Feb 03, 2026
3 min read
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he experienced severe weight loss after using the extreme diet.
RFK Jr.He lost 20 kilos in 20 days, claims he gained mental clarity through extreme dieting.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert P. Kennedy Jr., revealed the details of his strict and restrictive diet, centered on meat and fermented foods.
"I'm on a carnivorous diet," Kennedy said during a recent interview on USA TODAY's "The Excerpt" podcast.
Kennedy said she follows the "all day" diet every day.
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"That 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 linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease.
He also claims to have improved mental clarity and says he lost 20 pounds in 20 days after going on the diet.He acknowledged that some of the benefits may be due to a placebo effect.
Fox News Digital previously reported that the carnivore diet is a food plan that only includes the consumption of animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs.
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The health minister, who turned 72 this month and celebrated with a proper steak, pairs the diet with fermented foods, which usually means they've been soaked, salted or cultured so that natural bacteria or yeasts break down the sugars over time.
Cabbage, for example, turns into sauerkraut when it is salted and fermented.Milk turns into yogurt or kefir when live cultures are added.And soy becomes miso through a long fermentation process.
Experts say fermented foods support gut health by increasing beneficial bacteria in the gut, boosting immunity and reducing inflammation.The fermentation process is a good temperament;Some note that it can produce energy and sleep related compounds.
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Kennedy is known to eat steak and sauerkraut for breakfast and even brings his own sauerkraut to restaurants — a habit his wife, Cheryl Hines, joked with the Cut.
"I'll have my little clutch, one of my treat bags that I just take out every once in a while because I want them nice, and he hands me a bag of sauerkraut and says, 'Can you put this in your bag?'" Hines told the outlet.
"People were like, 'Ugh, what's that smell?'" she added, saying she replied, "Don't worry, it's my husband's dinner."
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Kennedy's comments come amid the Trump administration's updated federal dietary guidelines, which put more emphasis on protein and whole foods while easing decades-old restrictions on saturated fat.
Kennedy's personal eating habits are more extreme than the updated guidelines he helped unveil, and experts have warned that the carnivore's diet in particular is very restrictive and needs more research.
“We don't have the gold standard, evidence-based medical research to support the long-term health claims of a carnivore diet,” Dr. Mia Kazanjian, a board-certified radiologist in Connecticut, told Fox News Digital.
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"Cutting out fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is dangerous because it deprives people of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants," Kazanjian added.
She noted that fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi contain less fiber than plants, so they do not replace plant-based nutrients, and an animal diet may also raise LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Other potential risks associated with a non-vegetarian diet include kidney stones, arthritis and osteoporosis, according to experts.
Kazanjian recommends consulting a doctor before starting a new diet.
Later in the interview, in response to a question about peptides and supplements, Kennedy repeated: "I don't want to make myself a model of what people should do and what they shouldn't do."
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He also said that "the science of gold," not his personal opinions, influences the administration's public policy.
Fox News Digital has reached out to HHS for comment.
Additional reporting by Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy and Andrea Margolis.Read more about this story from FOX News.
