Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-reigning monarch, turns 95 this April 21, but she looks as radiant as ever. How does she make it? The secret lies primarily in her daily diet and eating habits. Look at the menu of Her Majesty and take a cue for a longer, healthier life.
1. Morning Tea
The Queen wakes up to a hot pot of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea or Darjeeling with a spot of milk, accompanied by a few biscuits. This is quite British and healthy.
2. Cereal For Breakfast
The Queen's typical breakfast is simply a bowl of cereal. More surprisingly, Her Majesty enjoys her cereal out of a plastic container instead of a million-dollar worth bowl you probably imagined.
3. Scrambled Eggs
The Queen sometimes swaps out her breakfast cereal for a steaming plate of scrambled eggs. Interestingly, the monarch prefers brown eggs because she thinks they taste better. On special occasions like Christmas, she would ask fresh salmon and truffle added to her eggs.
4. Loving Strawberries
Quite a health nut, Queen Elizabeth II loves fresh fruits from her own backyard. At Balmoral Castle, Scotland, bountiful strawberry, raspberry, and gooseberry bushes grow, and her countryside castle, Sandringham, houses 70 acres of apples. Strawberries are her favorite.
5. A Gin Before Lunch
Her Majesty enjoys having a cocktail before lunch. Her favorite alcoholic beverage is gin and Dubonnet with a slice of lemon and plenty of ice.
6. Fish For Lunch
The typical lunch of the Queen is a light, simple plate of grilled fish with courgettes or spinach, and her favorite fish is Dover sole. She occasionally eats low-carb grilled chicken with salad.
7. Afternoon Tea
The Queen's High Tea often comes complete with at least two types of sandwiches. Her Majesty has a vast selection to choose from, and her favorite is said to be tuna mayo with cucumber.
8. Bread Sans Crusts
The Queen loves sandwiches but only eats those without crusts. It's said to be a long-held tradition dating back to Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who believed that eating coffin-shaped food would bring bad luck.
9. Jam Pennies
For a sweet treat at tea, Her Royal Highness enjoys her childhood favorite - jam pennies, tiny buttered bread with raspberry jam cut into small penny-sized circles.
10. Well-Done Steak For Dinner
For dinner, the Queen prefers meat from local farms. Her favorite dish is a Gaelic steak, served with mushroom sauce, cream, and a glass of sweet whiskey.
11. Sunday Roast
Queen Elizabeth II also enjoys the traditional British Sunday roast, a main meal of roasted meat with potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, etc. Her favorite meats include pheasant, grouse, beef, venison, etc.
12. Chocolate Cake
Despite a smart eating habit, the Queen has her guilty pleasure - a slice of chocolate cake at tea time and her birthday. She adores dark chocolate particularly, and the darker, the better.
13. No Starch At Dinner
Her Majesty is very disciplined to keep her healthy, low-carb dinner habit. When eating alone, the Queen never eats starches, meaning pasta, potatoes, and rice are all off her diet.
14. No Garlic
With all the socialising the Queen has to do, it just makes sense that she, as well as the other royals, never eats smelly foods, such as garlic and onion.
15. No Rare Meat
Though the sophisticated likes a rare steak, Her Highness never eats meats that are rare or even medium rare. She prefers her meats of whatever type cooked all the way through.
16. No Out-Of-Season Fruit
The long-reigning monarch is keen on eating with seasons, meaning she won't touch the foods that are out of season. For example, if her favorite strawberries were served in January, the Queen will never eat them.
17. No Whole Banana
To avoid looking "like a monkey," Her Majesty never eats a banana with her bare hands. Instead, she uses a knife to cut off two ends of a banana, slit the peel off, cut it into small coins, and then eats with a fork.
18. No Sweetened Tea
Like any sophisticated English woman, Queen Elizabeth II can accept her tea added with a dash of milk, but no sugar lumps whenever and wherever.
