How Martha Stewart Described The Food In Prison

Martha Stewart spent five months in the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia as part of her sentence after being convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to federal investigators in the ImClone Systems insider trading scandal. We've all heard stories about prison food, so imagine what a perfectionist like Stewart thought of the offerings while behind bars.

In the Netflix documentary "Martha," the lifestyle icon is said to have not been a fan of prison food, but it went deeper than just not liking the way things tasted. She was worried about the nutritional value of what was offered and questioned what was in it.

A narrator read from Stewart's prison diary, "What worries me is the very poor quality of the food and the unavailability of fresh anything, as there are many starches and many carbs, many fat foods. No pure anything." Stewart said on camera that she "wasn't a coffee drinker anyway, but boy, that coffee was terrible and the milk was ... everything was terrible." It certainly was a far cry from the healthy fare that Stewart counts among her favorite foods.

The food wasn't the only thing Martha Stewart complained about during her five-month prison stay, but she made the best of it. As the lifestyle guru journaled throughout the experience, she shared how she was automatically given a lower bunk bed because of her age. However, she noted she would have preferred being on top because the mattresses were nicer. She recalled that the beds were "saggy" and called them "unhealthy" (via People).

Stewart also recalled getting "dragged into solitary [confinement]" with "no food or water for a day." Upon greeting "two very well-dressed ladies walking," the entrepreneur accidentally "brushed the [silver key] chain" they carried. She was later told to "never, ever touch a guard without expecting severe reprimand," and thus ended up with the 24-hour-long punishment.

Those incidents, however, didn't stop Stewart from connecting with other prisoners, mentoring them, leading yoga classes, and even baking desserts (from which she allegedly smuggled ingredients to make for them). She has since advocated for prison reform, speaking out in favor of humane treatment for inmates.