s definitely something.
Of course, she used pasteurized eggs to conduct this experiment — something to keep in mind if you would like to try it.
The “Master-Cleanse Diet”
Actress Renée Taylor, met Monroe back in the ’50s at the Actors Studio. Taylor told the New York Post that Monroe gave her the recipe to her “master-cleanse diet.”
Now that’s a drink that’ll clear out your sinuses in no time. Even though a “master-cleanse diet” might sound like a cure all, it’s actually not that effective.
This master-cleanse still has waves of popularity, although it doesn’t really keep weight off — plus, you should be eating a balanced diet! There are much healthier ways to lose weight.
Liver
Didn’t think a starlet would enjoy this? Well, think again. “Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops, or some liver”.
However, liver — the organ that filters out toxins from the blood — doesn’t sound particularly appetizing. But when cooked rare, it supposedly tastes great and has a creamy texture.
If overcooked, however, it can be grainy and tough. Still, liver is considered a nutrient-dense food, as it is packed with vitamin A, B vitamins, and iron.
Multivitamins
What can we say? She liked to get her nutrients. She would typically take her vitamins in the morning with her egg and milk drink before hopping in the shower. It’s true — there’s nothing bizarre about the multivitamins of today.
However, when Monroe was taking her multivitamins back in the 1950s, they only consisted of the bare-bones basics: vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and D, calcium, and iron. They also weren’t as widespread as they are now. By the late 50s, a ton of people were taking them, but Monroe was one of the pioneers.
It wasn’t until the late ’60s that vitamins E, B6, and B12, and magnesium joined the list. Vitamin nutrition labels of the mid-century looked tiny compared to the labels of today.
Raw Carrots With Dinner
Carrots are biennial plants that store large amounts of carbohydrates. They are also something that Marilyn Monroe loved eating raw. While some really do not enjoy it this way, Marilyn certainly did!
Why not cooked, Marilyn? “I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat, and that is all,”. This is a surprisingly high amount of carrots.
Monroe told Pageant. “I must be part rabbit; I never get bored with raw carrots.” We certainly would. Raw carrots?! Its a bit bizarre. However it must have provided some helpful nutrition.
Milk With Noodles
We want to think this is normal. But Stover wrote in her book that Monroe would often eat half of a cup of boiled noodles with milk for lunch — without cheese.
If not the noodle and milk duo, she’d opt for a baked or mashed potato or spaghetti, boiled with tomatoes and butter.
There are more modern takes on this dish, which include cream of mushroom soup and other additives, if you feel like getting your Monroe on but crave a little more than plain ole noodles and milk.
Stale Toast
Fresh bread was apparently a no-no. Marilyn enjoyed her bread the most when it was stale. A bit odd, but plenty of the things that Marilyn enjoyed to eat were a bit strange.
Alongside her noodles with milk, Monroe also frequently enjoyed a slice of stale toast with lunch, according to Stover.
She’d eat it with a pat of butter. Its so strange because you would think no one would like this. Somehow though! Marilyn loved her stale bread. Try it, maybe there is something to it.
Cooked Fruit
For dessert at lunchtime, Stover said Monroe would either have a serving of Jell-O or cooked fruit. Cooked fruit is definitely interesting but the consistency is similar to that of jell-o.
Interestingly, though, it’s unclear what fruits Monroe would cook and eat, or how she cooked them. All we know is she enjoyed mashed up/cooked-down fruits.
But it’s an odd choice when one can more simply eat fruit raw. Much of what Marilyn did was a bit peculiar. However she was a one-of-a-kind individual, and her diet was just as unique as she was.
Turkey Heart (Giblets) Stuffing
Taken from a collection of personal notes, recipes, and poems that were discovered after Monroe’s untimely death, this recipe for turkey heart stuffing was most likely inspired by Joe DiMaggio.
If turkey hearts were unavailable, Monroe would substitute them for… turkey liver. Yum? Apparently to her they were very yummy.
She’d also add raisins, hard-boiled eggs, and walnuts to the dish. Um, did anyone else know that Monroe was a lowkey domestic goddess? Because we are impressed.
Overly-Washed Lettuce
This is just a silly thing that Monroe once did before she actually started cooking later in life. Her former roommate Shelley Winters once asked Monroe to wash some lettuce for a salad she was preparing.
Monroe was washing each individual leaf “with a Brillo pad.” Hey, better safe than sorry! As we know, leafy vegetables can be unsafe! You have to watch out for lead contamination.
Be careful with your lettuce! its possible for you to overwash always. You have to watch out. There is nothing in this world worse than bad lettuce! Marilyn eventually got out of the habit, so will you!
Eggnog
According to Stover’s research, Monroe would end each day with an eggnog nightcap at around 11:00 p.m. The woman definitely had a thing for eggy drinks.
Eggnog is perfect anytime of year but particularly during the winter. Apparently for Marilyn though, eggnog was a daily indulgence. She would drink it every.day.
Marilyn had some very interesting tastes. She wasn’t one to over-indulge, she just knew what she liked and always had some particulars. Eggnog was a major one!
Endives
A cache of Monroe’s old shopping lists resurfaced in 2008. And on one of those grocery to-buy lists was endives. Endives certainly aren’t for everyone, though, with their bitter, nutty flavor.
English Muffins, Strawberry Jam, And Cheddar Cheese For a woman who was known for flaunting her figure, Monroe allowed herself to stray from her “diet” more often than people realized.
Her weekly shopping lists proved the actress ate English muffins, strawberry jam, and cheddar cheese. But she also admitted to Pageant that she indulged in ice cream sundaes more often than she should.
Fettuccine Leon
This recipe — supposedly Monroe’s favorite, according to her sister — is bizarre because no one really knows what it is. We are thinking something like a white pasta dish.
As explained in the video on the YouTube channel HOW TO BE AWESOME SAUCE, when “Leon” or another name appears after “fettuccine,” this is usually because it’s a specific chef’s specialty.
So, the video basically predicts what Fettuccine Leon may have been, which was probably a seafood and Alfredo/white wine dish. No wonder she would love it so much, thats a delicious dish!
Champagne
Okay, this probably wasn’t part of Marilyn Monroe’s daily diet. However it is a notable drink that she loved. A classy drink that fits the personality and stature of Marilyn Monroe perfectly-Champagne!
The bubbly was always seen in Marilyn’s hands. She was a big fan of popping fresh bottles both before and after any type of gathering and of course at it too.
An old receipt shows that the movie star once ordered 12 splits (bottles that are a quarter of the amount of traditional champagne bottles) of Piper Heidsieck Champagne. It cost her $26.21.
Steak
On the nights when she wasn’t in the mood for liver, Marilyn Monroe would swap it out for some broiled steak.
Broiling is pretty similar to grilling, and is a common method for cooking meat. She had an electric oven that she would use to cook her meats.
We can’t fault her for liking steak. After all, who doesn’t? She always made sure to include meat in her dinners.
Hot Fudge Sundaes
For such a health nut, a hot fudge sundae seems like a weird thing to eat regularly. Apparently, these were her guilty pleasure.
After her acting classes, she would indulge in a sundae as a little reward for a hard day’s work. Honestly? Good for her!
Still, she made a point of having a simple, nutritious diet during the day so that she could have indulgences like these.
Lamb Chops
Lamb chops were another big part of Marilyn Monroe’s diet, as an alternative to liver or steak. She always ate them with a side of raw carrots.
Like the other meats, she liked to broil this on her oven. We’re not sure how exactly she seasoned her lamb chops, however.
After learning more about her diet, it wouldn’t be surprising if she left them unseasoned. She preferred simple foods over elaborate meals.
Beef Bourguignon
While this wasn’t a part of her daily diet, people have discovered a copy of this recipe written in her handwriting.
Given her penchant for high-protein meals, her desire to make beef bourguignon is unsurprising. This French stew has all of her favorite foods in it.
That’s right — beef bourguignon includes chunks of beef and carrots, along with onions and garlic, cooked in red wine. This is one of her better recipes.
Marrowbone Soup
A recipe for marrowbone soup was discovered alongside her plans for beef bourguignon. This one, true to Monroe’s tastes, is very simple.
It’s basically bone broth, made with the marrow. With all the meat that she ate, it’s likely that she wanted to find a use for the bones.
Marrowbone soup is usually used as a base for other, more flavorful soups, and can be seasoned depending on the person’s preferences.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
It’s no surprise that Marilyn Monroe, who always went for simple meats and veggies, would want to make it corned beef and cabbage.
As the last of her discovered recipes, corned beef and cabbage is an absolute classic. We don’t know if she made the meal with carrots and potatoes, though.
Corned beef is a great source of protein, while cabbages are known to improve digestion. Not to mention that it’s super delicious.
Chocolate Souffle
Chocolate souffles weren’t an everyday thing for Marilyn. However, when she did splurge, she did it on these. She had specific tastes, too.
Unlike her fudge sundaes, which she just picked up from the local ice cream parlor, she liked her souffles from Romanoff’s.
Romanoff’s was a popular Beverly Hills restaurant from the 1940s and 50s. All of the movie stars loved to hang out there; naturally, Marilyn did, too.
Hot Dogs
We know that Marilyn Monroe was a meat lover. So, it only makes sense that she’d be a fan of hot dogs.
How often did she eat them, then? Well, we’re not sure. It doesn’t seem like they were a regular part of her diet.
There’s a famous photo of her waiting on line to get a hot dog in New York in the late 50s.
Tomatoes Stuffed With Caviar and Cream Cheese
Allegedly, Marilyn liked to eat these as an appetizer when she went out to eat in the early 1950s. Sounds pretty good.
We’re not sure where she ordered this particular appetizer (if it was even at a specific place at all). It sounds decadent, though.
This is definitely not something that she would cook up herself. As we know by now, she preferred to cook simple foods.
Spaghetti
You would think that she developed a taste for pasta after her marriage to Joe DiMaggio, but it was actually from one of her maids.
Lena Pepitone, who eventually wrote a book about her experiences with the starlet, said that Marilyn was a big fan of spaghetti.
Apparently, she made it for her often. We can’t blame Marilyn. We love spaghetti, too. As for toppings, butter and/or marinara sauce did nicely.
Egg Whites
Marilyn really loved her eggs! She didn’t drink her egg whites raw, however (though that is something people do. To each their own, we guess).
She had her maid poach egg whites in safflower oil, which she would eat for breakfast in 1961, just a year before her death.
As for the egg yolks, she would either drink them with warm milk, or save them for pound cakes. We prefer the latter.
Bloody Maries
Aside from champagne, Marilyn Monroe had another favorite cocktail: the Bloody Mary. In the late 1950s, she would apparently have one with breakfast.
During this time, her breakfasts were pretty filling (when she wasn’t drinking raw eggs). She’d have toast and three poached eggs.
We’re not sure if she’d have these cocktails every morning, though she’d probably feel hungover all the time if she did. We hope not.
Lobster
This was a meal that she indulged in specifically while filming the movie River of No Return in 1954, but not so much afterwards.
In the movie, Marilyn plays a barroom singer that’s traveling via river with her boyfriend. It only makes sense that she would try seafood while filming.
It seems like she ate regularly cooked lobster, instead of lobster rolls or ravioli. Afterwards, she didn’t make a habit of eating it often.
Veal Scallopini
Like many other dishes previously mentioned, she didn’t eat this constantly. However, Marilyn ate this at a super special occasion — her first date with Joe DiMaggio!
Veal scallopini is a flavorful, and classy meal. The veal is thinly cut and pounded until tender, coated with flour, and sautéed.
The sauce is the best part. It’s creamy and flavored with lemon and capers. It’s typically served over a bed of arugula.
Salami and Cheese Sandwiches
While Marilyn Monroe didn’t usually eat lunch, especially later on in her life, she loved a good sandwich on the Roxbury Farm.
Monroe and her third husband, Arthur Miller, lived on Roxbury Farm in Connecticut. This was their way of getting away from the city’s hustle and bustle.
Salami and cheese sandwiches were (and are!) a simple and tasty food to eat. She was a big fan of them in 1957.
Chocolate Pudding
We all need some sweets after a bad breakup. In 1960, Marilyn Monroe starred in the film Let’s Make Love alongside French actor Yves Montand.
They quickly started an affair, which led to the breakup of Monroe’s marriage with Arthur Miller. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was highly publicized, too.
After Montand and Monroe finally broke it off, Marilyn went out to eat, treating herself to a delicious meal. The dessert? Chocolate pudding.
Spaghetti With Sweet Italian Sausages
As you can probably guess, Monroe was a huge fan of Italian food. So, spaghetti? With Italian sausages? Definitely a match made in heaven.
She saved these meals for special occasions, and this one was eaten to usher in the new year. At a 1960 New Year’s Eve party, she ordered this.
While there’s no concrete record of her eating this often, it’s not too far out of the realm of possibility, especially given her love for spaghetti.
Chateaubriand
Okay, so we already know that Marilyn Monroe loved steak. But chateaubriand (if you couldn’t already tell from the name) isn’t just any steak.
It’s a French style of roasting steak, very similar to a filet mignon. It’s a super thick cut of meat, too, sourced from the tenderloin of the cow.
Remember Romanoff’s? Well, in 1954, the restaurant threw a party in her honor. Legend has it that she ordered the chateaubriand.
Cheers to you, Marilyn
The takeaway from investigating the diet of Marilyn Monroe: eat the foods you like while trying your best to do the right thing for your body.
Some people think that it went too far and the administration actually had her offed to prevent the downfall of the Kennedy political dynasty.
Her cause of death was never updated. If you consider yourself something of a detective, you can piece together more strange details about Marilyn Monroe’s life and death here.