What Kind of Diet Was John Lennon On?

January 6, 2026 •

4 min read

According to Beatles historian Steve Bradley, John Lennon’s diet fluctuated throughout his life, reflecting his ever-changing interests and lifestyle. While he dabbled in vegetarianism and adopted a macrobiotic diet later in life, he never fully abandoned his love for simple British comfort foods and had a conflicted relationship with eating.

Quick Summary

John Lennon’s eating habits evolved from classic British fare to experimental macrobiotic and vegetarian phases, influenced by Yoko Ono. He had a deep-seated fear of getting fat despite enjoying comfort foods and a fondness for sweets throughout his life.

Key Points

Evolving Tastes: John Lennon's diet changed significantly over his life, moving from traditional British food to more experimental health-conscious diets influenced by new philosophies.
Macrobiotic Phase: Later in his life, particularly in the mid-1970s with Yoko Ono, Lennon adopted a macrobiotic diet focused on whole grains, vegetables, fish, and locally sourced foods.
Never Strictly Vegetarian: While he experimented with vegetarianism for periods, especially in the late 1960s, he never fully committed and often reverted to eating meat, especially during his "Lost Weekend".
Love for Comfort Food: He retained a lifelong affection for simple British comfort foods from his childhood, such as cornflakes with cream, baked beans on toast, and a traditional English breakfast.
Struggle with Body Image: Lennon reportedly had a conflicted relationship with food, including a fear of gaining weight, and some sources suggest he engaged in unhealthy eating patterns at times.
A Sweet Tooth: He had a consistent weakness for sweets, particularly Cadbury's chocolate, which he would sometimes hide to eat in secret from Yoko Ono.
Final Meal: His very last meal, before his tragic death, was reportedly a corned beef sandwich, a departure from his more regimented late-life diet.

John Lennon's Early Years and Comfort Foods

Born and raised in Liverpool, John Lennon's earliest diet was rooted in traditional working-class British cuisine. Meals were simple and hearty, a stark contrast to his later dietary experimentation.

Classic British Dishes: Staple meals from his childhood included dishes like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and the classic full English breakfast with sausages and bacon.
Childhood Favorites: A personal lifelong comfort food was cornflakes with heavy cream.
A Sweet Tooth: Despite later efforts toward healthier eating, Lennon always maintained a well-known weakness for chocolate, particularly Cadbury's. He would sometimes hide sweets to indulge himself.

The Shift Toward Vegetarianism and Macrobiotics

In the mid-to-late 1960s, Lennon's interests in Eastern philosophy, meditation, and a healthier lifestyle—influenced by Yoko Ono and other Beatles like George Harrison—led him to experiment with more restrictive diets.

Experiments in the Late 60s and Early 70s

During the Beatles' retreat with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968, Lennon began exploring vegetarianism, a practice his bandmates adopted more consistently. This was a period of intense curiosity and experimentation with new ideas and lifestyles.

Ten-Day Rice Diet: For a short period, Lennon went on a diet of only rice for ten days, a cleansing ritual inspired by Buddhism. The experience was so intense that he reportedly felt incredible pleasure upon breaking the fast with a curry and a milkshake.
Vegan Periods: With Yoko Ono, Lennon would enter strict health-conscious phases. He would focus on natural, organic foods and often went through periods of vegetarianism or veganism, eliminating meat, dairy, and sugar.
Fasting and Detox: The couple also explored fasting and detox regimens, including a liquid-only diet of blended fruits and vegetable juices.

The Macrobiotic Lifestyle

In his final years, after reconciling with Yoko Ono following his "Lost Weekend," Lennon adopted a predominantly macrobiotic diet. The macrobiotic diet, rooted in Zen Buddhism, emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, and other natural foods to achieve balance.

The Macrobiotic Core Principles

Whole Grains: Brown rice was a central component, often comprising about half the food intake.
Locally-Sourced Produce: A focus on fresh, organic, locally-grown vegetables that were in season.
Seafood and Soups: Limited amounts of white fish were included, as well as soups made with vegetables, seaweed, and fermented soy products.
Avoidance of Processed Food: The diet strictly prohibited processed foods, refined sugars, and chemical additives.

The "Lost Weekend" and Final Years

John Lennon's well-documented "Lost Weekend" in the mid-70s saw a return to less disciplined eating habits, indulging in fast food and traditional English fare. After returning to Yoko, he resumed a healthier, macrobiotic-leaning lifestyle, though he still had occasional culinary weaknesses.


Dietary Period	Signature Foods	Key Influences	Consistency
Early Beatles (Pre-1965)	English breakfast, fish and chips, cornflakes with cream	Aunt Mimi's traditional home cooking	High
Mid-to-Late Beatles (1965-1969)	Vegetarian dishes, Indian cuisine, rice-only fasts	George Harrison, Eastern philosophy, Maharishi	Low (experimental)
Early 1970s	Vegetarian, occasional fish, whole grains, detox liquids	Yoko Ono, spiritual searching	Medium (fluctuating)
"Lost Weekend" (1973-1974)	Full English breakfast, steak sandwiches, Burger King	May Pang, hedonistic lifestyle	Low (unhealthy indulgence)
Final Years (1975-1980)	Macrobiotic diet (brown rice, fish, vegetables), Japanese food	Yoko Ono, settled family life	High (occasional treats)

The Obsession with Weight

Sources close to Lennon, including his former assistant Fred Seaman, noted an ongoing and sometimes unhealthy obsession with his weight and body image. The pressure to remain thin, especially during the height of the Beatles' fame, affected his eating habits. This fear of getting fat led to extreme behaviors like hiding food from Yoko and later, according to some accounts, purging. This complex relationship with food underscored a deeper struggle with his body and self-esteem.

Conclusion

What kind of diet was John Lennon on? The answer is not a single one, but a complex, evolving dietary journey mirroring his spiritual and personal growth. His diet shifted from the comforting familiarity of his Liverpool upbringing to a series of experimental phases influenced by counter-culture, Eastern philosophy, and his relationship with Yoko Ono. While he adopted a structured macrobiotic diet later in life, he was never dogmatic, always retaining a fondness for his simple, sweet, and comforting indulgences. In the end, Lennon's diet was a reflection of his personality—a restless, searching, and occasionally contradictory exploration of a life lived in the public eye.

The Macrobiotic Diet: Principles and Practice

The macrobiotic diet emphasizes balance and can be tailored to individual needs, focusing heavily on whole grains and locally sourced vegetables. For more information on the principles behind this lifestyle, see this comprehensive overview from Cancer Research UK.(https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/macrobiotic)

A Complex Relationship with Food

Lennon’s eating habits were also influenced by his complicated relationship with food, including a reported fear of gaining weight and a tendency to engage in binge and purge cycles at certain times during his life. This aspect of his life reveals a vulnerability hidden behind his public persona.

Frequently Asked Questions

John Lennon was not a consistent, full-time vegetarian. He experimented with vegetarianism during various phases of his life, especially under the influence of Eastern philosophies in the late 1960s, but he would also revert to eating meat and fish at other times.

A macrobiotic diet is a restrictive eating plan based on Zen Buddhism that aims to balance yin and yang foods. It typically emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, and pulses, and sometimes includes white fish, while limiting animal products and processed foods.

Yes, Yoko Ono significantly influenced John Lennon's diet, particularly during their time together. She encouraged a more health-conscious lifestyle, which included experiments with macrobiotics, fasting, and vegetarianism.

Sources suggest John Lennon had a conflicted relationship with food and was often concerned about his weight. He reportedly feared getting fat and engaged in extreme dietary behaviors and even purging at certain points in his life.

Despite his experimentation with healthy diets, John Lennon's favorite comfort foods included simple British fare like fish and chips, beans on toast, and a lifelong love for cornflakes with heavy cream.

Yes, during his time apart from Yoko Ono in the mid-1970s, often referred to as the "Lost Weekend," John Lennon indulged in his cravings for comfort foods, including a full English breakfast with sausages and bacon.

John Lennon's final meal on December 8, 1980, was a simple corned beef sandwich, which he ate at the Record Plant studio before heading home.