‘This Is Not a Sustainable Thing’: Secretary of State Marco Rubio Refuses To Ditch His Junk Food Habits, Calls RFK Jr’.s Diet ‘Crazy’
'I can’t do it.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio just made it official – he’s not giving up his Pop-Tarts. During an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, Rubio jokingly defended his love for the foil-wrapped snack while taking a playful jab at Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet, which he called “crazy.” The exchange, which included Rubio’s wife Jeanette calling him out for his not so healthy eating habits, has reignited the debate over what it means to eat right.
Rubio didn’t hold back when Miller asked about Kennedy’s reported diet of “red meat and fermented vegetables.” “This is a crazy diet,” Rubio said, according to Fox News. “This is a diet that consists of eating sauerkraut and meat. Now you understand, like, this is not a sustainable thing. He has to travel with coolers of sauerkraut! I’m not going to travel the world with a cooler full of sauerkraut. It’s ridiculous. I can’t do it.”
But Rubio wasn’t entirely dismissive of Kennedy’s broader health movement. He clarified that he supports the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, even if he doesn’t plan to adopt its strictest dietary guidelines. His wife, Jeanette, wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “You eat sweets,” she interjected, calling out his less-than-nutritious eating habits.
Rubio was quick to hold his ground
He insisted he doesn’t eat Pop-Tarts every day, before pivoting to a full-throated defense of the snack. “The Pop-Tart is one of the great American innovations in the history of the world, if you think about it,” he joked. “It comes in this beautiful foil package.” Jeanette wasn’t buying it. “He eats all the things you should not be eating. Like every single thing,” she said, leaving little doubt about her stance on her husband’s diet.
The back-and-forth was lighthearted, but it underscored a real divide in how public figures approach health and nutrition. While Kennedy’s diet has drawn both praise and criticism for its restrictive nature, Rubio’s refusal to give up his junk food habits highlights just how personal and polarizing these choices can be.
The debate over Kennedy’s diet isn’t just a matter of personal preference. Nutrition experts have weighed in, offering a mixed assessment of its potential benefits and risks. On one hand, some elements of Kennedy’s approach align with mainstream dietary advice. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir are widely recognized for their gut health benefits, and reducing processed foods is a recommendation most dietitians stand behind.
Caroline Thomason Bunn, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care specialist, told Newsweek that Kennedy’s diet includes “reasonable nutrition habits,” like eating more vegetables and limiting alcohol. But she stopped short of endorsing it as a one-size-fits-all solution.
The biggest sticking point for experts is the diet’s heavy emphasis on red and organ meats
Bethany Doerfler, a registered dietitian at Northwestern Medicine, pointed out that current dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than 10% of total daily calories. Red and organ meats are high in saturated fats, which could pose long-term health risks if consumed in excess. Doerfler suggested that Americans looking to boost their protein intake would be better off focusing on plant-based options like legumes, tofu, and lentils, or lean animal proteins like fish and poultry.
Roxana Ehsani, another registered dietitian, was even more direct in her assessment. “This diet is missing some of the most nutritious foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and seafood,” she said. She warned that eliminating entire food groups could lead to vitamin, mineral, and fiber deficiencies over time. When asked who might benefit most from the diet, her answer was simple: “No one.”
Kennedy’s diet also includes intermittent fasting, a practice that involves restricting eating to specific windows during the day. Experts offered a more measured take on this. Doerfler said the safest form of intermittent fasting might just be a 12-hour overnight fast, like stopping eating by 7:30 p.m. to avoid late-night snacking. But she clarified, “It does not outperform continuous calorie restriction but rather it is a mechanism to cut calories.”
Thomason Bunn echoed that sentiment, arguing that fasting can provide structure for some people but shouldn’t be seen as a metabolic “magic tool.” She also cautioned that fasting might not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with a history of restrictive eating or certain medical conditions. Ehsani added that overly long fasting windows could make it difficult for people to consume enough nutrients throughout the day.
The experts agree with Marco’s argument of sustaining such a diet
Experts agree that while Kennedy’s diet includes some evidence-backed elements – like reducing processed foods and incorporating fermented foods – it’s not a sustainable or universally beneficial approach. The strongest nutrition advice, they say, is still the least flashy: eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, choose a variety of protein sources, drink water, move regularly, and prioritize sleep.
Rubio’s Pop-Tart defense might be funny, but it’s also a reminder that health isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some people thrive on restrictive diets, while others prefer a more flexible approach. The key is finding what works for you.
The conversation also touched on Rubio’s political future. He’s been floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, and a recent New Hampshire poll showed him trailing Vice President J.D. Vance by just 10 points in a hypothetical matchup.
(Featured image: The Katie Miller Podcast Episode 51 on YouTube)
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