Big Macs are out, and sauerkraut is in at the White House — or at least on the plates of several Cabinet officials.
As nearly 1 in 10 American adults take GLP-1 weight loss drugs, these officials are attributing their slim physiques to fermented foods. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Vice President JD Vance have all embraced the diet, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“Within 30 days, I lost 20 pounds,” Kennedy told a Michigan audience this week. “JD Vance is also on the diet, and you can see how different he looks.”
Officials are also opting for red meat on restaurant menus and forgoing alcohol and excess sugar. The diet comes at the behest of Dr. Sean O’Mara, a Minnesota diet consultant and former physician assigned to assist the White House.
Kennedy committed to the diet before winning over other Trump officials. Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is also a convert, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, asked Kennedy’s spouse, Cheryl Hines, about his eccentric eating choices in an October 2025 appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast.
“He is so dedicated to this diet that he is eating, that he will bring his own sauerkraut to a restaurant,” Hines said.
“We’ll be in the car, dressed up. I’ll have my little clutch, right? One of my good bags that I only take out every once in a while, because I want to keep them nice,” Hines continued. “And he’ll hand me a bag of sauerkraut and say, ‘Can you put this in your bag?’ And I’ll say, ‘I actually cannot.’”
Sauerkraut isn’t the first food item Kennedy has claimed to be a panacea, or a “cure-all.” The Make America Healthy Again crusader claimed in February that the high-fat, low-carbohydrate keto diet can cure schizophrenia.
RFK JR. CALLS REDUCING ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS ‘SPIRITUAL WARFARE’
President Donald Trump is well-known for his penchant for junk food. When the White House kitchen was largely shuttered during the 2018-19 government shutdown, Trump notably served the 2018 national college football champions, Clemson University, a fast-food buffet.
Kennedy said in January, also on Katie Miller’s podcast, that Trump has the “most unhinged eating habits” in the White House.