The One Meal King Charles Refused To Eat Every Day

The royal family's lives are filled with rigid schedules and strict traditions that date back centuries. However, King Charles isn't a stranger to going against the grain, at least as far as the royals go. He cares deeply about environmental conservation, goes dairy-free one day per week, and eats a vegetarian diet two days per week to reduce his environmental impact. He's made headlines in the past for the controversial luxury food he won't eat, but the really distinguishing part of his diet was his decades-long habit of skipping lunch.

King Charles is an incredibly health-conscious individual who maintains a rigorous and well-balanced diet. The monarch also unsurprisingly leads a busy life and has long considered lunch to be a luxury that didn't fit into his schedule. Instead, he used to make do with a healthy breakfast that featured foods like dried fruit, salad, seeds, tea, and eggs. This used to be enough to get him through until dinner. (His mother, Queen Elizabeth, practiced similar self-control; her guilty pleasure was a bunless venison burger.) It wasn't until 2024 that King Charles introduced lunch into his daily life. The word lunch may be an overstatement, however, as the king generally consumes just half an avocado between breakfast and supper to keep himself satiated.

The decision to add half an avocado to his daily routine wasn't one King Charles made lightly. In February 2024, it was announced to the public that the king had been diagnosed with cancer. The king was soon encouraged by his aides and his wife, Queen Camilla, to start eating lunch as a means to keep up his strength during his cancer treatment. Grudgingly, he agreed.

While the snack-sized lunch may seem minuscule to the average person, it's a great choice for adding more nutritional value to the king's day. Avocados are a good source of vitamins and nutrients. They're high in magnesium, potassium, fiber, and healthy fat. Among their many benefits, avocados may help maintain blood sugar levels, aid in natural detoxification, and maintain heart health. Because of these benefits, eating half an avocado every now and again is a habit non-royals can and should take up too. Before you start this habit, however, make sure you know how to pick out the best avocados at the store.