Donald Trump's Favorite Lunch Is Healthier Than You'd Expect

President Donald Trump isn't exactly known for living a healthy lifestyle. He's been pretty open about his love for fast food, and he was known to keep less-than-healthy snacks stocked on his 2024 campaign plane (here's what you'll find in Trump's diet). Even though his doctor in 2018 recommended he eat better and exercise more, Trump's main form of exercise is golfing at his many courses around the country.

That said, Trump does have a few healthy habits, like steering clear of alcohol and cigarettes. He told The Palm Beach Post in 2017 that one of his favorite meals is his mother's meatloaf recipe. Meatloaf might not sound like the healthiest option, especially if you're grabbing the frozen kind. For example, a serving of Stouffer's Meatloaf with Gravy has just 170 calories and 15 grams of protein, but it also packs 530 milligrams of sodium, which your blood pressure won't love. Plus, it contains 4.5 grams of saturated fat, which can creep up your cholesterol levels if you eat too much of it.

But Trump shared his mom's homemade version, made with fresh onion, garlic, red and green peppers, tomatoes, and of course, ground beef. If you go easy on the added salt and just stick with the sodium that comes from the seasoned breadcrumbs and canned tomato puree, his favorite lunch can actually be a little healthier. A 240-calorie serving of this homemade meatloaf has about 2.1 grams of saturated fat and 271 milligrams of sodium. The extra calories mostly come from the 30 grams of protein. And with a few tweaks, you can make this recipe even healthier.

While canned vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh ones, many canned products are loaded with sodium to help preserve them. In our recipe calculation, two-thirds of a cup of tomato puree had less than 20 milligrams of sodium, which isn't so bad. But 100 grams of Italian-style breadcrumbs (about two-thirds of a cup) sent the sodium soaring by 1,200 milligrams. With that much salt already in the mix, you definitely won't need a salt shaker. You can cut the sodium significantly by swapping in panko-style breadcrumbs, which brings the sodium down to a much more reasonable 175 milligrams per serving.

You can also lighten up your meatloaf by choosing leaner ground beef. Mrs. Trump didn't specify the type of ground beef, but for our nutrition calculation, we used 97% lean ground beef. If you go with 70% lean ground beef instead, you'll see a big jump in both calories and saturated fat. That one swap takes your meatloaf from 240 calories per serving to 617 calories, and the saturated fat climbs from 2.1 grams to a hefty 15.4 grams. That alone puts you at 77% of your daily saturated fat limit. What's worse, that fattier ground beef also adds 2.2 grams of trans fat. The American Heart Association recommends cutting trans fats from your diet entirely, as they increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Of course, what can make meatloaf unhealthy is what you serve with it. Meatloaf can be pretty dry on its own, which is why it's often topped with some sort of gravy. Spooning about a quarter cup of canned mushroom gravy may not add many calories, but it does pile on 339 milligrams of sodium. And the gravy doesn't really bring much to the table nutritionally.

You could also top your meatloaf with ketchup, but that might be even worse. Two tablespoons of ketchup may only have 34 calories, but you're also adding 308 milligrams of sodium and 7.2 grams of sugar. Yep, unfortunately, ketchup usually comes with added sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Heinz does make a no-sugar-added version that uses stevia for sweetness. They also make a no-salt ketchup that cuts the sodium to just 10 milligrams for two tablespoons.

Meatloaf can also be stuffed into a sandwich or served open-faced on a slice of bread. Your choice of bread matters, too. Whole grain bread may have a few more calories, but your body will appreciate the extra fiber that's often missing in white bread. 

Meatloaf also goes well with mashed potatoes, but keep in mind that mashed potatoes are often loaded with heavy cream and butter. You could swap the mashed potatoes for low-carb cruciferous veggies like Brussels sprouts, or you can take a cue from former White House physician Ronny Jackson. According to The New York Times, Jackson had chefs mix cauliflower into Trump's mashed potatoes.