Babe Ruth is arguably one of the most recognizable names in baseball, possibly even in sport. The New York Yankees star made his name driving balls out of Yankee Stadium and remains of note even in 2022. Voted to the Hall of Fame in 1936 as one of its first 5 inductees, the man clearly had something about him. And so did his breakfast table. The Sultan of Swat was a big influence on the game. He is in fact credited with making baseball more palatable to the public. Babe Ruth made the game a more entertaining proposition than the game of strategy it used to be. Almost fully attributed to his power-hitting, the man was at the peak of his athletic performance, and all with an enviable diet.
The Breakfast of Champions: A Glimpse into a Different Era
In a world of athlete diets and extreme policing of nutrition, these stories get fewer and farther in between. But perhaps the 20th century was a different time. Babe Ruth’s career through the 1920s was easily part of any baseball fan’s highlight reel. And so possibly was his diet regime.
George Herman Ruth reportedly had a quart of bourbon and ginger ale during breakfast, perhaps to take away from the edge of having just eaten steak, up to a dozen eggs, and potatoes every morning. Talk about carb loading.
His career started on the Boston Red Sox, but after a fateful trade, which saw him swap Fenway Park for Yankee Stadium, Ruth gained notoriety in the Bronx for dispatching pitchers past the boundary wall.
Ruth is one of the most decorated athletes of all time. In his 15 years in the Bronx, his New York Yankees won 7 American League Pennants and 4 World Series Titles. Even individually, Ruth never took the back seat. In his career as a pinstripe, he led the AL in home runs 12 times, including his record-setting 60 in 1927, a mark that stood for 34 years.
Read also: Weight Loss for Women Over 40
With sports nutrition fast becoming integral to athletes worldwide, it seems out of sorts to consider. But there was once a world where athletes chose what to eat and when, without considering a nutritionist or a dietician. And it led to some pretty clear results.
No one can really disparage Babe Ruth’s record, but the fact remains that the nature of his diet couldn’t have been his healthiest alternative. Babe Ruth is a former baseball legend with an exceptionally unconventional eating routine compared to what athletes consume today. Babe Ruth’s diet includes loads of protein-rich foods, red meat, potatoes, and alcohol.
Unveiling Babe Ruth's Diet
George Herman “Babe” Ruth (February 6, 1895 - August 16, 1948), the legendary American baseball player from the early to mid-20th century, was known for his exceptional athletic abilities, for which he was called the “Sultan of Swat”. But baseball was not the only thing he was famous for. He also had a special diet to give him the physical strength he needed for the game, which is named Babe Ruth’s diet after him.
The details about his diet are not well-documented or easily accessible, but we know one thing for sure: during Babe Ruth's era, nutrition information and dietary practices were not as widely emphasized or studied as they are today. So, the information available may not be entirely accurate, and there could be some level of speculation or myth associated with it.
As you may know, playing baseball needs high levels of energy, physical fitness, and powerful muscles. Babe Ruth's diet was legendary for its excess. As nutrition science has evolved in recent years, our views toward nutrients and macronutrients have changed. But back in the 20th century, people had different views.
Read also: The Legacy of Style Icon Babe Paley
Here are some of the main foods on Babe Ruth's diet:
- Large Appetite: Ruth was often reported to have a hearty appetite, and he was known for consuming huge amounts of food.
- Hot Dogs and Soda: One popular story suggests that Babe Ruth was a fan of hot dogs and would often eat them before games. There are also anecdotes about him enjoying soda.
- Steak and Potatoes: Like many athletes of his time, Ruth consumed a diet that included large amounts of protein-rich foods, such as steak and potatoes.
- Alcohol: Ruth was known to enjoy alcoholic beverages, which was not uncommon during his era when attitudes toward alcohol were different than they are today.
One of the most famous and interesting parts of his diet was the huge breakfast, which was enough to feed a family! The story goes that Babe Ruth would start his day with a breakfast that included a considerable amount of food. Babe Ruth's diet was part of his larger-than-life persona.
A Typical Day of Eating
Here are the meals and snacks Babe Ruth generally consumed during the day after breakfast:
- Mid-Morning Snack: 2 Hot Dogs, 2 Coca-Colas
- Lunch: 2 Raw Steaks, 2 Orders of Potatoes, 1 Lettuce Head with Roquefort Dressing
- Mid-Day Snack: 2 Hot Dogs, 2 Coca-Colas
- Dinner: 2 Porterhouse Steaks (raw), 2 Cottage Fried Potatoes, 2 Lettuce Heads with Roquefort Dressing, 2 Orders of Apple Pie
- After Dinner Snack: Chocolate Ice Cream, Pickled Eels
That is why he could have enough energy to provide an eye-catching performance on the field.
The Impact on the Field: Fueling a Legend
Although Babe Ruth’s diet doesn’t completely make sense with our nutrition knowledge today, it helped him to have an extraordinary career and achieve remarkable success on the baseball field. Also, his impact on the game and his legacy as one of the greatest baseball players in history is attributed more to his incredible talent, athleticism, and contributions to the sport.
Read also: Reclaim Your Health with a Sugar Detox
Ruth had great achievements, such as record-setting home run totals and his role in transforming baseball into a power-hitting game. While Ruth's diet might not meet athletic nutrition standards today, his success emphasizes the complex relationship between diet and athletic achievement. Individual genetics, natural talent, training methods, and other factors also play significant roles.
Although this diet helped Babe Ruth, it is not what we can recommend today to athletes or people with lower physical activity, as it can cause different health problems.
The Dark Side of the Plate: Downsides of Babe Ruth's Diet
Babe Ruth's diet was known for indulgence and abundance, which can lead to various problems, including nutrient imbalance, weight gain, calorie problems, increased risk of cancer, kidney damage, heart disease, calcium loss, constipation, and diarrhea.
Nutrient Imbalance
Focusing on limited types of food increases the risk of nutrient deficiencies, as our body needs various nutrients from varying sources. Ruth's diet was anything but balanced.
Calorie Problems
The big portions and calorie-dense foods in Babe Ruth's diet could lead to weight gain, which can cause various diseases, including inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, etc. Reports show that his daily caloric intake was about 6,000 to 8,000 calories. It becomes surprising when we realize that an adult male's recommended daily calorie intake is about 2,500 to 3,000 calories!
Increased Risk of Cancer
Different studies show that consuming high-protein foods, especially red meat, in excess can increase the risk of cancer. Consuming too much red and/ or processed meat can also lead to colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.
Kidney Damage
Babe Ruth’s diet, with its excessive focus on protein intake, can cause kidney problems in individuals with preexisting kidney issues. The issues are raised due to the excess nitrogen content in the amino acids that form proteins. Damaged kidneys have difficulties excreting the extra nitrogen and waste products of protein metabolism. A 2018 study on the effects of dietary red meat, white meat, or non-meat protein on trimethylamine N-oxide metabolism and renal excretion indicated that chronic dietary red meat can decrease renal TMAO excretion and negatively impact kidney function.
Heart Disease
A 2020 study indicates that consuming high levels of protein can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases by activating macrophage mTOR to suppress mitophagy.
Calcium Loss
High-protein and high-meat diets may lead to calcium loss, which is linked to osteoporosis and poor bone health. A 2013 study on the effects of protein intake more than the recommended dietary allowance indicated that consuming too much protein can have negative effects on bone health.
Constipation
A 2021 study on the relationship between dietary factors and constipation found that high-calorie, high-protein foods can cause more constipation than grains, lipid-rich foods, total fats, and starch.
Diarrhea
A 2023 study on the effects of high[protein diets on intestines found that high-protein diets could change the structure of lactase-producing bacteria in the intestinal contents, leading to increased lactase-producing bacteria while reducing the richness of lactase-producing bacteria, which can cause and increase diarrhea.
Beyond the Plate: Unveiling Babe Ruth's Exercise Regimen
If you were a strength and conditioning coach in MLB in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a popular phrase by those who questioned the value of lifting weights in baseball was - “Babe Ruth never lifted weights,” and the only comeback was “imagine how much better he could have been if he had worked out.” Now, after decades of being told that “Babe Ruth never lifted weights, “we know that “The Babe”, did work out. In The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth (Broadway Books, 2006), Leigh Montville claims that exercise and discipline saved Babe's career. Exercise and discipline? Montville says that, although many people think the Babe was an out-of-shape slob, exercise and fitness played integral roles in his success on the diamond.
According to Montville - In the spring of 1925, the Babe had his infamous "Bellyache Heard 'Round the World", a mysterious ailment that hospitalized him at the beginning of the season. Some believe it was a combination of influenza, indigestion, and venereal disease. He was 30 years old, an age when his drinking, eating, and hard living could have ended his career.
The Babe, however, made a bold decision that might have saved his career. He hired a personal trainer to work with him during the off-season. He signed on with Artie McGovern, a charismatic former boxer who owned his own gym and trained some of the other stars of the day. McGovern employed all kinds of methods with Ruth from running, boxing, handball, sprints, medicine ball throws, and jumping rope, all with the focus on strengthening the Babe's core region. The hard work paid off.
Ruth was in the best shape of his career before the 1926 and 1927 seasons. He appeared in 152 games, hit .371 with 146 RBI and 47 HR in 1926. In 1927, he appeared in 151 games, recorded 192 hits, scored 158 runs, had 164 RBI, and hit .356 with 60 home runs. The Babe was back.
While working with McGovern, Babe went on an extended run from 1926 to 1932 (from the ages of 31 to 37) that propelled his career numbers to stratospheric heights. During these seven seasons, he averaged an incredible .353 with 49 home runs and 152 RBI at ages when most players were declining or retiring. The Babe still enjoyed drinking and overeating, but he dialed it back just enough during this time to keep playing at a high level. His second wife, Claire Hodgson, also helped reign in his ravenous appetites.
To answer those critics of yesteryear who were quick to say that the Babe didn’t work out, yes, he did. He wasn’t as fit or as disciplined as some of the current stars of the game, especially at the end of his career, but he wasn't an out-of-shape slob who got by on talent alone.