Eating like a gladiator: Short video

[guy]

 

Above is a short video by the talented Max Miller explaining a gladiator diet. Below is an older post that explores the gladiator diet in more detail.

 

 

Edited March 8 by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

With no means of refrigeration and salting or smoking to preserve meat a time consuming process, in Roman times, eating meat was a rare treat. Animals were only harvested when the whole thing was to be consumed immediately, like at banquets following sacrifices at religious rites....therefore plant material that could be easily stored, like grains, legumes, nuts & olives provided most of the Roman diet....

...the problem with that is that plant sources are not very nutrient dense. Eg- it takes ~3000 calories worth of beans, rice & corn (maize) to provide a normal 60 gm of complete protein each day, while just 500 cal of beef provides the same protein.

The average Roman was only about 5'6" tall and Caesar famously had to give his troops a Rockne-style pep talk before their first encounter with the Germans who stood 6 ft tall. He prescribed their diet as consisting of nothing but meat, fish & cheese, and they did almost no cultivated of crops.

Hollywood depicts gladiators as muscle bound body builders, but in fact, they probably were pretty scrawny by today's standards. 

[caesar novus]

7 hours ago, guidoLaMoto said:

Hollywood depicts gladiators as muscle bound body builders, but in fact, they probably were pretty scrawny by today's standards.