The Popular Food You Won't Find In Melania Trump's Diet

It's fascinating to pull back the curtain on the favorite foods of United States First Ladies. For instance, according to a 2024 Taste of Home article, Martha Washington preferred cured meat; Nancy Reagan loved red velvet cheesecake; and Hilary Rodham Clinton had (and perhaps has) a fondness for lamb. But what's even more interesting is to uncover what every First Lady wants off her menu. In the case of Melania Trump, the answer is raw fish.

As noted in a Hindustan Times article related to her 2024 book release, "Melania," the former First Lady is not a fan of raw fish, which means no sushi for her. In fact, she's so opposed to eating it that she asked that it not be served during a 2019 Presidential visit to Japan.

Melania Trump isn't alone. Despite the popularity of sushi, 15% of people revealed in a 2021 Mashed poll that they actually disliked raw fish. Ironically, many of them admitted they bought and ate it routinely anyway.

This brings up a question: Is it wrong to be weirded out (or grossed out) by the idea of eating raw fish? And is raw fish a healthy choice to begin with? For answers, Health Digest turned to Destini Moody, a board-certified specialist in sports nutrition and author for Garage Gym Reviews.

Aside from simply not liking sushi made from raw fish, is there a reason to choose cooked seafood instead? Perhaps. While we don't know why Melania Trump avoids sushi, Moody said that every time you chow down on a raw fish dish, you're opening yourself up to the possibility of developing a foodborne illness.

Specifically, Moody named "parasitic infections from worms and flukes as well as bacterial infections (also known as food poisoning) including salmonella and listeria" as the top toxic culprits. With that in mind, she said that "it makes sense that the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] recommends consuming cooked fish over raw when the risk of illness from the former is relatively low."

However, she was quick to add that she's seen studies that reveal that only 3% of domestic seafood tests positive for pathogens. In other words, the chances of you becoming sick after a sushi lunch or dinner are low.

"Generally, the reported cases of foodborne illness from sushi specifically are very rare for healthy individuals," explained Moody. "In spite of that, it must be said that people with weak immune systems have a much higher risk of contracting infections, such as the elderly, young children, and HIV patients." Pregnant women should also avoid sushi since a listeria infection could harm the fetus, she added. There is also a potential risk of mercury contamination with certain sushi fishes, such as big-eye tuna, so women should avoid these during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Does this mean you have to give up your sushi? Maybe, but only if you're someone with a compromised immune system, you're a young child, you're an older person, you're pregnant — or you're Melania Trump.

Of course, you and she could always opt for a type of sushi that either features cooked fish, a processed fish substitute, or vegetable and fruit ingredients. For example, Tasting Table shows a recipe for California rolls that are made with imitation crab. Since the imitation crab has already been cooked and cooled, it's not actually raw. Healthline says that because it's pasteurized and processed, any lingering bacteria from the raw fish should be gone.

There are also other kinds of sushi without raw fish. Another Tasting Table article offers 16 variations of vegan, vegetarian, and other sushi rolls — all free from any raw fish. That way, if you're in the same "no raw fish for me" boat as Melania Trump, you can still hang out with your friends at the nearest Japanese restaurant and actually order something that pleases your palate from the menu.