His voracious appetite and love of all things lardy became the stuff of legend.
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 the 6ft 2ins Clinton could wolf down six pork chops a day and was known to gobble half a strawberry cake in a single sitting.
Bill Clinton's poor diet is the stuff of legend, but one cunning White House chef has told how he put him on secret diet by creating low-fat alternatives of favourite dishes
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 the president by secretly slipping low-fat ingredients into his favourite 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.
Junk food fan: President Clinton and first lady Hillary enjoy hotdogs at the New York State Fair in 2000
Meat the president: Clinton prepares to carve a turkey on Thanksgiving in Camp David in 2000
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.
THE 'HEALTHY' CHEESECAKE THAT FOOLED A PRESIDENT
INGREDIENTS:
- 8oz firm tofu
- 1/4 cup semi-skimmed ricotta
- 40z light cream cheese
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2large egg white
- 3tbs light Irish cream liquor (optional)
- 1 tbsp coffee liquor (optional)
Method:
- Mix ingredients in a processor
- Pour into 10" pan sprayed with vegetable oil
- Bake for 1 hour on the middle rack
- Spread with 1/2 cup of fat free sour cream or yogurt mixed with vanilla extract and honey
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, Mr Mongiello was summoned to the table by concerned Hilary.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Mr 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 Mr Clinton was a tofu cheesecake which used egg-whites and low-calorie cream cheese.
Despite the low fat regime Mr Clinton struggled with his weight during his two terms as president.
At his annual physical in 1999, his physician noted the president had gained 18 pounds in two years.
When he 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 he adopted a vegan diet and ha since lost a reported 24lbs.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2400866/How-White-House-chef-junk-food-loving-Bill-Clinton-secret-diet.html#ixzz2coJ5kn4f
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
