In 2021, President Joe Biden faced an intriguing proposition from the nonprofit Million Dollar Vegan. The challenge? Go vegan for 30 days, and they’d donate $1 million to a veterans’ charity. This offer came hot on the heels of former President Donald Trump‘s rejection of a similar challenge.
Trump’s reason for declining raised eyebrows. According to ex-White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham’s book, he believed it would “mess with your body chemistry, your brain…and if I lose even one brain cell, we’re f**ked.“
For some, like US veteran and Naval aviator LCDR Hallum, the challenge seemed like a no-brainer. Hallum, who follows a plant-based diet himself, saw it as the “easiest and healthiest way to support both our troops and country.“
But what about Biden? The president’s food choices have always sparked curiosity. While he’s known for enjoying comfort foods like pasta and ice cream, there have been hints of a shift towards healthier options. Dr. Jill Biden has reportedly been on a mission to add more veggies to his plate, even sneaking cauliflower into his mashed potatoes.
Despite the buzz around the challenge, we never heard if Biden accepted or declined. It’s possible the busy schedule of running a country left little room for dietary experiments.
Whether the president stuck to his usual diet or decided to give plant-based eating a try, one thing’s for sure – what’s on the president’s plate will always be a topic of conversation.
Biden’s Diet Is Far From Vegetarian
The White House is facing an unexpected culinary clash, and it’s all about what’s on President Biden’s plate. At 81, his food preferences are causing a stir, pitting his love for comfort foods against First Lady Jill’s push for healthier options. Far from embracing a vegetarian lifestyle, Biden’s reluctance to eat his veggies has become a source of gentle contention in the presidential household.
Biden’s taste buds seem stuck in childhood. As one longtime adviser bluntly put it to The Washington Post, “He has the tastes of a 5-year-old.” His go-to meals? A lineup of familiar favorites: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, BLTs, pizza, cookies, and spaghetti with butter and red sauce. And let’s not forget his famous love for ice cream, sometimes even whipping up a full sundae.
The president’s food palette “skews beige,” according to some aides. He’s been known to indulge in chicken dishes too, recently ordering a chicken quesadilla during a visit to D.C.’s Taqueria Habanero. When it comes to drinks, Biden, a teetotaler, often reaches for orange Gatorade.
But the First Lady is on a mission to add some color to the presidential diet. She’s been pushing for more fish and veggies, much to the president’s chagrin. During a private dinner at the White House, Jill served salmon in a pastry shell with a medley of vegetables. Biden’s reaction? “Damn, she makes me eat this healthy stuff all the time,” he grumbled, according to his sister Val’s memoir.
However, when the First Lady’s not around, Biden’s known to sneak in his favorites. After that salmon dinner, Val recalled him enjoying lemon pound cake and polishing off a carton of Breyer’s chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.
The White House is trying to strike a balance, stocking the fridge with healthier options like apples, red grapes, Special K cereal, and low-fat yogurt. But old habits die hard, and Biden’s love for comfort foods remains strong.
Despite his food preferences, Biden is making efforts to stay fit. He works out with physical therapist Drew Contreras many mornings, focusing on strength training. But as he admitted in a podcast interview, staying in shape at 81 isn’t easy. “The difference in age, if I let it go for a week I feel it,” he said.
As Biden continues his term, the battle between beige and green on his plate rages on. Will the First Lady’s healthy influence win out, or will PB&Js and ice cream remain the presidential staples? Only time will tell.
