US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has joked that he has no intention of adopting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s unconventional diet, describing it as “crazy” and difficult to sustain.
Rubio made the comments during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, where he discussed Kennedy’s eating habits, his own preference for convenience foods and his views on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
Rubio calls RFK Jr.’s diet ‘crazy’
Rubio was asked about Kennedy’s diet, which he described as being centred on sauerkraut and meat.
“(It is) a crazy diet,” Rubio said.
He questioned whether such an eating routine could realistically be maintained while travelling, joking that Kennedy has to carry his preferred food with him.
“He has to travel with coolers of sauerkraut,” Rubio said.
“I’m not gonna travel the world with a cooler full of sauerkraut,” he added. “It’s ridiculous. I can’t do it. It’s not sustainable.”
Rubio says he supports MAHA
Despite rejecting Kennedy’s dietary routine, Rubio said he supports the broader Make America Healthy Again movement.
When asked whether he supports MAHA, Rubio replied that he was “in favor of MAHA” and believes “people should be healthy.”
However, his wife, Jeanette Rubio, quickly challenged that description of his own eating habits.
“He is completely not,” she said.
Pop-Tarts, fast food and a sweet tooth
Jeanette Rubio said her husband enjoys Pop-Tarts and fast food and has a significant preference for sugary foods.
“Anything that's sugar, you will take it down,” she told him.
Rubio did not dispute the description and instead defended his fondness for Pop-Tarts, calling the popular breakfast pastry “one of the great American innovations in the history of the world.”
He explained that convenience was one reason he chose Pop-Tarts over breakfast prepared at home.
“It's much quicker. It's much more efficient,” Rubio said.
‘30-second process’
Rubio said Pop-Tarts were particularly appealing because they required almost no preparation.
“They are very reliable because you're talking about a 30-second process,” he said. “Bang. Bang. And then it comes out. It's ready.”
He clarified that he does not necessarily seek out Pop-Tarts, but said he would eat them if they were available.
Rubio recalls ‘near psychotic’ keto experience
Rubio also revealed that he had previously tried the keto diet, which focuses heavily on protein and restricts carbohydrates.
He described the experience as becoming a “near psychotic” event for him.
Rubio jokingly imagined how the diet might affect him while serving in government.
“If I did (the Keto diet) in this job, I would be like, ‘Mr. President, we must bomb, you know, Paraguay,’” Rubio said, imagining Trump asking why.
“‘I don't know. I'm just really mad I haven't had any sugar,’” he added.
Rubio stressed that he was not opposed to the diet itself.
“I'm not against this diet. I'm not asking that we ban it,” he said. “I encourage people to try it; I'm just saying it's not for everyone.”
RFK Jr.’s food agenda
Kennedy's dietary preferences have also featured prominently in the Trump administration's broader MAHA agenda.
The US Department of Agriculture, under Kennedy, released new food guidelines on January 7 that emphasised full-fat dairy, protein and “healthy fats.”
The guidelines also highlighted foods including red meat and whole-fat dairy, along with certain fats that have historically been recommended in moderation.
The approach is broadly aligned with the dietary messaging associated with Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement.
