MNN - Mother Nature Network

Marilyn Monroe is a legend and is considered one of the most beautiful women who ever lived. She had a glamorous life in many ways, but she also had many personal demons to fight, including unhappy marriages and love affairs.

 

With that in mind, I appreciated this light-hearted article in which she shared her workout routine and eating habits at the time. I found her breakfast interesting. This is what she has to say about it:

 

"Breakfast: I’ve been told that my eating habits are absolutely bizarre, but I don’t think so. Before I take my morning shower, I start warming a cup of milk on the hot plate I keep in my hotel room. When it’s hot, I break two raw eggs into the milk, whip them up with a fork, and drink them while I’m dressing. I supplement this with a multi-vitamin pill, and I doubt if any doctor could recommend a more nourishing breakfast for a working girl in a hurry."

 

I was curious how nutrient-dense this breakfast was. Using Nutritiondata.self.com, I found that the eggs alone gave her morning drink 12.6 grams of protein, plus an array of other vitamins and minerals (they are a good source of riboflavin, vitamin B 12, and phosphorus, and a very good source of selenium). A cup of whole milk (considering this article was written in the early 1950s, I am assuming the milk was whole) gives another 7.9 grams of protein, as well as vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B 12, calcium and phosphorus. You end up with a drink with a whopping 20 grams of protein, plus other important minerals and vitamins.

 

Compare this to a serving of cornflakes, which only adds 1.8 grams of protein. I’ll take eggs over cornflakes for a protein-rich breakfast!

 

If her breakfast drink sounds strange to you, consider it unsweetened eggnog or that a similar drink was recommended to pregnant women around that same time period. I have been off of dairy, as it bothers me some, but I’ve had homemade “eggnog” in the past made with whole, raw milk, and pastured (real free-range) raw eggs, with a little bit of nutmeg and vanilla, and it was delicious! Raw milk tastes sweeter, so doesn’t need any sweetener in my opinion. Without the nutmeg and vanilla, I am sure my eggnog tasted a lot like Marilyn’s breakfast.

 

I agree with Marilyn Monroe that it is hard to think of a more nourishing breakfast for a “working girl in a hurry.” What do you think? Was her breakfast was “bizarre” or “nourishing”?