Inside Elvis Presley’s ‘disturbing’ diet that eventually turned lethal and added to death
Elvis Presley was known for his love of food, but his diet took a dark turn in his later years as he battled chronic constipation and his eating habits became more extreme.
Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, had a “disturbing” diet that eventually became deadly leading to his death in 1977.The legend died in 1977 while his fiancee at the time, Ginger Alden was asleep in the next room. Elvis had just finished playing racquetball with his cousins early that morning and was found alongside prescription painkillers and sleeping tablets
In his later years he suffered with unhealthy eating habits, leading to chronic constipation, likely because of the unusual foods he ate later in life. One of his favourite snacks was a peanut butter and banana sandwich, sometimes with added bacon.The King loved fried breakfasts, hot dogs, and fizzy drinks like Pepsi, Nesbitt’s Orange, and Shasta Black Cherry. He also enjoyed bologna with barbecue sauce, cheeseburgers, Spanish omelettes, and fried pickles.
Some say that Elvis would eat a coconut cake every night, a recipe he loved from his childhood when his mum Gladys used to make it.The cookbook Fit for a King reads: “Elvis was just wild about his mother’s coconut cake. “He drank a lot of milk, water and soda pop. On certain occasions, he preferred chocolate milk.”
Another added detail said: “Like many young girls her age, Priscilla Beaulieu was dying to meet Elvis Presley. Her first ‘date’ with Elvis was while he was stationed in Germany. “She went to his house for a home-cooked southern supper prepared by Elvis’s grandma Minnie Presley.” Elvis was well-known for giving regular Southern foods a unique twist, one of which was the Fool’s Gold Loaf – a recipe involving a hollowed-out sourdough loaf filled with a whole jar of jelly, an entire jar of peanut butter and a pound of bacon, served with fried pickles.
Gossip from the tabloids in the 60s even had it that Pepsi was delivered straight to Graceland in dedicated lorries to cater to Elvis’ sewing fad of consuming “several” cans with each meal.
Spanish omelettes were so popular with the King that he supposedly led to an egg shortage in Tennessee due to his consistent craving for them.
However, one of the most startling stories came when Elvis was admitted to the hospital with colon issues and pleaded with his chef Mary Jenkins to smuggle him food “disguised as clothes”.
In her book Elvis the Way I Knew Him, she shared that Elvis requested: “I want you to fix me some kraut and wiener sandwiches.” Sadly, Elvis died from a heart attack because he used too many drugs, ate too much unhealthy food, and had tummy troubles.
