The Former US President Who Always Ate Steak For Breakfast
President William Howard Taft was known for enjoying a serious slab of beef every morning. Steak for breakfast is a decadent, protein-packed choice, and it makes sense a president would choose to order it more mornings than not. According to a memoir written by Elizabeth Jaffray, the chief housekeeper who worked at the White House during Taft's presidency, President Taft was known for eating a 12-ounce steak most mornings. While steak and eggs were a popular breakfast of the time, the president wasn't a fan of eggs, and typically enjoyed an abundance of toast, fruit, and super-sweet, super-creamy coffee alongside his steak.
Favorite breakfasts of U.S. presidents are actually quite varied, including everything from President Donald Trump's go-to bacon and eggs to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's jelly donuts. One thing that many presidents had in common with Taft, however, is a love for steak. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush all vary widely in how they liked to order their steak.
President William Taft kept steak on the menu even as his diet changed over time
President Taft was an absolute foodie, but over time, he started to experience health issues related to his weight (like heartburn and restless sleep) and reached out to an English physician for help. He hired weight loss professional Dr. Nathaniel Yorke-Davies, who recommended that Taft diet, exercise, and keep a food diary.
The diet plan still allowed Taft to have grilled meat daily — and according to Elizabeth Jaffray, his go-to breakfast meat was still a slab of steak (he halved his portion size, however). Breakfast wasn't the only time the president enjoyed steak. It was normal for him to eat steak multiple times each day (sometimes, his meals got started with a helping of turtle soup, a once-popular dish that's illegal to make today). Taft continued to struggle with his weight, but stuck with his quest to feel better, and eventually lost 70 pounds after he left the Oval Office. Some physicians today have praised Taft's efforts to become his healthiest self, and others have said his weight loss efforts — including his commitment to eating lean grilled meat, like steak, every day — showed he was actually following a diet similar to the low-carb plans many people follow today when trying to lose weight.