Gordon Ramsay has a strict diet and a clever trick to prevent himself from indulging in the mouth-watering dishes he creates in his restaurants. As many are attempting to stick to their New Year’s resolutions, which may involve reducing alcohol consumption and losing weight, Gordon Ramsay will simply be maintaining his usual daily routine.
The television personality is famous for his exceptionally high standards in his award-winning restaurants, but he applies the same level of discipline to his personal life, especially his health. Now at the age of 58, his lean, muscular physique belies his years of regularly participating in marathons, Iron Man competitions and triathlons.
Diet is undoubtedly a crucial element in maintaining fitness, and the father of six, married to Tana, has disclosed what he consumes daily to keep the weight off. He had a conversation with Jason Fox from SAS: Who Dares Wins for a Men’s Health Interview.
Jason revealed that during an intensive training period and clean eating, he forces himself to eat “boring” food, so he sought some advice from the chef on how to make his diet more appealing, reports the Mirror.
“Good food doesn’t have to be boring food and healthy food never has to be fad food,” he said before sharing his personal tips for enhancing flavour. “Whether it’s having a chilli or whether it’s the most amazing spice, I’ll always make something delicious out of pretty plain, basic food.”
He further divulged his daily diet regimen that keeps him in shape. “I love eating,” he admitted. “Protein shake in the morning, scrambled eggs for lunch, and then something poached for dinner, whether it’s poached chicken or fish. We don’t do lots of salads but it’s finding that balance.”
To Jason, who is used to eating to boiled chicken while dieting, he suggested adding thinly sliced vegetables into the mix for poaching.
Gordon practises what he described as being “super disciplined”, tasting no more than just two mouthfuls of any dish while he is testing recipes. “It’s painful because you sit there like the green-eyed monster, desperate to devour that whole f*****g plate,” he said.
“I’ll discipline myself to two mouthfuls and then I get the f*** out of that plate. It pains me but I know if I eat a third, fourth, fifth, that’s it – you know, it’s game over.”
Gordon, who is now in great shape, wasn’t always so health-conscious. It was when he hit 40 that he realised his life was spiralling out of control due to his booming career.
“I had no time. I was [working] seven days a week, [I had] restaurants opening all over the place, Michelin stars coming out my arse and all of a sudden my life got consumed,” he confessed. “So I took a good look at myself and I realised I was overweight, out of control and I’d forgotten my time. I’d forgotten the most important part of my day and that was that 90 minute [exercise] session, five days a week to myself.”
He now makes an effort to work out four or five times a week, doing a mix of running, rowing, swimming, cycling and weights. He increases his workouts and has longer sessions when work is less hectic so he can “bank” it for the times he’s needed on new projects. When it comes to finding the motivation to maintain his healthy lifestyle, he turns to his family.
His youngest two sons wake him up at 5.30am for a workout, but he’s also driven to keep going because of his father, Gordon Snr, and brother Ronnie. His father was an alcoholic with a fondness for fried food.
He passed away in 1997, just before he was scheduled to have a heart bypass, and Gordon says he realises the same could happen to him unless he stays disciplined.
Gordon has previously opened up about his brother’s struggle with addiction. The siblings, who are only 15 months apart in age, shared a close upbringing in their modest family council house, including sharing bunk beds.
The celebrated chef often reflects on how their lives diverged so starkly. “Ronnie could have been me and I could have been Ronnie and so I think reminding yourself constantly you know there’s a backdrop, you know there is a downside, staying on resilience and dealing with adversity [is important],” he remarked.