Inside Robert F Kennedy Jr's controversial diet of red meat and fermented foods
Robert F Kennedy Jr, Secretary of Health and Human Services, has never shied away from discussing his controversial diet ideas with the public.
Last month alone, the 72-year-old shared new US dietary guidelines, proclaiming that the ‘war on saturated fats’ was over, and presenting the idea that American’s should eat copious amounts of meat and cheese while keeping whole grain consumption to a minimum.
Now, the environmental lawyer has defended the eyebrow-raising carnivore diet, claiming it has helped him lose a large amount of ‘visceral fat’.
What is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore plan is a restrictive diet usually consisting of meat, fish, eggs, seafood, and some more meat-derived products, such as cheese and butter, as per Harvard Health.
Shannon Haynes, RD, a registered dietitian at Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, explained that the extreme ketogenic grub explicitly restricts carbohydrates, alleging that the body gets its energy by ‘burning fat instead’.
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“[It’s] supposed to speed up the breakdown of fat, improve blood sugar and decrease inflammation,” she told Hartford Healthcare.
However, studies suggest that the carnivore diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies, increase inflammation risk due to the copious amount of red meat consumed, and put stress on the kidneys.
Dr Mia Kazanjian, a board-certified radiologist in Connecticut, told Fox News Digital that anyone thinking of embarking on the idea should speak to a doctor first.
"As a physician focused on cancer prevention, I recommend a Mediterranean diet, largely plant-based, with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, for optimal health and longevity," she added.
RFK Jr defends the carnivore diet
In a new interview with USA Today’s Extremely Normal show, RFK Jr has admitted he is ‘on a carnivore diet’.
“I only eat meat or fermented foods,” he said, adding that his daily meal plan ‘may not be right for other people’ and that he didn’t want to ‘make [himself] a role model for what people should do and shouldn't do’.
As well as claiming to have lost fat by solely consuming meat, animal-based products, and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, the Republican alleged his diet had helped improve his cognitive ability.
"The way I feel, my mental clarity, my word retrieval, I had noticeable improvements, and you can attribute some of that to placebo effect, but I lost 20 pounds in 20 days when I switched to this diet,” he claimed.
However, he acknowledged that some of the so-called ‘enormous benefits’ could be put down to a placebo effect.
Does the carnivore diet help you lose weight?
Yasi Ansari, senior dietitian at UCLA Health Santa Monica, has spoken about RFK Jr’s weight-loss claims.
“Technically, it’s possible to lose visceral fat on any diet in the short term," she told USA Today. "Anytime we restrict calories or significantly change the diet, we may see reductions in visceral fat in the short-term.”
However, she added: “The long-term health benefits of consuming a diet rich in fibre from whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, chickpeas and lentils − alongside lean proteins − far outweigh the short-term results that may be seen with a highly restrictive, fad diet.”
RFK Jr's fermented foods
As well as tucking into plates of meaty madness, the father-of-six apparently enlists the help of his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, to carry fermented foods around for him.
"I’ll have my little clutch, one of my good bags that I only take out every once in a while because I want to keep them nice, and he’ll hand me a bag of sauerkraut and say, 'Can you put this in your bag?'" the 60-year-old Curb Your Enthusiasm star said to The Cut.
In January, the Washington DC native celebrated his 72nd birthday with a plate of steak, rather than a traditional sweet cake.
“No cake, just steak. Happy Birthday @SecKennedy! We are so grateful for your leadership and determination to Make America Healthy Again,” wrote the official X account for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Ella Scott