Hafthor “Thor” Bjornsson is one of the biggest names in strongman competition. This is a breakdown of the diet required to maintain his strength and physique.
Thor Bjornsson was crowned World’s Strongest Man in 2018, beating out top competition. Additionally, he is perhaps best known for his role as “The Mountain” in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Clearly, he is a gigantic human, and incredibly powerful, despite his lean nature.
Subsequently his diet must be very strict and deliberate. Thor takes extreme care in what nutrients and foods go into his body. Therefore many people have wanted to know what exactly makes up his daily diet. Well, his nutrition coach Stan Efferding has decided to shed some light on what makes up this big man’s big diet.
Efferding explained that Thor typically consumes around 8,000-10,000 calories a day. This diet is referred to as the Vertical Diet, and it is what gives Thor Bjornsson the energy to make it through the day. In this interview, Efferding breaks down what Thor does eat, and does not eat, along with why these are critical.
Watch the video below
Here is the Part 2
A very important part of The Vertical Diet is consuming macronutrients. Additionally, Thor mostly mostly consumes his calories in the form of carbohydrates. The Vertical Diet adjusts the amounts of fats and proteins based on the individual’s bodyweight. Then the rest of the diet is made up of carbs.
This is a breakdown of how the macros are divided.
- Protein: ~1g per lb
- Fat: ~0.3g per lb
- Carbohydrates: Remaining Calories
According to Efferding, in the case of Thor, he eats over 1,000g of carbs. However, he is very careful about where he gets his carbs, with the majority coming from white rice. His protein usually is made up of red meats (beef, venison, etc), eggs, and fatty fish. Additionally, Thor gets most of his macros out of fresh fruits.
Micronutrients are also a very important part of Thor’s diet. He utilizes whole eggs to help with his liver health, while drinking whole milk to help with blood pressure. Moreover, Thor gets magnesium from leafy greens, to aide in recovery. He also produces energy, with the help of sodium and potassium.
What about the foods that Thor Bjornsson avoids?
Thor Bjornsson’s diet is different than a lot of high-level athletes in many ways. When it comes to foods, he avoids a lot of things that are common among the diets of athletes. Here is a list of some of the things that he works to avoid:
- Oats
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Bread
- Brown rice
- Legumes
- Onions
- Garlic
According to Efferding, the reason he has Thor avoid these foods, is for digestion. Apparently, these things are less conducive to aiding in digestion, as opposed to foods like white rice. They try to watch out for high Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols (FODMAP) foods. These carbohydrates are resistant in digestion, which can lead to health problems.
Additionally, Thor Bjornsson looks to avoid vegetables with high amounts of raffinose. This is a type of sugar that is also resistant to digestion. More than that, Efferding says they affect iodine uptake, which can lead to serious health concerns. For an athlete working as hard as Bjornsson, it can result in thyroid and metabolism problems.
Overall, Stan Efferding believes that the Vertical Diet is responsible for making Thor Bjornsson a healthy and powerful athlete. If this diet is what leads him to such impressive feats, then it seems hard to argue with.
