Sauerkraut Diet: Why RFK Jr. Eats Fermented Foods, Health Benefits

Welcome to the summer season of sauerkraut.

A number of distinguished males in President Donald Trump’s cupboard — together with Vice President JD Vance, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — have been loading up on the fermented food currently in an effort to slim down and enhance their intestine well being, The Wall Street Journal reported.

US Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned he misplaced 20 kilos and shed 40% of his visceral fats on his model of the bitter meal plan, which he beforehand informed USA At this time consists solely of “meat or fermented meals.”

Based on the Journal, the rising curiosity in sauerkraut amongst Trump’s cupboard is all a part of a food regimen technique from Dr. Sean O’Mara, who encourages his elite purchasers in enterprise and politics to eat extra fermented meals and protein, whereas shunning sugary treats and alcohol.

Becoming a member of in on Sauerkraut Summer time may benefit your intestine well being — so long as you do not overdo it. Here is what to know.

Sauerkraut and different fermented meals nourish the intestine microbiome

Fermented meals like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir usually comprise helpful microorganisms like reside micro organism, the energetic elements that feed off of sugar in uncooked meals to show them tangy.

A number of the commonest micro organism in fermented meals, reminiscent of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, are thought-about good for the intestine. They assist digestion, assist the physique produce important vitamins like nutritional vitamins, kill off pathogenic micro organism, and might lower irritation.

O’Mara would not verify whether or not he treats any members of the Trump cupboard, citing affected person confidentiality, however he informed Enterprise Insider that he usually encourages his sufferers to comply with a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, no-junk-food food regimen, and to “garnish” their plates with some fermented vegetables day-after-day.

Although they are not a magic wand for weight reduction, fermented meals can enhance the general composition of your intestine, main to higher blood sugar management, extra satiety, and improved nutrient absorption.

Simply do not overdo it — consuming too many fermented meals while you’re not used to them can result in gastrointestinal points like gasoline, bloating, abdomen cramps, and diarrhea. O’Mara mentioned he encourages his sufferers so as to add fermented meals to their day by day routine little by little.

“Ultimately they begin colonizing, and ultimately they tolerate it, and ultimately they prefer it, and shortly they begin loving these microbes,” he mentioned.

Different diet specialists additionally usually counsel adding more fermented foods into your food regimen slowly, alongside fiber from nuts, seeds, greens, and complete grains, to nurture a wholesome, well-balanced intestine microbiome.

O’Mara mentioned anybody, whether or not they’re vegan, paleo, carnivore, or omnivore, can profit from a “residing food regimen” with day by day doses of fermented meals.

Scientists have been finding out how the intestine microbiome might play an underestimated function in sure ailments. They’re uncovering how diets high in ultra-processed foods might foster sure strains of toxic bacteria within the intestine that may enhance the probability of ailments like colon most cancers.