I recently listened to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Brooke L. Rollins Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture announce their plan to “Make America Healthy Again.” I’ve read the new food guidelines … twice. I’ve talked to a few friends and relatives about their diets. I’ve examined my own eating habits. I just can’t overlook some of the obvious flaws in this plan and I feel compelled to offer up a few comments and questions.
First, a little background. I have no training in nutrition. I’m an old woman, a retired kindergarten teacher, with a lot of good and bad experience with food. My grandmother owned a café and food was a central part of our life. My great-aunt was a school cook. Every family event was celebrated with food. I ended up addicted to sweets and sodas, but ultimately found my way back to health and lost eighty pounds. Since then, I’ve been much more aware of the power of food.
Secretary Kennedy claims that the message of the new guidelines is “simple: eat real food.” While I agree that much of what we see in the supermarket is totally artificial, I don’t think eating “real food” is automatically healthy. I’ve seen what some of my friends and relatives have done to a potato dug out of their own garden. Topping it with butter, sour cream, cheese, salt, and bacon bits hardly qualifies. And real food has to be eaten in real portions, not the huge, “win a contest” portions often seen on social media.
I’m an amateur historian and genealogist, so I also take issue with the statement that we are making America healthy “again.” Kennedy stated that we have been overweight for decades. My own study shows a long history of chronic diseases and plagues and pandemics. An admired group of Caddo businessmen and leaders of 1904 was fondly referred to as the “Fat Men’s Club,” and they certainly were. Every man weighed over 200 pounds. So when was America healthy?
The guidelines state that we must return to “nutrient-dense” foods. We must reduce our consumptions of processed foods, added sugars, excess sodium, etc. Kennedy states that: “For decades, federal incentives have promoted low-quality, highly processed foods and pharmaceutical intervention instead of prevention. This crisis is the result of poor policy choices; inadequate nutrition research; and a lack of coordination across federal, state, local, and private partners.” However, a quick review of the 20152020 food guidelines shows the same advice about nutrient-dense foods, sugar, salt, and processed foods. Don’t those years include Trump’s first term?
One of the purposes of the new guidelines is to help the cattle industry recover from their recent slump. “We are realigning our food system to support American farmers, ranchers, and companies who grow and produce real food — and the Trump administration is working to ensure all families can afford it … Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring common sense, scientific integrity, and accountability to federal food and health policy—and we are reclaiming the food pyramid and returning it to its true purpose of educating and nourishing all Americans.” A food pyramid has been available to the American public since 1992. Proof that information is not enough to motivate compliance.
There are little inconsistencies in the guidelines. We’re supposed to avoid excess sodium, but the guidelines suggest flavoring meat or vegetables with “salt, spices, and herbs.” We’re also advised to eat butter or beef tallow, even though decades of past guidelines have noted the dangers of saturated fats. My grandmother saved bacon grease and cooked with it. Are we to return to similar habits? The consumption of full-fat dairy is now encouraged, but school lunch programs have served reducedfat milk for generations. Wasn’t there a science-based reason for that?
Unfortunately, the guidelines give little consideration to the cultural food preferences of our citizens. I would imagine that the suggestion to “significantly reduce” the consumption of flour tortillas is going to be ignored. Many countries include far more fish or plant-based dishes in their diets and produce healthier citizens.
Secretary Kennedy says that the change begins now. However, the change can’t take place only at the supermarket. Nutrition education needs to be given more respect in school. We need to eliminate junk food from the school lunch program. I recently reviewed school menus from OK, TX, CA, VT, UT, LA, and Washington D.C. While there have been improvements, you will still find glazed donuts, cinnamon rolls, sweetened cereal, corn dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets, and fried foods offered to children. And there are items like “Doritos Walking Nachos.” Does that sound real to you?
We can make a lot of progress by rethinking our use of food as entertainment. We can’t keep using sugar as a reward for every accomplishment in life. We can’t make a “first trip” to the local burger joint a right of passage for toddlers. We can’t replace the milk bottle with the soda bottle.
I don’t think we can make America healthy again, but perhaps we can make a few changes that will help us make America healthier.