Lose 9kg in 20 Days: Meat & Sauerkraut Diet Plan

• He believes he has also achieved mental clarity with the extreme diet
• He makes me bring smelly food to restaurants, says his wife Cheryl

A highly restrictive diet centered on meat and fermented foods helped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lose 20 pounds in 20 days.

The details were revealed by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services himself in a recent interview on the USA TODAY podcast. “I only eat meat and fermented foods – sauerkraut. This may not be right for other people, but I lost 40% of my visceral fat within a month,” he said on the podcast, referring to the fat that surrounds internal organs and is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

“The way I feel, my mental clarity, my ability to remember words – I have a noticeable improvement, you can attribute some of that to the placebo effect, but I lost 9 pounds in 20 days,” Kennedy Jr. claimed.

The minister’s comments come amid the Trump administration’s updated federal dietary guidelines, which end the “war on saturated fat” and require Americans to eat large amounts of meat and cheese while minimizing consumption of whole grains.

Kennedy Jr.’s diet includes animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs, Fox News Digital reported. The fermented foods in it can support gut health, boost immune function and reduce inflammation by increasing beneficial bacteria in the gut. Experts also note that the fermentation process can produce compounds associated with better mood, energy and sleep.

US media reported that the minister eats steak with fermented vegetables for breakfast and even brings his own sauerkraut to restaurants, a habit his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, recently revealed.

“I grab my little bag, one of my nice bags that I only take out every once in a while because I want to keep them nice, and he hands me a bag of sauerkraut and says, ‘Can you put this in your bag?’ People think, Phew, what’s that smell? Don’t worry, it’s my husband’s dinner – I’m trying to get ahead of the questions.

Kennedy’s eating plan is a restrictive diet consisting of meat, fish, eggs, seafood and some other animal products such as cheese and butter, scientists also told Harvard Health.

“The regimen is supposed to speed up fat breakdown and improve blood sugar,” explains Shannon Haynes, a nutritionist at Bacchus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut. However, studies show that this diet can increase the risk of inflammation due to the abundance of red meat and stress the kidneys.

“As a physician focused on cancer prevention, I recommend a Mediterranean diet—whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein—for optimal health and longevity,” said Mia Kazanjian, MD, a radiologist in Connecticut. She is adamant that anyone considering the Kennedy plan should consult a doctor first.

In January, the Washington, D.C.-born minister celebrated his 72nd birthday with a plate of steak instead of the traditional sweet cake, media reports said.

“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 of the Department of Health and Human Services.