Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched his own cooking show to teach Americans how to cook healthy, inexpensive meals — including some inspired by his sauerkraut-heavy diet
Kennedy, 72, who has championed the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, launched The Real Food ShowThursday to help Americans make sense of the new dietary guidelines and prepare healthy meals for less than $5 a serving. He also warned that he will eat anything, so viewers should be prepared
“I don’t have a gag reflex,” Kennedy said
For the first episode, Kennedy is joined by celebrity chef Andrew Gruel to make crispy salmon cakes with an apple, white bean and greens salad
However, Kennedy, a lover of fermented foods, says the cooking show will also feature recipes including some of his fermented favorites — kimchi and sauerkraut, he told USA Today
The new set of dietary guidelines for Americans, released this past January to provide recommendations for a healthy diet, prioritizes protein and encourages consuming less sugar and processed foods
“When we published the dietary guidelines, there was immediately sort of a good reaction, but also trepidation from the public and from critics saying that this food is a lot more expensive than the ultra-processed food that we’ve been eating,” Kennedy said. “And that’s not true.”
In his interview with USA Today, Kennedy discussed his deep love for the strongly-scented fermented cabbage
“I used to carry it with me, but I got too many complaints,” he said, noting it was mainly his wife who had an issue with the pungent dish being taken on-the-go with him
“It’s hard to carry without spilling it. And when you spill it, it causes other problems.”
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi and sourdough, are good for gut health because they are packed with probiotics, or living organisms that balance the bacteria in the gut
The HHS Secretary also noted the correct way of eating the fermented fare
“The way you’re supposed to eat it is bite for bite,” he said. “You take a bite of the meat, take a bite of the sauerkraut. This is kind of the prescribed, perfect way of eating it. You know, I don’t do that perfectly every time that I try.”
It’s not just Kennedy following the fermented foods diet in the Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have also taken to the pungent dish. Kennedy said they all lost weight following the diet
He also bemoaned that Americans have “forgotten how to cook,” and are instead opting to spend money eating out or ordering unhealthy takeout
“Fast food is not less expensive,” he said. “That meal costs $12 to $14. People can eat a lot cheaper at home and a lot better food. But many Americans have forgotten how to cook. It’s becoming a lost art.”
However, the price of food at home and at restaurants each rose .02 percent from May to June,according to the consumer price index
Kennedy’s next episode is set to feature celebrity chef Robert Irvine
