Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s practice of eating sauerkraut to lose weight is now influencing other members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to do the same.
Seeking tighter waistlines and glowing skin, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy have all joined Kennedy in eating the fermented food, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Kennedy has incorporated sauerkraut into his diet since 2025, lost 20 pounds in 30 days, and reportedly reduced aches and pains. Kennedy also said he sees a difference in his fellow Cabinet members.
“JD Vance is also on the diet and you can see how different he looks,” Kennedy said.
Duffy was complimented on his “glowing” skin by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The full diet, consisting of meats, fermented vegetables, and microbe-rich foods, comes from Dr. Sean O’Mara. With an emphasis on microbes, O’Mara is a huge proponent of fermented foods like sauerkraut.
The diet reduces visceral fat, a hidden body fat that wraps around vital organs, causing inflammation and chronic diseases, and produces a healthy microbiome, according to O’Mara.
Kennedy first inspired Lutnick, and Duffy soon followed. Vance initially joined the trend just for Lent, but has now fully committed to it.
O’Mara said he enjoys working with older people since the ROI is “so much greater,” and it is “like taking over a sinking ship, a company that is headed to bankruptcy,” per the Wall Street Journal.
O’Mara is familiar with high-profile patients, advising senior government officials, including President Bill Clinton and Vice President Dick Cheney, during his Army service. He was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation for “reversing chronic disease using innovative biomarkers such as visceral and pericardial fat.” O’Mara uses full-body MRIs to find the hidden fat around patients’ organs.
Lutnick, who avoided red meat for years due to cancer concerns, discussed the diet with Kennedy when they traveled to Colorado in December 2025. Shifting from Diet Coke, Lutnick now drinks plain iced coffee.
Vance’s meals consist of beef or lamb with sauerkraut for dinner and eggs, sauerkraut, pickles, blackberries, and raspberries for lunch.
Despite travel and busy schedules, the Cabinet members manage to maintain their diets. Kennedy typically carries sauerkraut when traveling.
O’Mara said his commitment to healing people is his life’s calling — helping them to communicate better and “have more energy for a stressful job.”
“Nothing will improve somebody’s appearance more and their performance,” O’Mara said.
The new dietary guidelines also now encourage fermented foods.
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