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Trump’s cabinet is going all out for kraut.
Spearheaded by Dr. Sean O’Mara, the diet du jour for the current administration is akin to the carnivore diet in that it leans heavily on animals protein, but it’s bolstered — and sulfured — by sauerkraut and other gut-boosting, fart-inducing staples.
Lured by the promise of weight loss and glowing skin, the kraut-devout club includes Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Vice President JD Vance, according to the Wall Street Journal.
O’Mara claims his signature diet — which requires users to abstain from sugar and alcohol while eating heaps of red meat and fermented foods — aids digestion, boosts the gut microbiome and reduces visceral fat, the deep fat that wraps around your internal organs.
Sauerkraut, in particular, has become a trendy food for gut health because the fermentation process produces several byproducts that are “hugely beneficial” for your health. That fermentation also gives it its signature pungent smell — and can make your body produce its own pungent gas.
Other food staples include eggs, pickles and berries. For snacking, O’Mara encourages eating “old world cheese,” including Gorgonzola and Parmesan.
Kennedy reportedly adopted the diet last year after meeting O’Mara and has credited the meal plan with helping him drop 20 pounds, reduce overall aches and pains and flat out eliminate symptoms of atrial fibrillation.
Vance, WSJ reports, then took up the kraut-cure at Kennedy’s suggestion. The VP adopted the diet for Lent earlier this year, and has never looked back, according to Kennedy.
Lutnick, who avoided red meat for years for fear of cancer, is now also an O’Hara adopter, having traded Diet Coke for plain iced coffee and white meat for red.
As one of the physicians assigned to assist the White House during the second Bush administration, O’Mara has long advised politicians on the importance of what is on their plate.
Now in private practice, O’Mara’s direct consulting services are priced at $18,000, while his “optimization plans” start at $8,000.
While O’Mara maintains that the diet can benefit people of all ages, he is particularly interested in how it can challenge and change people of a certain age.
“I tend to like to work with older people because the ROI is so much greater…. It’s like taking over a sinking ship, a company that is headed to bankruptcy,” he told the WSJ.
From bankrupt to booming, sauerkraut is an established boon for the body as it contains both prebiotics and probiotics.
These bioactive compounds come from live bacteria and microorganisms that break down the sugars in cabbage while it’s fermenting.
Working alongside the prebiotic fiber in cabbage, postbiotics boost gut microbiome diversity, which is essential for smooth digestion, nutrient absorption and a strong immune system.
They can also help dial down inflammation. A study from the University of California, Davis found that sauerkraut outperformed raw cabbage in protecting intestinal cells from inflammation-related damage — a potential game-changer for digestive disorders like inflammatory bowel disease.
Experts maintain that even a regular single serving of sauerkraut can help build digestive resilience and reduce inflammation.
However, if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the Kraut-cabinet, take it slow as fermented food can produce gas and bloating.
The trick: Begin with a small amount each day and work up to a full serving, which is about half a cup. Your body will adjust in 30 days.
O’Mara’s diet also seems to have influenced RFK Jr.’s new dietary guidelines, which, for the first time in history, include recommendations to incorporate fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir.
In keeping with O’Mara’s recommendations and in an attempt to end what RFK Jr. calls “the war on saturated fats,” the guidelines also prioritize several specific foods high in saturated fat, such as meats, poultry, eggs, full-fat dairy and butter.
However, many experts warn about the real dangers of O’Mara’s meal plan and similar carnivore-esque diets, which can land some people in the hospital with serious conditions, including this disturbing case of a man who literally had cholesterol seeping out of his hands.
The carnivore diet poses a higher risk of kidney stones, digestive issues, higher cholesterol, nutritional deficiencies and, most worryingly, colon cancer.
