The Margaret Thatcher Mayo Clinic Diet

If there’s any piece of information that interests me from the publication of the thousands of personal papers from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, it is her pre-premiership crash diet.

It was revealed for the first time that for two weeks in the run-up to her historic win as Britain’s first female prime minister, the self-styled Iron Lady stuck religiously to a diet which comprised 28 eggs a week (that works out to be 4 eggs a day), steak, salad & whisky. She also made it a point to tick off every item on a typed sheet of paper kept tucked in a pocket sleeve of her personal diary. This was done to ensure she was on track to lose 20lbs to help her look her best when she became prime minister. 

Taking a leaf from the Mayo Clinic diet (the predecessor of today’s famed Atkins diet), Ms Thatcher knows the importance of grooming herself. Grooming is more than just wearing the most fashionable brands in town or knowing the different designers. It is more than that. Grooming is in fact a subtle combination of both the outside and inside. What the Iron Lady was doing was to get her internal systems in tip-top condition. I salute her!  

Doing a quick internet search, this was what I found with regard to the Mayo Clinic diet. Any Margaret Thatchers in the making?

Breakfast

1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
2 Eggs (any style)
2 Slices Bacon

Lunch

1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount)
Salad (any kind of dressing)

Dinner

1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount) – fish may be substituted for meat
Vegetables (any green, yellow or red vegetable cooked in butter or any seasoning)

Bed Time Snack 

1 glass tomato juice or 1 glass Skim milk

Vegetables Allowed

Red onions, green onions, bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peas

Vegetables to Avoid

White onions, potatoes, celery