The Medical Reason Elizabeth Holmes Had To Break Her Vegan Diet In Prison

Elizabeth Holmes' diet in prison is wildly different from her old diet. In a September 2015 interview with Inc., the Theranos founder revealed that she previously followed a vegan diet because it enabled her to power through her hectic schedule on minimal sleep. However, when she entered prison in May 2023 to serve her 11-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, she apparently had no choice but to switch up her diet. 

Speaking to People in February 2025, Holmes shared that she has incorporated salmon and tuna into her meals after developing anemia during the first year of her sentence. While salmon and tuna are among the foods you should eat if you're low on iron, there are plenty of vegan options like tofu, spinach, and white beans that can also help make up for the deficit. With the notable exception of those two animal-based proteins, Holmes still tries her best to eat vegan foods. However, the inclusion of fish apparently isn't the only major change that her diet has undergone since her sentence began. 

The facility where Holmes is incarcerated serves a Federal Bureau of Prisons menu, which includes chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, and macaroni. In the past, these foods likely wouldn't have been on Holmes' plate. According to a June 2014 Fortune piece, Holmes' dinner consisted of a mixed salad without dressing and oil-free whole wheat spaghetti with tomatoes. Although Holmes only slept for four hours most nights before going to prison, she wasn't big on coffee. Instead, she found that green juices made with spinach, parsley, wheatgrass, and celery better supported her lifestyle. 

Since Elizabeth Holmes' old diet featured green juices and wholegrain swaps and limited oil and caffeine intake, it can seem somewhat nutritious at first glance. However, in a chat with HuffPost, nutritionist Tamar Samuels noted that a highly restrictive diet may not have been the best option for Holmes, explaining, "A healthy diet should include a balance of all the essential macro and micronutrients — protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, and this one doesn't."

In Samuels' view, Holmes' diet was low on two notable things: fat and protein. Now, the answer to how much protein most people need in a day varies based on their fitness and health goals. According to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), people should get 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily. Since Holmes didn't mention any major protein sources in past interviews, it's unclear where she used to get her protein. Protein is, of course, an essential macronutrient that can help with building lean muscle mass, providing stable energy, maintaining and growing tissues, and supporting immune system health. 

Moreover, by skipping salad dressings and oil, Holmes may have limited her healthy fat intake. Unsaturated or healthy fats, which can be found in olive oil and other plant oils, are beneficial to our health. Unsaturated fat can increase good cholesterol levels and decrease bad cholesterol levels, support heart health, help maintain healthy blood pressure, and promote better absorption of nutrients. Additionally, even Holmes' go-to drink, green juice, isn't as healthy as most people think since juicing strips vegetables of their fiber, which aids heart and gut health.