Clint Eastwood has owned the big screen for decades, blowing people away with starring roles in big hits like Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby and Dirty Harry. While the 94-year-old actor is known for his gritty characters in movies, he’s apparently pretty tough in his day-to-day life, too.
Eastwood’s son, actor Scott Eastwood, opened up about his dad’s health habits in an interview with Men’s Health, and they’re no joke. It turns out that the legendary actor’s go-to breakfast is intense.
“My dad does not eat for pleasure,” Scott told the magazine. “He eats salmon and brown rice for breakfast.” Scott also said that his father is a “machine” about exercise. “He showed me how to lift when I was 14 or 15—he told me what to do, gave me some advice, then left me to do it on my own.”
But while Clint’s breakfast is intense, Scott said he understands where his dad is coming from. “I guess I’m the same way. If I could take a pill that gave me all the right nutrients so I could give up food, I would.”
What Makes Clint Eastwood’s Breakfast So Special?
While the breakfast Clint Eastwood loves is untraditional, it’s packed with nutrients. A 3-ounce serving of salmon packs in nearly 17 grams of protein and plenty of nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Meanwhile, a half-cup serving of brown rice has more than 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. Basically, he’s jamming a lot of nutrition onto one plate.
How to Make Clint Eastwood’s Signature Breakfast
It’s not hard to make Clint’s go-to breakfast. If you have a choice, pick wild over farmed salmon. While your brown rice steams, season the salmon with salt and pepper and sear it on both sides in a hot pan until the inside is opaque. You should be able to “flake” the filet, causing the fish to easily separate when you push a fork into it.
If you want to go hardcore Eastwood style, you can simply eat your basic rice and salmon and call it a day. But if you want to kick the nutritional quality up a notch, try adding a side of sautéed spinach or broccoli to get some greens in there. You can even add a little butter and salt to your rice for a richer flavor, and consider adding some garlic and a squeeze of lemon to your fish.
If fish for breakfast just isn’t your thing, you can enjoy this healthy meal any time of day. But if you want to get the full Clint Eastwood breakfast experience, well, you know what to do.