Gordon Ramsay has said he lost more than a stone by swapping dairy for a common household staple. The celebrity chef and fitness enthusiast, known for his nutritious approach to food, has spoken about his preference for one continental ingredient in particular.
The Kitchen Nightmares star recently launched a new business: a premium extra-virgin olive oil brand called Krude. Its official website describes the product as “pure attitude in a can”, offering a “flavour that's impossible to ignore”.
Health benefits of olive oil
Olive oil is well known for its health benefits. It is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, but Ramsay claims it has helped him in another way.
Ramsay, who once worked as a private chef on a superyacht in his 20s, told Business Traveller: “I fell in love not just with those olive groves, but with what olive oil means in Italy. It’s like what Petrus means in Bordeaux.”
Cutting out dairy
He also claims that cutting out dairy in favour of olive oil helped him lose 20 pounds. “I feel incredibly healthy. I'll take a tablespoon of olive oil over five knobs of butter any day.”
A 2018 review found that olive oil-rich diets were associated with greater weight loss than those low in olive oil. It is also a key part of the Mediterranean diet, which research has repeatedly linked with healthier weight.
Ramsay's diet and discipline
Ramsay, who previously weighed 18 stone, is a keen endurance runner, taking part in marathons, ultra-marathons, and even Iron Man competitions. Speaking to Jason Fox from SAS: Who Dares Wins during a Men's Health feature two years ago, Ramsay pointed out that good food “doesn't have to be boring food”.
He said: “We have a protein shake in the morning, scrambled eggs for lunch, and then something poached for dinner, whether it's poached chicken or fish. We don't do lots of salads, but it's finding that balance.”
As for avoiding temptation in the kitchen, Ramsay takes a drastic approach. “The role of a chef today is way more prolific than it was 20-30 years ago and we need to be fit, we need to be smart, and we need to set that example to the team. We are super disciplined as well. I'll eat two mouthfuls of a delicious dish and then ignore it, and it's painful.”
“You sit there like a green-eyed monster desperate to devour that whole plate and I'll discipline myself to two mouthfuls, then I'll get out of that plate and it pains me because I know if I eat a fourth, fifth, or sixth mouthful, then that's it, it's game over.”
Ramsay appears in Rise of the Rockstar Chef on BBC Two on Thursday, November 5, from 9pm to 10pm.
