Reggie Love, a former Duke University basketball and football star, recently published a memoir about his time as then Senator Barack Obama’s “right-hand man” during his first presidential campaign in 2007. Business Insider took a peak inside Power Forward: My Presidential Education, which details many of President Obama’s pet peeves—including his picky eating habits. Though they shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his strong feelings about guacamole.
Some of the biggest lessons Love learned was that Obama hates, HATES, mayonnaise and won’t go anywhere near the condiment, even though it is frequently found on sandwiches, his “ideal food.” For the most part, Obama eats a diet that would be approved by his wife and healthy eating advocate Michelle. Obama orders his chicken and fish grilled, not battered and he avoids fried foods and fast food for the most part (though he has made a couple of visits to McDonald’s) . He doesn’t drink soda or coffee and prefers green tea or orange juice in the morning.
While he eats healthy, salads aren’t Obama’s favorite because “it’s difficult to eat salad in the car.” But if he is going to eat a bunch of leafy greens, they better be doused in ranch dressing or a vinaigrette. When it comes to energy bars, don’t ever give Obama one with fruit pieces in it, gum that comes wrapped in small pieces of paper, or trail mix that has chocolate candy.
Love recounts Obama’s reaction after buying the wrong type of trail mix for the future president: “The senator opened the bag of trail mix I’d bought and proceeded to pick out every M&M, holding them all in his palm like pieces of candy-coated toxic waste. ‘I’m not going to eat these,’ he said while pushing his hand in my general direction.” FLOTUS should be proud.
[via Business Insider]