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The Surprising Snack That The 'Thor' Cast Ate to Stay Fit

The cast had a particular favorite snack.
FACT CHECKED BY Kristen Warfield

With the premiere of "Thor: Love and Thunder" just days away, fans can't wait to see this new MCU movie on the big screen. And after the many promo photos and videos, it's obvious that the stars put in some work behind the scenes to look like superheroes.

I mean, Chris Hemsworth is always a workout machine, but just look at Natalie Portman's arm muscles in the trailer! So what kind of diet was the cast of "Thor" on to make us believe they can take on Gorr the God Butcher, a villain who wants to destroy all the gods?

Well, the one food they all have in common might be surprising: almonds. The nut actually has a lot of health benefits, including reducing wrinkles and belly fat. In just one ounce, there are 6 grams of plant protein, 4 grams of fiber, 50% of your daily value of Vitamin E, and 20% of your daily value of magnesium.

Related: 16 Celebs Share How They Make Oatmeal

almonds
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But the stars of "Thor" didn't just eat handfuls of almonds all day. In fact, Hemsworth was on the almond butter and almond milk kick. In an Instagram post, Hemsworth and his trainer Luke Zocchi made a pre-workout shake with bananas, oats, protein powder, coconut coffee, cacao, and almond milk.

According to Men's Health, Hemsworth ate up to 10 meals each day to bulk up for the film.

"Every third meal he'd just be so over food so I'd bring him a protein shake with a double scoop of protein, banana, almond butter, two dates, and a bit of salt," Zocchi told Men's Health.

Eat This, Not That! reporting reveals that almond butter has seven times more calcium than peanut butter, making it better for bone strength and lower blood pressure.

Much like Hemsworth's prep, Portman had to bulk up, but this was something new for her.

"On 'Black Swan,' I was asked to get as small as possible," Portman told Variety. "Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That's an amazing challenge — and also state of mind as a woman." Portman's "Black Swan" diet was mostly just almonds and carrots.

A favorite of Portman's, almonds still made the cut for her "Thor" diet. Her trainer Naomi Pendergast told Insider that the actress snacked on nuts throughout the day, and she drank at least three plant-based protein shakes. What's one of the best plant-based milk substitutes? Almond milk!

Co-star Melissa McCarthy, who plays Fake Hela, was also a fan of almond milk in her morning smoothies as a source of healthy fat. According to StyleCraze, she made her green smoothie with kale, spinach, parsley, chia seeds, and almond milk.

Mia Salas
Mia is a freelance writer for several publications and a soon-to-be graduate from Princeton University with a degree in English. Read more about Mia