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15 Terrible Eating Habits President Donald Trump Needs to Quit

From copious amounts of fast food to an excessive amount of condiments, Trump's diet needs some help.

It may not be breaking news that President Donald Trump isn't the healthiest of eaters. You don't have to be a detective or an investigative journalist to uncover that information. The President often posts photos of himself feasting on fast food meals aboard his private jet or across the country.

But it's our specialty—and duty—to point out the health flaws and deceptions in every diet, so we chose to examine that of Trump's, in light of his upcoming presidential physical, which White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has said is coming soon (no word yet on if the results will be made public like last year's). Last year, Trump's weight clocked in at 239 pounds, which, in respect to his BMI of 29.9, classifies him as overweight and on the verge of obese (a BMI of 30 and above is indicative of obesity).

One notable measurement taken from his first presidential physical was his LDL levels, which stand for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol—aka the artery-clogging kind of cholesterol. As of last year, his LDL levels were at 143 mg/dL, which falls within the borderline high range. Having cholesterol within this bracket may make him more susceptible to cardiovascular episodes, such as heart attack or stroke.

We can assure you that you'll be able to better understand why both his weight and LDL levels are higher than normal after the completion (maybe even after the first few sentences) of this article. Here are 15 of the President's most terrible eating habits he really should quit.

Trump regularly eats fried food.

Fried food
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If Trump were given the option to order a grilled chicken sandwich or a fried one, he would undoubtedly choose the latter. In fact, in the book Let Trump Be Trump, the authors, two former aides of the President, wrote: "on Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza, and Diet Coke."

Trump's affinity for deep fried macaroni and cheese has also been spotted. During his campaign, he made public pit-stops across the U.S., and once he was spotted eating the fried cheesy gunk as a side order.

But his love for fried food expands beyond just meat and side orders. He also loves fried taco bowls full of cheese, sour cream, and taco meat. Not a veggie in sight. Needless to say, he really needs to cut back on the fried stuff—it's not surprising that fried foods are filled with saturated fat, which can have a negative effect on the heart. And we're not even taking into account his one true love of McDonald's. Speaking of…

His favorite McDonald's order is 2,390 calories.

Big mac meal
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We all know McDonald's is notorious for serving up meals that are both high in calories and fat, but Trump takes gluttonous orders to a whole new level. According to the Let Trump Be Trump book, this is Trump's go-to meal from McDonald's: two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted shake. Let's do the math ourselves to see just how much this tallies up to be.

One Big Mac yields 540 calories. He orders two, so that would amount to 1,080 calories in total. One Filet-O-Fish amounts to 390 calories, but again, he orders two, so that's another 780 calories tacked on to his dinner meal. And finally, what McDonald's run is complete without a shake? One such small chocolate shake clocks in at 530 calories, making the total caloric intake a whopping 2,390 calories.

For context, the average person eats about 2,000 calories a day, so he's at more than a day's worth of calories in just one meal alone.

He gets cake and double scoops of ice cream at White House dinners.

Ice cream and cake
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There's no question that Trump loves his ice cream—so much so that White House waiters give him double the amount as his dinner guests. As reported by TIME magazine, "he gets two scoops of vanilla ice cream with his chocolate cream pie, instead of the single scoop for everyone else." Talk about an unhealthy addition of calories and fat to an already indulgent dessert. The president has also said he loves cherry vanilla ice cream as well. In contrast to the President, TIME reported that Vice President Mike Pence got a fruit plate in place of the pie.

He eats large amounts of red meat.

Red meat
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If you've made it this far, you already know that the man likes burgers. He even appeared on Martha Stewart in 2005, where and his wife, Melania, prepared a meatloaf sandwich, proclaiming it was his favorite kind at the time. He's also a steak enthusiast. Allegedly, his preferred way to spice up steak is with ketchup. In fact, his first meal as president was a $54 well-done steak with a side of the sugary condiment.

As we all know, red meat, especially marbled steak, is chock-full of saturated fat, which can clog your arteries and ultimately cause cardiovascular disease if eaten regularly. As for the ketchup, that's a lot of added sugar unnecessarily incorporated into his diet. Just two tablespoons of the condiment consist of about eight grams of added sugar, which is a lot when you consider that you're consuming sugar from something that doesn't even taste sweet. Plus, remember: he loves his two scoops of ice cream with his pie.

When he orders steak, he asks for it to be very well done.

Center cut steak on cutting board
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Speaking of Trump's steak consumption, he also likes his steak prepared extremely well done. According to Anthony Senecal, Trump's long-time butler, the President likes his steak cooked so thoroughly that, "It would rock on the plate, it was so well done." Eating steak as often as Trump seems to do is already unhealthy, but the fact that he eats it so well done is equally as concerning.

Carcinogens found in steak cooked at such high temperatures have been linked to cancer. The chemicals, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), form when meat is cooked at high temperatures. The concern? They're thought to have mutagenic effects on DNA, which could amplify a person's risk of developing cancer.

He allegedly drinks 12 Diet Cokes a day.

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Don't believe us? Check out this excerpt from the New York Times: "Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day."

While diet soda anything may seem like the smarter move over its regular counterpart, it's really not. In fact, it's not any better for your health in the long run. Diet Coke is sweetened with a synthetic sweetener called aspartame. According to the American Cancer Society, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are about 200 times sweeter than cane sugar. There have been various studies to see if aspartame is a true carcinogen, but as of now, it's not.

However, diet soda carries its own risks. A study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that added diet soda consumption was associated with a larger waist circumference, which could lead to cardiometabolic risk in older people. It can also erode your tooth enamel, and it also offers no health benefits. Plus, you're not staying hydrated with good ol' H2O if you're only guzzling soda.

He often skips the most important meal of the day—and when he does eat it, it's not healthy.

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In an interview with People magazine, the President said he oftentimes skips breakfast. Even worse, when he does choose to eat the all-important morning meal, he opts for cholesterol-clogging strips of bacon and eggs that are, of course, well done.

While there are opinions on whether eating breakfast or choosing to fast is the healthier route, one thing is for certain: breakfast kick-starts your metabolism in the morning, and it can also help regulate your blood sugar levels after several hours of fasting. Have you ever gone to work without having at least a little something to eat and felt completely wiped of energy, or even shaky? It's probably because your blood sugar is too low and you need a boost! Maybe Trump would fare better starting his morning off with a bowl of oatmeal and antioxidant-rich berries.

He doesn't lose weight safely.

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Trump allegedly lost 15 pounds while he was on the campaign trail, but it wasn't in a healthful way that would have enabled him to maintain that weight loss over a certain period of time. Instead, it was rapid and done by eating bits of snack foods here and there as opposed to eating nutrient-dense foods that keep you full. He had told People magazine that continuously speaking in front of big crowds felt like an exercise and left him minimal time to sit down and have a real meal.

Dropping weight in this kind of manner is not sustainable, and he likely gained all the weight back just as quickly as he lost it.

He is a distracted eater.

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It appears that Trump doesn't have the time to sit down at the dining table and eat his meal with no distractions during his regular day-to-day duties as President. As reported in an article by TIME magazine, "But few rooms have changed so much so fast as his dining room, where he often eats his lunch amid stacks of newspapers and briefing sheets."

Doing work, or absorbed into your phone or television, are all forms of distracted eating. While this may not seem like a dire unhealthy habit, it can lead to weight gain over time. Why? Because you're not being mindful of what you eat, which can prompt you to indulge in more food that you're not necessarily hungry for. In an article written by Howard LeWine, M.D. and chief medical editor at Harvard Health Publishing, "It takes 20 minutes or so before the brain begins to start sending out 'I'm full' or 'I'm not hungry anymore' signals that turn off appetite. If you are hurrying or not paying attention, it's easy to take in many more calories than you need in 20 minutes."

When Trump does eat a salad, it's one of the least healthy kinds.

Unhealthy cobb salad
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One source told Axios that Trump does, in fact, eat salad—specifically Cobb salad. Cobb salad is probably the least veggie-filled salad of them all, boasting ingredients like blue cheese, crumbles of bacon, and strips of chicken, before it's doused heavily in creamy dressing. A veggie-filled side salad this is not. It's no wonder this is the kind of salad he eats, what with his unhealthy eating habits discussed thus far.

He doesn't pack healthy snacks on the go.

Lay's classic chips
Courtesy of Lay's

On his private jet, Trump allegedly has stashes of Lay's potato chips aboard at all times. Need we say more?

He eats fast food several times a week.

fast food drive thru
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He told The Daily Mail he eats fast food because "it's quick." According to a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, over 36 percent of adults consume fast food on a given day. Trump is one such person. Must we re-mention his love for McDonald's and KFC? Think of all the cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, and calories you'd consume eating fast food multiple times a week.

He eats at erratic times.

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Trump's former aides wrote in their book Let Trump Be Trump that the President typically goes 14 to 16 hours without eating, but then stuffs himself with one of his beloved, near-2,400-calorie McDonald's dinners. If Trump is so keen on fasting, maybe he should explore the benefits of intermittent fasting—a much healthier way to keep weight off over a longer period of time.

His portions are oversized—and not just at fast-food chains.

Scallopped potatoes
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Why have one serving when you can have two? That may as well be Trump's motto with his two-scoops-at-a-time ice cream policy. The President also reportedly likes to grab second helpings of the dinner side dish classic potatoes au gratin. And again, he eats a total of four sandwiches for dinner at McDonald's. His portions are oversized, so you know he's taking in twice (or more!) of the calories and fat of these already unhealthy meals. This man could be lighter if he just ate a normal-size meal every once in a while.

He loads up on unhealthy condiments at every meal.

Condiments in jars
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Finally, Trump is famed for his excessive use of condiments. We already touched upon how his rock solid, charred steak is slathered in ketchup. According to TIME, steak isn't the only thing the President douses in sauces: "With the salad course, Trump is served what appears to be Thousand Island dressing instead of the creamy vinaigrette for his guests. When the chicken arrives, he is the only one given an extra dish of sauce." As we stated earlier, condiments can be sneaky sources of added sugar, and salad dressings, ketchup, and dipping sauces are no exceptions.

Cheyenne Buckingham
Cheyenne Buckingham is the former news editor of Eat This, Not That! Read more about Cheyenne
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