This Is What Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Really Eats

Ever since he popped onto our television screens when we were younger and asked, "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?" in the wrestling ring, we've wondered ... what exactly is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson cooking? Beloved movie star and certified buff hottie Johnson has a body that won't quit. Considering how many action movies he's starred in, his adrenaline must be constantly pumping too. How does he stay so fit, and what does he have to eat to keep his muscles so huge and rippling and, well, dreamy? 

You might think that with his workout regime, he can eat whatever he wants whenever he wants. But it turns out it takes a lot of discipline (and an "in" at your local wholesale fish market) to eat like The Rock. There's some tasty payoff, though. If you can keep up with his rigid diet all week long, you have an epic cheat day meal ahead of you! Let's take a closer look at how Johnson really feeds his famous bod. 

The Rock may be a protein fiend, but he definitely doesn't shy away from carbs. When he was training for the movie Hercules, he tried out something called "The 12 Labors Diet" for 22 days. It calls for tons of protein and a cup of Nemean Lion blood each morning (which Johnson admitted was "optional"), but along with all that, 5.5 cups of white rice a day. 

Usually you hear fitness types talking about the evils of simple carbs like white rice, but The Rock is above all that. He needs his carbs, and he wants them in the form of light and fluffy white rice, thankyouverymuch! Not to mention he needs something to soak up all the delicious fish juice from the heaping piles of cod he consumes. That being said, if you're not a totally ripped action hero who works out a bazillion hours a day, you should probably stick to the USDA's recommendation of no more than 3-4 ounces of refined grains a day. 

One thing you may notice when looking at The Rock's average diet is that it's healthy. Like, super healthy, textbook healthy, Hulked-out bodybuilder healthy, not "Lean Cuisine and Organic Doritos" healthy. That means there are no sweets or foods with added sugars in any of his usual meals. The closest he'll get is sweet potatoes. Now, a sweet potato does taste relatively indulgent compared to, say, a plain baked potato or steamed broccoli, but it's certainly not enough to quell the yearning coming from a sweet tooth for something with a little sugar. The white rice he eats has some naturally occurring sugar too, but again, it's not exactly anyone's definition of a sweet treat. 

While the physical results of abstaining from sugar certainly show, it takes a lot of willpower to resist junk food and dessert for most of your life. That explains a lot about some of the cheat meals Johnson occasionally indulges in.

If there is one thing you must know about The Rock's diet, it's that he loves pancakes. It's honestly endearing how, time after time, he turns to banana and chocolate chip pancakes as his cheat day carb-up meal of choice. Like a Brooklynite at a hot new brunch spot, Johnson just can't help snapping a photo of these meals for Instagram, usually with his laptop open to Netflix in the background. Stars: they're just like us!  

Johnson often shares photos of these epic stacks along this bit of wisdom: "Don't cheat yourself, treat yourself." And treat himself he does, often eating more than five pancakes at a time, smearing them with peanut butter and a healthy dose of real maple syrup for good measure. 

Though he does speak of getting the "sugar sweats" after indulging in these massive pancake meals, he's always back at the gym and ready to replace pancakes with cod and rice the next day. If only giving up our own pancake obsession was so easy! 

The Rock eats a surprising amount of pretty much everything, but it's no surprise that he usually sticks to lean proteins throughout the day as a major part of his diet. But while everyone else is getting caught up in low-carb hysteria, it is a little shocking to learn that The Rock is coolly and calmly ingesting a ton of grains each and every day. In one sample diet of what he eats when cutting (trying to rapidly lose body fat while gaining lean muscle mass), it's apparent that Johnson is anything but carb-shy. This meal plan includes six servings of cream of rice or two cups of oatmeal, three rice cakes, one cup of grits, two cups of brown rice, and one cup of barley each and every day. 

His muscle-building diet is a little different, but it still includes grain. He'll eat up to two cups of oatmeal and six cups of rice when trying to bulk up. Eating like The Rock would definitely be hard, but at least you wouldn't have to give up carbs! 

When most of your diet consists of savory proteins, vegetables, and grains, it's a blessing to be able to have something even remotely approaching sweetness. That explains why The Rock eats so many sweet potatoes, making them a part of his daily diet whether he's bulking up or cutting down. He usually eats them baked, but when his family chef, Chef Evelyn, is in charge she'll cook up some baked sweet potato fries for a change. Johnson's not afraid to add his own touch, sprinkling on cinnamon and some liquid Stevia extract for extra calorie-free sweetness. 

Compared to his cheat day meals, baked sweet potato fries are definitely a modest indulgence. They're also really good for you, boasting tons of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in each serving. We've had sweet potato fries before, but we might just have to steal The Rock's trick of adding liquid Stevia extract to make them even more delicious the next time we decide they're on the menu.