Former US President Bill Clinton’s journey to the White House was said to have been fuelled by a diet consisting of meat, french fries, sugar and little else.
One insider recalls how Bill Clinton could wolf down six pork chops a day and was known to gobble half a strawberry cake in a single sitting.
Another story tells of an aide having to step in after he bought a dozen doughnuts during a campaign stop in New Hampshire to prevent him polishing off the lot.
Now one cunning former White House chef has revealed how he was able to fool President Clinton by secretly slipping low-fat ingredients into his favorite dishes.
Marty Mongiello was so concerned he might be contributing to the early death of a president that he began experimenting “like a mad scientist” with healthy alternatives.
He began using pureed rice mixed with milk as a substitute for cream, soy paste instead of beef stock, tofu instead of cheese and splenda instead of sugar.
In 1993, First Lady Hillary Clinton became so concerned about her husband’s penchant for junk food, that she brought in diet guru Dr. Dean Ornish to work with the White House chefs who were used to preparing calorie-laden French cuisine.
Together they created a healthy menu with dishes like stir fry vegetables with tofu, and salmon with vegetables.
Once after preparing a naughty-looking fettuccine Alfredo starter for the Clintons at Camp David, Marty Mongiello was summoned to the table by concerned Hilary Clinton.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Marty Mongiello recalls a waiter telling him: “She wants to see you out there. Dude, you’re gonna get fired.”
“She said, <<Look, there’s cream, there’s cheese – these things are illegal>>. And I just explained how I made it.”
“Her reaction was: <<Wow, I can’t believe it. We thought those were a thing of the past>>.
“She wasn’t mad or anything, she was just really concerned about her husband’s health.”
Another dish that fooled Bill Clinton was a tofu cheesecake which used egg-whites and low-calorie cream cheese.
Despite the low fat regime Bill Clinton still struggled with his weight during his two terms as president.
At his annual physical in 1999, his physician noted the president had gained 18 lbs in two years.
When Bill Clinton left office his eating habits went downhill and in 2004 he had a quadruple heart bypass and was forced to adjust his diet once again.
Then in 2010 after doctors implanted two stents to open one of the veins from that surgery Bill Clinton adopted a vegan diet and has since lost a reported 24 lbs.
