Bear Grylls: ‘I’m Sceptical of the Benefits of Vegetables’
No one has made the act of survival a bigger part of their identity than Bear Grylls. ‘The line between life and death is determined by what we are willing to do,’ said the man who has eaten deer droppings and drunk urine – both on camera – during the course of his many adventures.
Today, however, the 50-year-old’s diet isn’t quite as peculiar, but he did court controversy last year when he revealed that despite writing a vegan cookbook, he had swapped plant-based living for a predominantly meat-based diet.
Grylls now admits to being ‘embarrassed’ that he ever lived without meat and eggs and, while he isn’t fully a carnivore, he doesn’t have much time for vegetables these days. Thankfully, he did have time to speak with us about what’s currently making it on to his plate.
Men's Health: So, Bear, what was for dinner last night?
Bear Grylls: I spent the day with the Royal Marines yesterday, and I always get back from those days starving. [When I] got back, we cooked two big rib-eyes with some bone broth, lots of sea salt and a big, fresh orange juice. We get really good-quality, local grass-fed steaks. I had some white rice that I threw into the pan after the steak, [with] all the tallow, the beef fat. Bit of cheese with it. And then some Greek yoghurt, berries, honey and a few squares of chilli dark chocolate afterwards with a Dirtea coffee – it’s got all the good-for-you mushroom stuff in it. I love that with honey.
How typical is that for you?
That’s basically our staple. All our boys [Bear’s three sons] are obsessed by good-quality meat and eggs. I only tend to have two meals a day – so a late breakfast is what I tend to do and then an early supper. I sometimes try to find some good-quality local jerky if we’re travelling a lot.
What does a normal daily workout look like for you these days?
I tend to train first thing in the morning, then try to get cold in a river, a lake, the sea or my freezer – I’ve got a big industrial one that I bought off eBay years ago.
You hit 50 recently – has your routine changed in any way?
As you get older, you need weight-bearing exercise – you can’t just do cardio; you need strength. One day I’ll do 30 minutes of weights, but I’ll always be moving. I’m not on my phone in between. Then, the next day, I’ll try to rest more but maybe get a good walk in, or maybe a good swim. Every day, I do 20 minutes of good stretching in the morning – say my prayers and do my stretches. I try to do it with friends.
In the past, you’ve received criticism for your shunning of vegetables. What would you say in your defence?
I don’t eat a carnivore diet; I eat much more of an animal-based diet. First of all, I’m not telling anyone else to eat like this, but the more I read and research, the more sceptical I am of the benefit of vegetables. Instead of predominantly salad and a tiny little bit of protein, I just have it the other way around. I have a lot of avocados and stuff. I think a lot of kale and broccoli and cauliflower…they don’t have claws, they don’t fight, so they deter animals from eating them by having these defence chemicals – whereas fruit is bright, sweet and shiny and wants to be eaten, pooed out and spread around. To me, it’s so obvious. I look at indigenous people who really thrive and are super healthy around the world, and no one draws cave paintings of salads. There’s always a buffalo.
Bear Grylls is an ambassador for Dirtea
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