Overview
- Vice President JD Vance told reporters at a White House briefing on Sept. 3 that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advised him to eat a high-protein, sauerkraut-heavy diet and joked that readers should "call Bobby" if they want to lose weight.
- Vance said his diet change began during Lent, that he ate large amounts of protein and sauerkraut, and that he lost weight quickly while seeing improved mental clarity; he also allowed some gains could be placebo-driven.
- Reporting has previously said Kennedy publicly favors a carnivore-style plan of red meat and fermented foods, and the Wall Street Journal reported other senior officials have adopted similar eating habits.
- Political figures and commentators reacted with skepticism, with some calling the regimen extreme or unsustainable, and medical observers have questioned whether the diet is safe or broadly advisable.
- The exchange gave a light moment in a policy briefing but also highlighted how personal health choices by senior officials can shape White House messaging and fuel wider public debate about diets and weight-loss approaches.