Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has rushed to show off his chiseled physique to the public in the past, and now he’s revealed the eye-opening diet required to maintain it.
During a Tuesday morning appearance on Fox & Friends, the Secretary of Health and Human Services said that he follows a “carnivore diet.”
While his caveman-like affinity for meat is nothing new—he’s said in the past that he eats a “tremendous amount” of protein—the leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement also revealed the gut-friendly side dishes that round out his plate.
KENNEDY’S KITCHEN: @SecKennedy reveals his carnivore-inspired diet — focusing on meat plus gut-friendly fermented foods like no-sugar yogurt, coleslaw, kimchee, and fermented veggies pic.twitter.com/rRkuIlXHbv
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) August 5, 2025
“It’s mainly meat and then fermented vegetables. Anything fermented, so a lot of yogurt,” Kennedy said.
“Good yogurt without sugar in it. Coleslaw and kimchee. All kinds of fermented vegetables.”
The secretary’s grocery list appears to follow the popular paleo diet—or “caveman” diet—which tries to mimic the eating habits of prehistoric ancestors.
His ringing endorsement of yogurt and fermented foods comes as his department is pushing Americans to eat more dairy, which nutritionists say can improve gut health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The secretary’s dietary takes have not always aligned so well with what the science shows. His endorsement of drinking raw milk, for instance, backfired last December when a dairy farm had to suspend distribution of the beverage due to a bird flu scare.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
Kennedy’s appearance on Fox was timed to coincide with the announcement that the federal government would allow six more states to ban the use of SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) to buy sugary products like soda.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joined Kennedy on the Fox show to discuss the new policy, which will apply to SNAP recipients in West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas starting in 2026.
“For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy—products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics,” Kennedy wrote in the announcement of the new waivers.
As critics were quick to point out, Kennedy hasn’t always practiced what he preaches.
In the last couple of weeks RFK has been seen on camera popping zyn nicotine pouches, eating McDonald’s, deep frying a turkey in tallow, and discussing 15 years of heroin use. This is the guy promising to “make America healthy”?
— Karly Kingsley (@karlykingsley) November 30, 2024
Despite his publicly stated goal to “avoid packaged foods,” Kennedy has suffered through more than a couple fast-food meals with his boss, President Trump.
In one infamous sit-down from last year, Kennedy was photographed struggling to smile as he prepared to eat McDonald’s alongside Trump, Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
“Make America Healthy Again starts TOMORROW,” Trump Jr. joked on X.
In that iconic photo, Kennedy is eating a Big Mac and washing it down with Coca-Cola—not so gut-friendly.
Dining and Cooking