Bill Clinton's 'Scary' Appetite Kept White House Kitchen Staff On Their Toes

It's been over 30 years since William Jefferson Clinton was sworn in as the 42^nd president, but we still have fond memories of his food preferences from his time in office. How could we not, when he loved Hot Springs' McClard's Bar-B-Q restaurant so much that he had the Arkansas barbecue served aboard Air Force One? And, just like his fellow Southerner Elvis Presley, he enjoyed a sweet peanut butter and banana sandwich every now and then. Clinton was also so well-known for his love of McDonald's that "Saturday Night Live" once did a skit about it. The White House kitchen staff, however, wasn't charmed by Clinton's hearty appetite.

Former White House chef Roland Mesnier characterized it as "scary" (via Washingtonian). He revealed that Clinton could eat half a dozen pork chops at a time, which meant the kitchen staff "had to be ready" at any moment. He also recalled the former POTUS once devoured half a strawberry cake in a single sitting and was very upset when the rest of the cake was no longer available the next day. (The kitchen staff joked that then-VP Al Gore was to blame.) 

Another former White House chef, John Moeller, shared that some of the dishes in heavy rotation for the Clintons included salmon, snapper, and what he described to Page Six as a "pretty healthy" chicken pot pie. For special occasions, they might indulge in a rack of lamb, as it was a favorite dish of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Though Bill famously enjoyed cheeseburgers, the kitchen staff never made that for him, which might have been a blessing in disguise.

In February of 2010, nine years after he left the Oval Office, Bill Clinton received some bad news from his cardiologist. One of the veins in his heart had given out, and he needed to undergo emergency surgery to have some stents inserted. Dr. Dean Ornish, who served as Clinton's physician consultant, warned him that his heart troubles were due to his unhealthy diet. 

In light of the fact that his daughter Chelsea was due to be married in a few months, Clinton decided he needed to make some drastic changes so he could live long enough to be a grandfather to her kids. (She and her husband Marc Mezvinsky now have three.) As a result, he decided to go (almost) vegan, giving up his favorite cheesy chicken enchiladas.

Nowadays, Clinton is eating the rainbow. Almond milk, beans, cauliflower, hummus, quinoa, and lots and lots of fruit are all on the menu, and though he still retains a hearty appetite, there's nothing scary as he managed to lose over 30 pounds by eating these types of foods. His diet isn't strictly plant-based, however, as he does admit to eating fish now and then. Whatever he's doing seems to be working for him, though, since at 79 years old, he's still going strong.