21 highly successful people with bizarre eating habits

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Nicholas Cage won't eat pork because he doesn't think the animals have 'dignified sex.'

Nicholas Cage won't eat pork because he doesn't think the animals have 'dignified sex.'

In a 2010 interview with The Sun, Cage said that he chooses which animals to eat based on their mating habits.

"I think fish are very dignified with sex. So are birds. But pigs, not so much. So I don’t eat pig meat or things like that. I eat fish and fowl," said Cage.

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Renee Zellweger snacks on ice cubes throughout the day.

Renee Zellweger snacks on ice cubes throughout the day.

Zellweger has been quoted as saying she snacks on ice cubes to feel full. "As long as I get that 'constant feed' feeling, it’s semi-tolerable," said Zellweger.

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Angelina Jolie ate cockroaches in Cambodia.

Angelina Jolie ate cockroaches in Cambodia.

When Jolie travels abroad, she prefers to eat as the natives do, and encourages her family to do the same, Matthew and Mark Jacob write.

In Cambodia, she called the cockroach a "meaty ... high-protein snack food," but admitted that "there's this very pointy bit on their stomach you just can't eat. You have to kind of pop that off."

Business magnate Howard Hughes had his employees wrap his spoons with tissue paper and cellophane tape.

Business magnate Howard Hughes had his employees wrap his spoons with tissue paper and cellophane tape.

A longtime germaphobe, Hughes gave his employees complex instructions on how to handle household duties. For example, in an apparent attempt to ensure it was germ-free, before any spoon was handed to Hughes, it would need to be wrapped in tissue paper and sealed with cellophane tape. Next, a second piece of tissue needed to be covering the first protective wrapping.

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In 2011, Mark Zuckerberg only ate meat that he killed himself.

In 2011, Mark Zuckerberg only ate meat that he killed himself.

Zuckerberg told Fortune magazine in 2011 that he was only eating what he killed. The Facebook CEO said:

"This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I'm eating a lot healthier foods and I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals."

The next year, Zuckerberg announced that he was no longer sticking to his eat-what-I-kill dining rules.

Steve Jobs ate the same food items for weeks at a time.

Steve Jobs ate the same food items for weeks at a time.

According to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, the man behind Apple would eat only one type of food, such as carrots or apples, for weeks at a time. He reportedly ate so many carrots at one time that his skin turned bright orange.

Jobs believed that his restrictive, vegan diet meant that his body was free from body odor and allowed him to bathe only once per week.

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Automobile tycoon Henry Ford ate weeds from his yard.

Automobile tycoon Henry Ford ate weeds from his yard.

Ford thought of the body much like a car, as a combustion engine that needed fuel. With this mindset, Ford never went to the grocery store, but, instead, ate weeds out of his garden. He often ate sandwiches filled with weeds.

According to "What the Great Ate," Ford was also convinced that soybeans were the key to a nutritious diet. In fact, he instructed his cooks to prepare an all-soybean dinner for the 1933-34 Chicago Century of Progress exposition, included celery stuffed with soybean cheese, soybean croquettes, and apple pie with a soybean crust.

Bill Gates once subsisted on Tang.

Bill Gates once subsisted on Tang.

While working as a programmer at a computer facility in 1970s Oregon, Gates often stayed up all night working, Matthew and Mark Jacob write.

He would drink Tang, but instead of stirring it into a glass of water, he and his colleagues would scoop up the power with their hands and eat it.

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Even when dining out, Hugh Hefner only eats food prepared at the Playboy Mansion.

Even when dining out, Hugh Hefner only eats food prepared at the Playboy Mansion.

He may take Playboy models out to eat at whatever restaurant they want, but Hefner has been quoted as saying his food always comes from his personal chef at the mansion. "[The Playboy models] pick from the menu, but I have lamb chops and a baked potato sent in from the mansion, so [my meal] is set."

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida drinks his own urine.

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida drinks his own urine.

Machida started drinking his own urine at the advice of his father. "I drink my urine every morning like a natural medicine," Machida told Brazilian magazine Tatame. Let the record show, while we are fascinated by his bizarre routine, we don't recommend it.

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Tennis star Novak Djokovic follows a unique gluten-free diet and has eaten grass after winning.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic follows a unique gluten-free diet and has eaten grass after winning.

Djokovic follows a strict gluten-free diet, and also avoids dairy, caffeine, and refined sugars. His eating habits have also ventured to the truly odd.

After beating tennis pro Rafael Nadal in 2011, Djokovic sank down to his knees and started eating the grass on the Center Court lawn. During a press conference later, he joked that the grass was "well kept" and "tasted quite well really."

"I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good," said Djokovic. "It came spontaneously really. I didn't plan to do it. You know, I didn't know what to do for my excitement and joy."

Author Stephen King always eats cheesecake before writing.

Author Stephen King always eats cheesecake before writing.

Before sitting down to write, King always eats a slice of cheesecake. He also never eats anything slippery or slimy: "I don't eat oysters," said King in an interview with Bon Appetit. "It's horrible, the way they slither down your throat alive."

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Novelist Vladimir Nabokov collected butterflies — and also ate them.

Novelist Vladimir Nabokov collected butterflies — and also ate them.

According to "What the Great Ate," Nabokov ate butterflies while spending time in Vermont.

"I didn't see any difference between a monarch and a viceroy," he told Sports Illustrated. "The taste of both was vile. ... They tasted like almonds and perhaps a green cheese combination."

Novelist Victor Hugo ate half an ox in one sitting as a young adult.

Novelist Victor Hugo ate half an ox in one sitting as a young adult.

After eating the ox, according to "What the Great Ate," he would fast for three days.

While exiled in the Channel Islands, he ate two raw eggs and drank a cup of cold coffee before writing every morning.

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Artist Andy Warhol could eat an entire birthday cake by himself.

Artist Andy Warhol could eat an entire birthday cake by himself.

Matthew and Mark Jacob write that customs agents once searched Warhol's bags at an airport and found them full of candy, chewing gum, and cookies.

Even when he prepared meat for dinner, Warhol would often end up eating bread and jam instead. "I'm only kidding myself when I go through the motions of cooking protein," he wrote. "All I ever really want is sugar."

Explorer Charles Darwin ate most of the animals he discovered.

Explorer Charles Darwin ate most of the animals he discovered.

Darwin was so intrigued by the animals he discovered that he ate most of them, including iguanas, armadillos, rheas, giant tortoises, and owls.

While studying at Cambridge University, he joined the Gourmet Club. Its members had a mission to eat as many rare animals as possible.

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Fergie never misses her daily shot of vinegar.

Fergie never misses her daily shot of vinegar.

In an interview with Glamour magazine, Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie said she never misses her daily shot of organic apple cider vinegar.

"Two tablespoons. For some reason I've noticed a difference on my stomach," she said. "I just trusted [my trainer] on this one. I'm sharing. I'm all about sharing secrets."

Other famous fans of the vinegar-a-day shot include Megan Fox and Cindy Crawford.

Musician Louis Armstrong munched on laxatives.

Musician Louis Armstrong munched on laxatives.

Armstrong's mother used to instruct her family to consume laxatives because they'd often eaten rotten food, Matthew and Mark Jacob write.

His favorite laxative was Swiss Kriss, which was a collection of herbs that he would often give away to people in small envelopes.

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Elvis Presley could eat five hot-fudge sundaes for breakfast.

Elvis Presley could eat five hot-fudge sundaes for breakfast.

According to "What the Great Ate," some people theorized that because Presley had been born alongside a stillborn twin, he always had to eat double portions.

Presley was serious about dining: In his mansion in Memphis, he had cooks on staff 24 hours a day. He even had a closed-circuit television with cameras on the kitchen so he could watch the cooks working.

He was also a bit of a primadonna, requiring that his cooks or his wife Priscilla cut up his food into bite-size pieces before he dug in.

George Washington spent $200 on ice cream in the summer of 1790.

George Washington spent $200 on ice cream in the summer of 1790.

According to "What the Great Ate," Washington loved eating nuts, but figured that years of cracking walnut shells with his teeth had caused his dental problems. So he switched to ice cream instead.

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Calvin Coolidge would snack in a White House storeroom containing pickles, jams, and jellies.

Calvin Coolidge would snack in a White House storeroom containing pickles, jams, and jellies.

According to "What the Great Ate," someone once said Coolidge looked like he had been "weaned on a pickle."