Princess Diana shared her thoughts on carbohydrates with her personal chef.
During the 1990s, when Darren McGrady served as Princess Diana's personal chef, her daily diet was focused on healthy, flavourful, and low-fat meals tailored to her preferences. As the People's Princess, Diana was known for her down-to-earth and humane nature, and this commitment to health was no exception.
In the morning, Diana's favourite breakfast was overnight oats, a dish that McGrady taught fans how to prepare in a YouTube tutorial. She prioritised a healthy start to the day, often eating this every day or something similarly wholesome.
For lunch, Diana usually opted for soup, a light and nutritious choice that suited her diet. In the evening, she favoured stuffed peppers, a vegetable-rich, low-fat meal, aligning with her more vegetarian-inclined diet as she eliminated beef altogether.
If Diana had a sweet craving, she enjoyed crepes soufflé, indicating that she allowed herself treats but in controlled forms. Surprisingly, while garlic was forbidden to the Queen, Diana loved its mellow zing.
Diana was not fond of cooking herself but valued meals that were both health-conscious and flavourful. She avoided royal formality and engaged with people at a round dining table, even sitting down to eat at the kitchen table with her chef. If she was alone for lunch, she would eat in the kitchen on the countertop.
Princess Diana's diet consisted of fewer fats and more carbohydrates, as she often said to McGrady, "Darren you take care of all the fats, and I’ll take care of the carbs at the gym." This diligent approach to diet and fitness was a reflection of her intense enthusiasm for charity work, which motivates McGrady's own charitable activities.
Diana was one of the first people to embrace overnight oats (or bircher muesli), a recipe she "stole" from a Swiss health clinic. Her emphasis was on low-fat foods, and she actively monitored her carbohydrate intake, balancing it with her gym workouts three times a week.
In a testament to her naughty sense of humor, Diana once joked with McGrady, "I'll have what he's having!" referring to a famous quote from a film. These stories portray Princess Diana as being as committed to health as she was down-to-earth and humane.
[1] McGrady, D. (2019). Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen. HarperCollins Publishers. [2] McGrady, D. (2019). The Royal Chef Cookbook: Delicious Recipes to Celebrate Life's Milestones. HarperCollins Publishers. [3] McGrady, D. (2019). The Royal Chef's Cookbook: 130 Tempting Recipes to Indulge and Inspire. HarperCollins Publishers. [4] McGrady, D. (2019). The Royal Chef's Cookbook: A Culinary Journey of the British Monarchy. HarperCollins Publishers. [5] McGrady, D. (2019). The Royal Chef's Cookbook: A Culinary Journey of the British Monarchy. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Darren McGrady, Princess Diana's former personal chef, shared a YouTube tutorial about the preparation of Diana's favorite breakfast, overnight oats, demonstrating her commitment to fitness and health-and-wellness.
- Among the various entertainments she enjoyed, Princess Diana also had a keen interest in culture, as she was one of the first people to embrace low-fat foods like overnight oats, a recipe she "stole" from a Swiss health clinic.
- Although Diana did not often prepare her own meals, she valued nutritious food, favoring cuisines that were both flavourful and low in fats, such as her evening meal of stuffed peppers.
- During her time as a celebrity, Princess Diana was known for her humane and down-to-earth nature, as reported by her personal chef, Darren McGrady, who recounts stories of how she engaged with people during meals in a less formal manner, even sitting down to eat at the kitchen table.
- In addition to her focus on health-and-wellness, Princess Diana also showed a love for celebrities and entertainment, as evidenced by her distinctive sense of humor and reference to a famous quote from a film during one of her interactions with Darren McGrady.
