Meghan Markle's diet: what does the Duchess of Sussex eat every day?

There's no denying that the Duchess of Sussex always looks incredible - whether she's stepping out in full glamour for a royal engagement, or is being pictured emerging from a yoga class.

Meghan Markle has always had an enviably slim figure - even before meeting her future husband, Prince Harry.

But for Meghan, a healthy diet has always been as much about feeling good as it has been about looking good.

And food isn't simply fuel for the Duchess. She's well known to be a foodie, and loves nothing more than an evening spent in her kitchen rustling up some tasty, wholesome meals.

In an interview with Best Health before becoming a royal, she confessed, "I love to cook. My mom was also a travel agent, so with the exposure to different cultures and different flavours and with LA being such a melting pot – much like Toronto – I think that all developed my fascination [for food]."

So what exactly is the Meghan Markle diet like?

Meghan Markle's diet: what does the Duchess eat in a day?

She's a huge fan of fresh, local produce and eats it as much as possible

Before Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry was announced, she was often pictured shopping at the food markets in Kensington.

But this love of simple fresh food has been ingrained in her for a while.

In an interview with blog EyeSwoon, she admitted that her Californian upbringing has influenced how she eats. "We are so spoiled with our produce there, and my love of simple ingredients prepped well is completely linked to that," she said. "Acai bowls, green juices, chopped salads, perfect sushi, grilled fish tacos. Those are all things that make me think of home."

Meghan fuels her body with healthy - mostly vegan - food during the week

When the Duchess was filming her US tv show Suits, she explained that she prefered to stick to a cleaner diet than she might at the weekends.

Speaking to Delish magazine, Meghan explained that she'd often start her day with a hot water and lemon, before tucking into some steel-cut oats with banana and agave syrup for breakfast. If not, it's avocado on toast or a cheese omlette with herbs.

Then, for lunch, she would enjoy a salad with some sort of protein, and perhaps a snack of an apple and peanut butter later in the afternoon. Or, she'll whip up an easy quinoa and veggies dish. Meghan described, "At the start of each week, I generally cook a box of quinoa, and while it's simmering, I sauté onions, garlic and any veggies I have on hand in a separate pan," she told Today.

Meghan revealed that a green juice is also her ideal afternoon pick-me-up too. She said, "Green juice is a food-as-medicine philosophy for me,

"It's easy to fall into the trap of rushing for a coffee when you hit that 4 p.m. slump. But if I blend some apple, kale, spinach, lemon, and ginger in my Vitamix in the morning and bring it to work, I always find that sipping on that is a much better boost than a cup of espresso."

MORE: 11 times Kate Middleton and Prince William broke the royal rule book

She is keen to share though that while her normal diet is healthy, she never wants to feel deprived. Speaking to Best Health, Meghan said, "I try to eat vegan during the week and then have a little bit more flexibility with what I dig into on the weekends,

"But at the same time, it's all about balance. Because I work out the way I do, I don't ever want to feel deprived. I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. It's not a diet; it's lifestyle eating."

Home cooking is her favourite

You might imagine that a celebrity like Meghan would enjoy eating lavish meals out as much as possible - but it seems as though the Duchess enjoys creating her own meals in the kitchen more.

For the Duchess of Sussex, one of her go-to dishes is a creamy cacio e pepe type pasta, that's actually pretty healthy! She explained to Eyeswoon that she slow-cooks zucchini (or courgette, to us Brits), for four or five hours before adding it to pasta with tons of parmesan cheese. "The sauce gets so creamy, you'd swear there's tons of butter and oil in it, but it's just zucchini, water and a little bouillon," Meghan confessed.

Another of her favourite dinners to whip up at home is a roast chicken. Sharing her secret with Good Housekeeping, Meghan said, "There is nothing as delicious (or as impressive) as a perfectly roasted chicken. If you have an Ina Garten–level roasted-chicken recipe, it's a game changer. I bring that to dinner parties and make a lot of friends." Of course, this is exactly what she and Prince Harry were making when he decided to pop the question back in 2017 - so it clearly works!

But she loves a treat every so often - especially a glass of wine

For the Duchess of Sussex, it's not all about healthy eating though - she knows the importance of the occasional treat to keep us sane.

In interview before becoming a royal, Meghan wasn't afraid to admit that she loves to indulge in treats every now and then - from chips to pasta.

She said, "On hiatus, all bets are off. French fries – I could eat French fries all day. And I love pasta. I love carbs – who doesn’t love a carbohydrate?

"I'm always hoping I'm having lunch with people, so we can share fries. It's its own food group for me,"

The Duchess also admitted her preference for one of Canada's most famous national dishes - poutine, made up of chips (fries), gravy and cheese curds. "It's got to squeak when you bite into it. Really. The cheese curds should make a squeaking noise when you bite into them or squeeze them. That's how you know you've got the right kind," she said.

MORE: What are the royal family's favourite foods?

Meghan also made clear that she'll rarely pass up on a glass of wine - not letting her healthy diet and lifestyle stop her from enjoying what she loves. "Of course I’m going to have that glass of wine – it’s delicious and I enjoy it. Do the things you enjoy within reason. Know your body and what works for you and you’ll be fine."

In fact, her former lifestyle blog, The Tig, was inspired by her discovery of Tignanello red wine!

And she's not averse to simple ready meals too. In fact, she loves a certain microwave mac and cheese. "I now buy the Annie’s organic one if I’m craving it, but I throw some frozen peas into it and have this gooey, simple, childlike meal," Meghan told EyeSwoon.