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In a NY Times article titled “Obama After Dark” that ran in early July, they reported that the president enjoys an evening snack of exactly seven almonds. Sam Kass, the Obama’s former chef, told them: “Michelle and I would always joke: Not six. Not eight. Always seven almonds.” The Paper of Record regrets the error…

In an interview that aired Thursday morning on NBC’s Today show, Obama set the record straight: “Well, this is an example of the weird way that the press work. So Michelle and Sam Kass, who was our chef here, one night they were talking about me and teasing me about how disciplined I was, that I didn’t have potato chips or I didn’t have a piece of cake. And this is when Michelle said, ‘Yes, and he just has seven almonds. That’s it.’ To really drive home the point that I needed to loosen up a little bit. And Sam relayed this joke to the NY Times and somehow it was relayed as if I was counting out the seven almonds.”

Obama says friends were contacting him, worried that the behavior seemed “a little anal… kind of weird.”

While Obama maintains that “almonds are a good snack” he may have more or less than seven on any given day. He did not comment on chocolate-covered almonds.

“I am so glad I had this opportunity,” he joyously declared. “This has been really weighing on me.”