A new diet craze is spreading among senior figures in the Trump administration, centered on fermented foods, especially sauerkraut. Those reported to have joined the regimen include Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vice President J.D. Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Despite the food’s reputation for unpleasant side effects, the officials believe the health benefits outweigh the discomfort, and the topic has become a talking point inside the White House and on social media.
Kennedy said this week at an event in Michigan that he had lost nine kilograms in 30 days. “I lost nine kilos in 30 days,” he said. “J.D. Vance is also on the diet, and you can see how much he has changed.” The program is based on guidance from Dr. Sean O’Mara, who recommends fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, along with grass-fed beef, while avoiding alcohol and foods high in sugar. He also advises aged cheeses such as blue cheese, gorgonzola and parmesan, and told The Wall Street Journal that he focuses mainly on older patients, whom he says can benefit most from lifestyle changes.
Kennedy said he began following the diet about a year ago after meeting O’Mara. Although he admits he does not always enjoy the taste of sauerkraut, he says the change helped him lose weight, reduce pain and improve health problems he had been experiencing. Lutnick joined after a conversation with Kennedy on a flight to Colorado at the end of 2025, and since then he has started making fermented vegetables himself and switched from Diet Coke to black coffee.
Vance first tried the diet for a limited period and later continued it permanently. His usual lunch reportedly includes eggs, sauerkraut, pickles and berries, while dinner is typically beef or lamb with sauerkraut. On flights, he snacks on beef jerky or a burger without a bun. Other Republican figures have also joined in, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who said he sought O’Mara’s advice after meeting Sean Duffy and noticing his appearance, and he says his waistline has shrunk by 10 centimeters. Kennedy’s devotion has become well known among his close circle, and his wife said on a podcast that he even asked her to put a bag of sauerkraut in her designer bag on one trip, a request she politely refused. President Donald Trump is not part of the trend and continues to prefer hamburgers, pizza and Coke.
