The late Queen Elizabeth II was known to have a simple, healthy diet
This past Monday (April 21) marked what would have been the 99th birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and Royal enthusiasts across the nation are commemorating the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.
As tributes pour in, we take a moment to reflect on her preferred simple two-ingredient lunch, which featured one of the world’s healthiest vegetables. It’s even been suggested that this meal contributed to her radiant and vigorous appearance throughout her 90s.
While many in Britain might opt for carb-heavy options like pasta for lunch, the Queen was known for her lighter, more wholesome midday meals, as revealed by former Royal chefs.
Her lunchtime choice often included Grilled Dover sole on a bed of wilted spinach or courgette. Darren McGrady, who had the honour of cooking for royalty, remarked: “But the Queen never was a foodie. She always ate to live rather than live to eat. Prince Philip was the foodie.”
“He’d want to try any new dishes all the time and got excited about new ingredients, whereas the Queen, if we had a new recipe, she’d have to look at the whole recipe before saying, ‘Yes ok let’s try it’. But for the most part she stuck to the same dishes week in week out.”
During his four years at Kensington Palace, Darren noted that Queen Elizabeth had a particular liking for fillet steak with a mushroom whiskey sauce for dinner, especially when served with venison, the chef added.
Her lunch selection, Grilled Dover sole on a bed of wilted spinach, is not only low in fat but also brimming with protein and packed with nutrients such as vitamin D and B-12. Darren also revealed on his website: “Queen Elizabeth enjoyed new potatoes and spinach with her fish.”
Why is spinach so healthy?
Having established the late Queen’s fondness for spinach, it’s worth delving into why this leafy green is deemed so beneficial. The BBC compiled a list of the world’s top 100 healthiest foods, placing frozen spinach at number 24.
Spinach is loaded with magnesium, folate, vitamin A, beta carotene, and zeaxanthin, with freezing serving to preserve these valuable nutrients. Surrey Live reports that spinach is also rich in vitamin K, crucial for bone health and blood clotting, as well as vitamin A, essential for vision and immune function, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Contrary to popular belief, fresh spinach isn’t always superior; nutrients can decrease during transport and storage, as discovered by research from Pennsylvania State University. Another study showed that spinach could lose up to 75 percent of its vitamin C within a week, hence the practice of freezing it shortly after harvest to maintain its nutritional value.
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of the health app Zoe, has even warned his Instagram followers against being “snobs” about frozen food.
Expert nutritionist Dr. Dominique Ludwig, a King’s College London alum, argued frozen food isn’t inferior to fresh produce. He said: “Like me, You probably always thought that fresh food is always the best option. Don’t be a snob when it comes to frozen foods or canned foods that can often be lifesavers.”
He explained: “An example here is frozen spinach, and actually the freezing process and the way it’s packed up means that those nutrients in spinach are perfectly preserved, so you don’t lose anything from buying the fresh product.”
Incorporating spinach into meals
Lifestyle expert Martha Stewart notes that spinach can be thawed overnight and easily added to pasta sauces, curries, or any preferred meals. The vegetable is also perfect for omelettes or an ideal ingredient in smoothies, owing to its mild taste and rich vitamin content.
Moreover, frozen spinach boasts a longer shelf life and higher nutritional value compared to its fresh alternative.
It’s also incredibly versatile – a frozen spinach cube can be used in numerous recipes, including quiches and frittatas.
Grilled Dover sole’s health benefits
The flatfish, in particular, has been praised for its nutrient-rich profile, comprising significant amounts of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Nutritionist Ludwig stresses the vital role of omega-3 fatty acids from fish in maintaining heart and brain health.
Dover Sole, has been highlighted by Nutrition And You as a low-calorie flatfish rich in essential fatty acids. According to research from Cornell University and the New York Sea Grant Extension Program, these nutrients play a crucial role in maintaining heart health by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and the risk of arrhythmias.
The GISSI Prevention Trial also found that consuming omega-3 fatty acids can significantly reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks, strokes, and sudden death in adults.
Tributes to the Queen
Marking what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 99th birthday, one person posted on X: “Today we remember Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been her 99th birthday. The greatest woman to walk the earth. Serving the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth her whole life.”
Another individual reflected: “Remembering Elizabeth II who was born 99 years ago today. It’s always sad when good people go – even at 96, like the Queen, or 88 like Pope Francis – who both continued to give service until the very end of their lives, driven by duty and sustained by deep faith.”
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, and her son King Charles succeeded her to the throne.
