There is no job more physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding than that of POTUS. For four years, a single individual must not only respond to the terrible crises that strike the nation, but also the day to day minutiae of governing a country. And when you are 68, like Clinton, or 70, like Trump (our current presidential candidates), four years can be a long time.
Here at Spoon, our readers know that eating right is the key to staying healthy. So it’s natural to ask, “What do the candidates eat?” And in a presidential race as crazy as this one, it may not be surprising that this question actually has some unexpected answers. Let’s dive in.
Donald Trump
Commander in Beef
A few months ago, Donald Trump's doctor claimed Trump would be “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” This is in line with the over-the-top statements that have become a trademark of his campaign, especially since he’s also said he wants to be the “fast-food president.”
At a CNN town hall meeting, he told Anderson Cooper “Big Macs are great. The Quarter Pounder. It’s great stuff.”
Cleanliness is Next to Goudaliness
Despite the messy associations that come with fast food, Trump is, in fact, obsessed with cleanliness. He frets about germs, and loves fast food for its efficiency, reliability, and neatness. I suppose it’s true, it is easier to be clean when food comes prewrapped. He hates double dippers and eats pizza with a fork and knife.
A True Cornservative
While it was probably because he was in Iowa, Trump has claimed one of his favorite breakfasts is cornflakes “straight from the fields of Iowa.” Apparently corn flakes grow in the fields of Iowa.
He also loves lots of processed food, which is, of course, almost all derivatives of corn. Oreos are the craziest thing he’s ever had on the road and he washes back his meals with Coke.
Hillary Clinton
Hillaryous Heuristic
Clinton is known for saying, “If it looks bad for you, it's probably bad for you.” There’s actually a lot of good science behind this claim. Generally, our brains are hardwired to be attracted to foods we should be eating. It’s how we know to avoid many non-food like or other poisonous substances.
Of course, since our brains developed when fat and sugar were hard to come by, modern foods have kind of hacked our system. Instead, since her husband is a “mostly vegan” she tends to stick with healthier foods like his.
Feel the Bern
Hillary Clinton is known to eat a pepper every single day. When her husband’s campaign first began in 1992, she read a paper about peppers boosting the immune system and has a pepper every day since then.
Spoon has number of articles that corroborate this fact. Clinton takes it the next level though—she eats raw jalapeños like potato chips.
Stronger Togauva
Guava is a superfood and is one of the healthiest snacks there is. Clinton regularly puts it out with all the other snacks provided with her campaign. In fact, Hillary is a notorious late-night snacker. On the road, she eats Chipotle, cottage cheese and “Scooby snacks."