Recently, I read an article about what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eats in a typical day. He looks great, and I want to look great too. The main things that stood out were steak, plenty of fermented foods, and the fact that he sometimes eats just one meal. I’m definitely not a one-meal-a-day person, but the fermented foods part intrigued me enough to give it a try.

I ordered a 6-pack variety mix from Olive My Pickle that included dill pickles, garlic dill pickles, butter olives, mixed Mediterranean olives, carrot and dill sauerkraut, and kimchi. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical at first — fermented foods contain live bacteria, and I’ve always been used to the standard vinegar pickles you find in most stores.

My first bite was the butter olives, and they were absolutely delicious. That quickly led to trying the garlic dill pickles, which tasted just like the pickles I remembered from the 1960s. It made me realize how flat and one-dimensional today’s vinegar pickles have become. I saved the kimchi for last because I’d never tried it before and have sometimes been underwhelmed by certain international foods. Once everything else was gone, I finally gave it a chance — and to my surprise, it was genuinely delicious. I ended up ordering another 6-pack right away.

After that, I dove into the research on fermented foods and was impressed by the potential benefits. For the past three to four weeks, I’ve been eating 4–6 servings a day. Almost immediately, I noticed I felt more awake and alert — which is a big deal for someone who’s usually pretty lazy by nature. I’m still hoping the anti-inflammatory effects will eventually help with my achy knees, but I know that kind of improvement can take time, so I’m being patient.

Here’s a typical day of eating for me now:

Breakfast:
Two slices of toasted sourdough bread, three eggs, and about ¼ cup of sauerkraut.

Lunch:
Greek yogurt

Dinner:
Chicken thighs (or sometimes tuna, burger, or salmon), a vegetable side, and two more slices of toasted sourdough.

Snacks:
A pickle or a few olives throughout the day.

I’ve been able to hit my six servings of fermented foods daily while still staying within a reasonable salt range. So far, I’ve lost 45 pounds eating this way (over a year) and I genuinely feel much better overall. I’ve also been minimizing processed foods as much as possible — especially after learning about things like arsenic in chocolate and how many store-bought products seem designed to work against us.

If you’re even a little curious, I highly recommend giving real fermented foods a try. Just be sure to check the label — look for “fermented” or “live cultures,” not just “pickled.”

Happy eating!