Everything You'll Find In Melania Trump's Daily Diet
When Melania Trump was asked to describe herself in a 2018 interview with ABC News, the First Lady replied, "A mother. A wife. A daughter. A sister. A friend. The first lady of United States. Caring. Compassionate. Strong. Independent. Very detail-oriented. And — staying true to herself." In a handful of words, this woman of notably few words painted a picture of herself that stood in stark contrast to everything many thought they knew about the Slovenian-born former model who married Donald Trump in 2004 and has dwelled in opulence ever since. Or does it?
When we pause to consider all that we've since learned about Trump's day-to-day lifestyle, including her highly-disciplined, no-nonsense approach to eating, as we discuss here, those ascetic descriptors begin to make more sense. When Refinery29 inquired as to her diet strategy back in 2012, her answer was simple: "I eat healthy." But what does that mean, exactly? And how does she manage to look just as vibrant in her 50s as she did at 28? Read on to learn everything you'll find in Melania Trump's daily diet.
Melania Trump whips up a superfood smoothie most mornings
In an interview with More magazine, Melania Trump revealed that her secret skincare weapon — and it had nothing to do with her now-defunct caviar-infused skincare line, Caviar Complexe C6, and everything to do with her daily smoothie habit. "Every day I make a smoothie filled with spinach, celery, banana, yogurt, raspberries, and Omega-3," Trump told the publication.
As it turns out, that list doesn't come close to capturing all the good stuff Trump has been known to toss into her blender. In a 2013 Facebook post, she also mentioned some other ingredients, like lemon juice, orange juice, and vitamin D.
"When you eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants it does wonders for the skin and your complexion," Trump pointed out to More. She's right, according to Harvard's The Nutrition Source, whose guide to antioxidants states that there is no more effective way to reap the benefits of antioxidants than by consuming the foods in which they naturally occur, including fruits and vegetables.
Melania Trump challenges herself to eat seven servings of fruit per day
Melania Trump's multi-ingredient morning smoothie is just one way she manages to consume the seven servings of fruit that she strives to include in her diet every day, as reported by Inside Edition. Blueberries are mentioned in the list of ingredients for her smoothie, which she gave to her Facebook followers. And raspberries are another of her top choices, as evidenced by one of her 2014 Facebook posts.
These berries are wise choices, according to registered dietitian Elisa Bremner. Bremner told Health Digest that she likes to refer to blueberries as "brainberries" because there's so much research linking their high levels of the anthocyanins to brain health. In fact, one 2019 meta-analysis pointed out that healthy older adults enjoyed greater brain activity after 12 weeks of blueberry consumption. Indeed, Trump is on to something. "Raspberries have those same anthocyanins," Bremner continued, "but with the added bonus of extra fiber – in all those tiny seeds."
Pineapples and bananas make their way into Melania Trump's daily diet
As you can see from a 2014 Facebook post of Melania Trump's "healthy [and] colorful breakfast," Trump enjoys starting her day with slices of pineapple and a banana, along with other fruits. She seems to opt for fresh pineapple as opposed to the canned variety. That can help to keep sugar levels down, unless you're using pineapple canned in its own juices with no sugar added, registered dietitian Cassie Christopher pointed out to Health Digest. In addition, actually eating the fruit, as opposed to just drinking its juice, helps slow down the body's absorption of fruit sugars.
Although bananas may often get a bad rap because of their high carb count relative to other fruits, the fact that they have a high fiber content ends up helping to stabilize blood sugar levels, according to registered dietitian Kristin Gillespie. Plus, bananas are rich in potassium, which can help with water retention and vitamin B6, which supports healthy metabolism.
Melania Trump's favorite fruits are apples and peaches
Apples may sound pretty routine, but they figure prominently in Melania Trump's daily diet, likely because the fruit is a solid nutritional workhorse. Apples contain the prebiotic pectin, which helps support digestion and gut health in general, according to board-certified naturopath and holistic health coach Olivia Audrey. When incorporating apples into your own diet, it's best to choose the whole fruit over the juice to get the full 3 to 4 grams they contain. And, for the same reason, "try to resist the urge to peel your apples," Audrey added.
Peaches, another one of Trump's favorite fruits, are surprisingly low in calories for such a flavor-packed fruit (58 calories for a medium-sized peach), according to nutrition information provided by the USDA. Per Rutgers University Agricultural Experiment Station, peaches offer a moderate level of antioxidants, which help the body to prevent damage to cells that are caused by free radicals. This is important because cell damage is associated with certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer.
Melania Trump also includes flaxseeds in her daily diet
It might be easy to miss amid all the fruits and vegetables Melania Trump eats, but flaxseeds are among the superfoods Trump includes in her go-to smoothie. "Flaxseeds are high in protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids," physician Leann Poston, told Health Digest. "They're also rich in phytochemicals." Phytochemicals, also known as phytonutrients, are a nutrient that is not vital to sustaining life but is nevertheless beneficial for our health.
Flaxseeds contain a number of phytochemicals, but the ones that could potentially be most important to a woman of Trump's age are lignans. Lignans affect the body in estrogen-like ways but through non-estrogen means, and are associated with lowering the risk of hormone-related cancers in both men and women.
Flaxseeds, which look a bit like sesame seeds aside from their more golden-brown color, have a rich, nutty flavor. As such, it might be surprising to learn they're only 37 calories per tablespoon, according to registered dietitian Kristin Gillespie.
Fat-free yogurt figures into the diet that helps Melania Trump maintain her figure
Fat-free yogurt is one of the foods that Melania Trump typically includes in her daily breakfast smoothie, and she deserves kudos for that, according to physician Leann Poston, who explained to Health Digest that low-fat or fat-free yogurt is a rich source of protein, and even richer in the case of low-fat Greek yogurt. Reduced or fat-free yogurt also contains calcium, which helps support bone strength, blood-clotting, and muscle health, among other things, and, perhaps more importantly, probiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that support good health — especially gut health.
Good gut health is characterized by a balanced microbiome that is well-colonized with ample "good" bacteria. A healthy gut, of course, helps keep the digestive tract running smoothly, but it has also been linked to a lower risk of many illnesses and conditions that don't directly involve digestion. These include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, certain cancers, insomnia, depression, and anxiety disorder. Even with all of that being an accepted scientific fact, the benefits of a healthy gut are just beginning to be understood, Dr. Poston told Health Digest.
You can be sure to find olive oil in Melania Trump's diet
In her recipe for her daily smoothie, Melania Trump listed "olive oil" as an ingredient. While the idea of adding olive oil to a smoothie might seem strange, at least at first, it's really not all that different from adding, say, avocado, which also lends a creamy texture and a savory flavor dimension. More importantly, multiple studies have confirmed that olive oil, and particularly extra virgin olive oil, offer a panoply of health benefits, including supporting lower blood pressure, healthier cholesterol readings, and a reduction in visceral fat.
Although olive oil is pure "fat," it's the healthy kind known as monounsaturated. Monounsaturated fats have been shown to reduce "bad" cholesterol levels in your blood, in turn lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke. In addition, olive oils and other oils rich in monounsaturated fats contribute vitamin E to the diet, an antioxidant vitamin most Americans need more of, according to the American Heart Association.
You'll find a bowl of hot oatmeal rounding out Melania Trump's diet
Although Melania Trump starts most days with a fruit and vegetable superfood smoothie, she will, on occasion, mix it up by having a bowl of oatmeal. Although she didn't say why she might switch to oatmeal on any given day, it's possible she does so when she knows that it's going to be a long time before her next meal. As physician Leann Poston explained to Health Digest, "Oatmeal is high in dietary fiber. That means it's not just filling, but it also helps you to feel full for longer."
In addition, whole oats are rich in antioxidants, which can help decrease inflammation in the body, including preventing LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind) from oxidation, thus supporting healthier cholesterol levels and better cardiovascular health in general. Oatmeal might just be one of the healthiest breakfasts you can make, according to registered dietitian Elisa Bremner, who recommended to Health Digest that if you don't love oatmeal as a "cereal," you might want to consider serving it with vegetables and a hint of butter.
Fruit juices find their way into Melania Trump's daily diet
When Melania Trump decides to have oatmeal for breakfast, she accompanies it with a glass of juice, she told Refinery29. Presumably, this is so that she won't be behind on her goal of eating at least seven servings of fruit per day. Drinking fruit juices can certainly accomplish that, according to Harvard Medical School's Healthy Eating. Drinking fruit juice has the advantage of allowing you to take in more nutrients per ounce. However, this is at the expense of fiber, most of which is lost in juicing.
While some people are under the impression that juicing is better than eating whole fruits and vegetables because it presents nutrients in a form more easily absorbed by the body, there is no scientific evidence of that, according to the Mayo Clinic. Blending is a better choice, as the "edible parts of fruits and vegetables produces a drink that contains more healthy phytonutrients and fiber," wrote the Mayo Clinic. It makes sense why Trump only drinks juice on occasion.
Melania Trump includes vegetables in her daily diet
The fact that Melania Trump adds any vegetables at all to her daily smoothie earns her a proverbial "gold star" for nutrition, according to registered dietitian Cassie Christopher. "Eating a wide variety of vegetables every day can lower your risk of chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes as well as helping keep your digestive system running smoothly," she told Health Digest. "Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that only one in 10 American adults are getting their recommended intake each day." In this sense, the first lady is setting a good example for Americans.
Trump favors carrots, celery, and spinach, as evidenced by her Facebook post. "Carrots are a rich source of micronutrients, specifically vitamin A, which promotes eye health and lower cholesterol levels" registered dietitian Kristin Gillespie told Health Digest. Celery is high in fiber and in water content, so it helps with digestion in two ways while also helping prevent dehydration, according to naturopath and holistic health coach Olivia Audrey. And lastly, spinach is "rich in many micronutrients including: vitamins A,C, K, iron, magnesium and calcium just to name a few," nutritionist Jenna Hope told Women's Health.
What you won't find in Melania Trump's diet are onions or artichokes
While Melania Trump makes sure to include vegetables in her daily diet, there are some she simply refuses to eat. These include artichokes and onions, as she revealed in a 2005 episode of Martha, during which the couple got a lesson in homestyle meatloaf-making from cooking and lifestyle expert, Martha Stewart (via Food & Wine). It's unfortunate that the first lady dislikes these veggies, according to physician Leann Poston.
Onions are packed with nutrients, including vitamin C, phytonutirents, and flavonoids, including quercetin, which has antioxidant properties and may help prevent certain cancers. As for artichokes, they're an "excellent source of folate, protein, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K," Dr. Poston pointed out to Health Digest. As an extra bonus, eating artichokes can be an exercise in mindfulness (the quality of being fully present in any given moment, not just physically but mentally) because the only way to eat an artichoke is leaf by leaf.
For Melania Trump, hydration matters
Melania Trump believes in the power of staying hydrated. When asked by More magazine about the role diet plays in skin's health and appearance, Trump not only pointed out that fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants do wonders for her skin and complexion, she added, "I also tell women to drink a lot of water because it hydrates the skin."
In this respect, she's 100 percent spot on, according to registered dietitian Cassie Christopher because drinking enough water every day is crucial to good health. The human body is comprised of 60 percent water on average (with some organs having an even higher water content), according to The Nutrition Source, and just maintaining life via respiration and digestion causes the body to lose fluids — fluids which need to be replaced to the tune of 72 ounces of water per day for women and 104 ounces of water per day for men.
Melania Trump's diet includes this soda
"What's your drink?" New York Magazine asked Melania Trump in 2005. "Diet Coke from the classic glass bottles," she replied. If this exchange had been live, it's almost certain you would have heard a collective gasp from the audience, especially if the audience were aware of Trump's other much healthier eating habits.
Sure, diet soda has the benefit of not being high in sugar, but studies indicate that non-sugar, artificial sweeteners may confuse the body into releasing insulin — as if the body had just consumed sugar. And insulin spikes have been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, studies suggest that people who drink diet soda are more likely to be overweight, according to registered dietitian Elisa Bremner.
Look, no one is perfect, and Trump is human like the rest of us. While drinking diet soda isn't as healthy as drinking water, it's still a "step in the right direction," according to certified holistic nutritionist Melissa Kathryn.
Melania Trump's diet makes room for the occasional splurge
Melania Trump admits to her share of indulgences, including a fondness for the Chicken Parmesan at New York City's Jean-Georges and homemade pizza. While she doesn't drink alcohol or smoke, she does drink coffee — and even lets her son, Barron drink Starbucks Frappuccinos. That being said, coffee is literally brimming with health benefits.
The first lady also has the occasional snack. "I don't have a particular snack I always eat," she told Refinery29, but if she were to have a snack, it would probably be either fruit or a small amount of chocolate. "I think your body needs that too." But Trump need not defend her choice. Nutrition experts like certified holistic nutritionist Melissa Kathryn maintain that chocolate, and especially dark chocolate, has real health benefits. "It improves memory and reduces stress. It's high in flavonoids, particularly a subtype called flavanols, which are associated with a lower risk of heart disease," the expert explained. In addition, some studies suggest chocolate is associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance, which, come to think of it, is more than can be said of Diet Coke.