The Simple, Shocking Reason Bill Clinton Stopped Eating Meat

As a two-term president, Bill Clinton was once one of the most powerful people in the entire world. Since leaving office, though, he has largely faded from the public eye, letting Hillary Clinton take center stage as she pursued her own political ambitions. Because Bill generally prefers to lie low these days, there are plenty of changes in his life that most people are completely unaware of. And this includes a major change to his diet!

For example, did you know that Bill Clinton stopped eating meat over a decade ago to maintain his health after getting heart surgery? He cut out dairy, too, and he now lives on an entirely plant-based diet. This is quite surprising…after all, Clinton has been a meat-eater his entire life, so this change in diet represents a significant change in lifestyle.

Why did Clinton switch to a plant-based diet? What are the benefits, and what are the alternatives for those who don’t want to go full vegan? Keep reading to discover the answers!

Bill Clinton’s bombshell diet change

As the former governor of Arkansas (a state that exports plenty of chicken, among other kinds of animal-based protein), Bill Clinton is someone who you might expect to eat plenty of meat. And you would have been right…at least, until 2013. That was the year that the former president gave an interview to the AARP in which he revealed something truly shocking: “I’ve stopped eating meat, cheese, milk, even fish. No dairy at all.”

On top of that, Clinton revealed that he also tried to avoid eating highly processed carbohydrates whenever possible in order to protect his heart. This is a major change for the former president, one that stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who still loves eating food from McDonald’s and other fast food places. What, then, could make Clinton change his diet so much? The short answer is that he is trying to protect his health!

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What made the former president change how he eats?

Another thing you might not know about Bill Clinton is that heart disease runs in his family. He knew about it, of course, but didn’t take the risk very seriously. That all changed in 2004, when he had to undergo a quadruple bypass surgery because of health complications caused by his own heart disease. He later said that he should have seen this coming: in addition to having a family history of heart disease, he experienced multiple warning signs. Unfortunately, like most of us, he didn’t know what they meant until it was too late!

For Clinton, his surgery was a wake-up call, and he decided to significantly change his diet and lifestyle. Sadly, most men (75 percent of them, according to The Columbus Dispatch) don’t do this and continue the same habits that damaged their health in the first place. These days, Clinton is much more vigilant about the risks of heart disease: he better understands the risk of his old lifestyle and the warning signs that his health is in danger. However, the biggest step the former president took to reduce his risks of needing additional surgeries is to switch to a completely plant-based diet.

Why are plant-based diets so good for your health?

It’s one thing to know that Bill Clinton switched to a plant-based diet to reduce his risk of heart disease. But how does this particular dietary change help protect the former president’s health? The short answer is that vegetarian and vegan diets help to reduce the amount of cholesterol in a person’s body. And reducing cholesterol is, of course, one of the best ways to prevent heart disease.

While Clinton changed his diet in 2013, his decision to do so was reaffirmed by a more recent study. In 2023, the European Heart Journal published a study that found that plant-based diets significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. Specifically, they found that the effect of such a diet “corresponds to a third of the effect of taking cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins.” Furthermore, someone who stuck to a plant-based diet for five years would reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by seven percent. By combining this diet and the right medication, someone like Bill Clinton can give themselves the best possible protection against a range of heart-related issues!

RELATED: Eating Too Much Chicken Increases Your Risk Of a Deadly Disease

Are there any healthy alternatives to plant-based diets?

The benefits of a plant-based diet are well-known and have been studied for years. But what if you don’t want to make such a dramatic change? There are a few easier alternatives, including the Mediterranean diet. This is a diet that still emphasizes plants like fruits and veggies, but it also includes chicken, dairy, eggs, and fish.

Those are the foods that Bill Clinton avoids, but they provide some of their own special benefits. Plus, they give you more of a dietary variety, allowing you to make and consume plenty of different dishes. Many people around the world enjoy the flexibility of the Mediterranean diet, and it’s a great way to make your own diet that much healthier without giving up meat and dairy altogether!