Understanding the Balanced Approach: What is Meghan Markle's diet?

October 4, 2025 •

3 min read

In a 2015 interview with Best Health, Meghan Markle famously shared her flexible dietary approach, saying she tries to eat vegan during the week but allows for more flexibility on weekends. This philosophy helps define the question: What is Meghan Markle's diet?

Quick Summary

Meghan Markle follows a balanced 'lifestyle eating' philosophy, focusing on whole, plant-based foods during the week and allowing for moderate indulgence on weekends. Her diet emphasizes cooking at home, staying hydrated with green juices, and mindful eating to avoid deprivation.

Key Points

Flexitarian Eating: Meghan eats a predominantly plant-based, vegan-focused diet during the week but allows for flexibility with meat, fish, and other treats on weekends.
Balance over Restriction: She actively avoids strict dieting to prevent binge eating, preferring to maintain a balanced approach she calls "lifestyle eating".
Daily Green Juice: Rather than relying on caffeine, Meghan uses a green juice packed with fruits and vegetables for a midday energy boost.
Home Cooking: A passionate home cook, she prioritizes making simple, delicious meals from scratch with fresh, often home-grown, ingredients.
Healthy Indulgences: She enjoys favorite comfort foods like french fries, mac and cheese, and red wine in moderation, showing that a healthy diet can still be enjoyable.
Prioritizes Wellness: Her diet works in tandem with an active lifestyle that includes yoga, Pilates, and running, focusing on overall health rather than just weight control.

The Flexitarian Philosophy

Her diet is primarily flexitarian, meaning she eats mostly plant-based meals during the week for health benefits and flexibility on weekends. She has noted positive effects on her energy and skin from reducing animal products and finds this approach prevents feelings of deprivation and potential overeating.

A Weekday vs. Weekend Snapshot

Weekday: Focuses on clean foods, starting with hot water and lemon, followed by steel-cut oats for breakfast and salads with protein for lunch.
Weekend: Allows for more relaxed options like cheesy omelets, seafood, pasta, or home-cooked roasts.

A Typical Day of Eating

A typical day may include hot water with lemon in the morning, steel-cut oats with toppings like bananas and agave for breakfast, and a protein-rich salad for lunch. In the afternoon, she might have apple slices with peanut butter or her preferred green juice. Dinner often consists of simple, healthy options like zucchini pasta or fish with vegetables.

The Role of Green Juice

To maintain energy without caffeine, Meghan frequently drinks green juice, which she views as a form of "food-as-medicine". Her typical blend includes apple, kale, spinach, lemon, and ginger, providing vitamins and a natural energy boost.

Indulgences and Comfort Foods

Meghan believes in enjoying favorite foods in moderation. She is known to enjoy french fries, wine (particularly Tignanello), macaroni and cheese, and watermelon with cinnamon.

Home Cooking and Simplicity

She is a keen home cook, often preparing meals from scratch using fresh ingredients, sometimes from her garden. Her simple approach includes dishes like one-pot pasta and slow-cooked chicken adobo.

Meghan's Approach vs. a Strict Dieting Mindset


Feature	Meghan's Approach	Strict Dieting Mindset
Philosophy	Embraces "lifestyle eating," focusing on long-term, sustainable habits.	Often views food as a tool for short-term fixes, leading to cycles of restriction and bingeing.
Balance	Flexible, allowing for both nourishing whole foods and occasional indulgences.	Typically categorizes foods as "good" or "bad," creating feelings of guilt.
Focus	Whole foods, hydration, and mindful eating. Prioritizes how food makes her feel.	Calorie counting, macro-tracking, and rapid weight loss, often overlooking overall well-being.
Home Cooking	Prioritizes cooking at home with fresh, simple ingredients, fostering a positive relationship with food.	May rely on pre-packaged, low-calorie or diet-specific products, which can be less nutritious.
Sustainability	An enduring, practical approach designed to be maintained long-term.	Often unsustainable due to extreme rules, leading to the diet being abandoned.

Conclusion

Meghan Markle's dietary philosophy is characterized by balance and sustainability, moving away from restrictive diets. By focusing on mindful eating, whole foods, hydration, and moderate enjoyment of treats, she promotes a healthier relationship with food. This practical approach, combined with exercise like yoga and Pilates, highlights a commitment to overall wellness. For further information on healthy eating patterns, consult resources such as the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, Meghan Markle is not a full-time vegan. She follows a flexitarian diet, focusing on plant-based meals during the week but allowing for more flexibility and animal products on weekends.

Her day often starts with a cup of hot water with lemon. For breakfast, she typically eats steel-cut oats made with almond or soy milk, topped with bananas and agave syrup.

Meghan enjoys treats like french fries, macaroni and cheese (sometimes adding peas), and a glass of red wine, all consumed in moderation.

Her signature green juice includes kale, spinach, apple, lemon, and ginger. She drinks it in the afternoon to avoid the caffeine crash from coffee.

After her pregnancies, Meghan reportedly focused on a balanced diet of nutrient-rich foods, staying hydrated, and engaging in her regular exercise routine of yoga and Pilates to return to her pre-baby body.

Yes, Meghan is a passionate home cook and frequently prepares meals for her family. She is known for using fresh, simple ingredients, often from her own garden.

Reports indicate that Prince Harry has adopted some of Meghan's healthier habits, including eating less meat and incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and green juices into his diet.