Former World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall's approach to nutrition is anything but conventional. As a professional athlete whose career demanded immense size and power, his diet was an all-out, high-volume affair. However, his transition to new athletic pursuits, including boxing and MMA, has necessitated a fundamental shift in his eating habits. To understand what he eats today, it's essential to look at how his nutrition has evolved over the years.
The Strongman Diet: Peak Performance Fuel
At his peak, when pursuing the World's Strongest Man title and the record-breaking 500kg deadlift, Eddie Hall's diet was a testament to extreme calorie loading. Consuming upwards of 10,000 to 16,000 calories a day was the norm to fuel his demanding training and maintain his massive physique. This phase wasn't concerned with 'clean' eating but with sheer volume and density.
The 20,000-Calorie Attempt
In a famous experiment, Hall attempted to consume 20,000 calories in a single day by drinking a litre of double cream, a challenge he later regretted due to the severe digestive distress it caused. This anecdote illustrates the almost superhuman effort required to simply consume enough calories, an effort that sometimes involved waking up in the middle of the night for extra protein shakes.
A Typical Strongman Menu
- Breakfast 1: A full English breakfast with multiple sausages, bacon slices, eggs, fried bread, black pudding, beans, and tomatoes, often accompanied by a litre of milk.
- Breakfast 2: Porridge with fruit, honey, raisins, and several scoops of whey protein.
- Lunch: Massive portions of steak, pasta, and vegetables.
- Snacks: Beef jerky, protein shakes, nuts, and cranberry juice.
- Dinner: Another enormous meal of mince meat, pasta, and garlic bread.
- Dessert: Often half a family-sized cheesecake with lunch and the other half with dinner.
Transition to Boxing: Leaner and More Agile
As Hall shifted his focus from raw strength to boxing, his diet changed to prioritize agility and shedding excess weight. For his highly anticipated 2021 fight against fellow strongman Hafthor Bjornsson, Hall dropped his calorie intake to around 6,000 calories per day, favoring leaner protein sources and cutting down on carbs.
The Carnivore Diet: What Eddie Hall Eats Today
More recently, Hall has experimented with a strict carnivore diet, focusing exclusively on meat, eggs, and dairy for a month. He found this high-protein, zero-carb approach effective for losing weight while retaining muscle mass. His daily food intake during this period featured massive quantities of animal products, supplemented by electrolytes and multivitamins to offset the lack of fruits and vegetables.
A Sample Carnivore Day
Based on recent accounts, a typical day on his carnivore diet included:
- Breakfast: Smoked salmon, five eggs cooked in butter, cottage cheese, and a protein milkshake.
- Lunch: A large ribeye steak and more eggs.
- Mid-Workout Shake: Another high-protein shake.
- Snack: Biltong, a form of dried, cured meat.
- Dinner: Two ribeye steaks and two eggs.
- Dessert/Final Meal: A shake, bone broth, and yogurt with protein powder.
The Science Behind Eddie Hall's Extreme Nutrition
Regardless of the diet phase, Hall's nutrition is intensely managed and always corresponds to his training goals. His coaches and nutritionists have helped him navigate the demanding requirements of his body's immense size and activity level. While the carnivore diet is not backed by widespread scientific consensus for general health, Hall, as a high-performance athlete, works with his team to ensure his micronutrient intake is supplemented, often through tablets containing vitamins, minerals, turmeric, and Omega-3s.
Comparison: Strongman vs. Carnivore Diet
| Feature | Strongman Diet (Peak) | Carnivore Diet (Recent) | 
|---|---|---|
| Calorie Range | 10,000–16,000+ per day | ~8,000–10,000 per day | 
| Macro Focus | High volume of carbs, protein, and fat | Very high protein and fat, near-zero carbs | 
| Primary Goal | Maximise size and strength | Weight loss, leanness, agility | 
| Key Foods | Steak, pasta, eggs, rice, cheesecake | Ribeye steak, salmon, eggs, cottage cheese | 
| Training Context | Max strength, lifting heavy | Mixed Martial Arts, agility, stamina | 
| Digestive Impact | Regularity and volume management were a struggle | Required supplements and caused initial issues | 
Is Eddie Hall's Diet for Everyone?
Eddie Hall's extreme nutritional journey is not a blueprint for the average individual. His diet is highly specific to his unique athletic demands and immense physical size. The risks of adopting such an unbalanced, high-calorie or restrictive diet for the general public are significant, including potential heart problems, nutrient deficiencies, and digestive issues. For general nutritional guidance, athletes are often advised to follow a balanced macro approach with a variety of nutritious foods.
Conclusion Eddie Hall's daily diet is a dynamic element of his professional evolution. From the gluttonous, calorie-fueled mountain of his strongman days to the disciplined, meat-focused regimen of his latest career phase, his eating habits mirror his training goals. While the quantity and composition of his food may seem impossible to the average person, it is a precisely calculated system designed to achieve a very specific performance outcome. The underlying principle, however, remains consistent: relentless dedication to his nutritional program to support his extraordinary athletic aspirations.