For dinner, she never dined out. Instead of opting for the best restaurant in town, she'd stop at a market near her hotel for steak, liver, or lamb chops, which she'd broil herself using an electric oven. On the side, she'd eat raw carrots. And when she wanted to treat herself, it was all about an ice cream sundae.
“Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops or some liver, which I broil in the electric oven in my room. I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat, and that is all. I must be part rabbit; I never get bored with raw carrots…
Indeed, Marilyn followed diets every now and then but she loved to cook.
While she was often portrayed as a bit of a ditz, Monroe was very intelligent and a massive bookworm! Over her lifetime, the blonde bombshell had a library of over 400 books. She would often travel to bookstores, read a random book and if she liked it, it was hers. Monroe considered reading her favourite hobby.
But Stover wrote in her book that Monroe would often eat half of a cup of boiled noodles with milk for lunch — without cheese. If not the noodle and milk duo, she'd opt for a baked or mashed potato or spaghetti, boiled with tomatoes and butter.
For dinner, she never dined out. Instead of opting for the best restaurant in town, she'd stop at a market near her hotel for steak, liver, or lamb chops, which she'd broil herself using an electric oven. On the side, she'd eat raw carrots. And when she wanted to treat herself, it was all about an ice cream sundae.
Her dinners were impressively high-protein
Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops or some liver, which I broil in the electric oven in my room. I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat, and that is all. I must be part rabbit; I never get bored with raw carrots.”
Glazed Carrots
Munch on these glazed baby carrots as a side dish or an anytime-of-day snack. Marilyn preferred her carrots raw, often dubbing herself a “rabbit.”
In addition to being a mega-talented actress, Marilyn was a whiz in the kitchen. She definitely consumed her fair share of proteins and decadent desserts. Among her favorite foods were steak, liver, lamb, hot dogs, and hamburgers.
On KUOW's The Beat, Megan Sukys and Elizabeth Austen listen to Madeline DeFrees read “To Marilyn Monroe Whose Favorite Color Was White” and discuss the poem.
As per the regime, Marilyn Monroe was not to eat any kind of nuts, chocolate, olives, oysters or clams or foods high in salt. New York City's Makeup Museum recently unearthed an artefact revealing Hollywood sensation Marilyn Monroe's diet and beauty regime.
Trivial details may help humanize larger-than-life personalities, but does knowing Marilyn Monroe snacked on gazpacho, veal parmesan, meatballs and taco dip as her last meal make her seem that much more human?
Marilyn Monroe
Died: August 5, 1962 in Los Angeles, CA Last meal: Marilyn Monroe's last meal was, like the actress herself, opulent. The movie star ate stuffed mushrooms and meatballs while drinking Dom Perignon, reports The National Post.
As it was handmade for Marilyn, this dress certainly provides an exact representation of Marilyn's physical form. At this point in her life, Marilyn was at her heaviest, with some speculating she weighed nearly 140lbs. Even still, when displayed on the dress form, her waist measured an astonishing 28.5 inches.
Fresh bread was apparently a no-no.
Alongside her noodles with milk, Monroe also frequently enjoyed a slice of stale toast with lunch, according to Stover.
She was a natural blonde
Monroe's iconic platinum blonde locks were bottle-born, like many other stars' at the time. For women hoping to make a name for themselves in the film industry in the 1940s, blonde was considered the most versatile hair color.
A carb-heavy lunch at 1pm, including a boiled egg, potato, spaghetti or noodles with bread or toast and cooked fruit or jello. And finally, a protein-based dinner at 6.30pm, with a choice of lean beef, chicken, lamb, sweetbread, chicken liver or fish and perhaps most surprisingly eggnog at 11pm.
Her morning breakfast routine: a glass of warm milk with two raw eggs beaten into it. This was followed by a multi-vitamin. "I doubt if any doctor could recommend a more nourishing breakfast for a working girl in a hurry,'' Marilyn said of what is, nowadays, considered an uncommon breakfast.
Marilyn Monroe famously told interviewers that she wore Chanel No. 5 to bed (and nothing else), but it wasn't her only favorite.
But, she was also known for her love of dogs. Though she also once owned a cat and a parakeet, Monroe seemed to always have a pup at her side. Among her beloved pack of canines was a French poodle given to her by pal Frank Sinatra and dubbed Maf, which was reportedly short for Mafia.
A woman who enjoyed her sleep, Monroe took between five and 10 hours of shut-eye a night in a wide single bed. On Sunday? “[It's] my one day of total leisure. I sometimes take two hours to wake up, luxuriating in every last moment of drowsiness,” she said in an interview with Pageant magazine.
Monroe's intelligence carried over to her beauty regimen. When it comes to wellness, Monroe was often ahead of her time. She favored dry shampoo—baby powder on her roots every two days—and often spoke of her disdain for excessive sun-bathing, citing skin damage.
Since Marilyn Monroe had dry skin, Lazlo prescribed her a rigorous skincare regimen, which began with an oil cleanse using the Erno Laszlo Active Phelityl Oil, followed by Active Phelityl Cream. After rinsing, she finished her routine with the Controlling Lotion. FYI: these skincare products are still available today.
It's said that Marilyn used to add 2 drops of her favorite perfume in her water-bath. Moreover, she didn't forget to apply moisturizing creams on her body and face after bathing, to keep her skin hydrated. If you can, take a hot bath, or also a shower, before going to sleep.
1. Hotel Roosevelt. This classic hotel has hosted stars like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, and Clark Gable, just to name a few. The hotel was Marilyn Monroe's home in the '50s and she often stayed the suite just above the pool area, which is now known the Tropicana Bar.