Now that Thanksgiving is behind us (best American Holiday because no chotch is exchanged.) . . . and what we consumed is nobody's business, let's talk about Trump's pick of Robert F Kennedy Jr as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services.
"The former environmental attorney - who still must face confirmation by the Senate - is considered by many to be a controversial pick, given his history of making baseless health claims, including that vaccines can cause autism and that wifi technology causes cancer." (Madeline Halbert / "Can JFK Jr Make America's diet healthy again?" BBC World)
But you know what? Anything would be better than what the food industry has been getting away with in this country. When I google "the American diet" here is what comes up:
The American diet, also known as the Standard American Diet (SAD) or the Western Pattern diet, is characterized by, (1) High in fat, sodium, added sugar and calories additives and glyphosate, (2) Low in fruits, vegetable, whole grains, legumes, nut and seeds. It is rich in processed foods, fast food, fried foods, red meat, processed meat, sugar-laden, starchy baked goods, refined grains washed down with sugar-sweetened drinks.
What are the leading chronic health issues in the United States?
An estimated 129 million people in the US have at least one major chronic disease (eg. heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, hypertension) as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services.
What is America's biggest chronic health issue?
Repeat: Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are significant risk factors for all of the above.Oh yes, and stroke and depression.
So maybe we should give this new guy a chance, since none of the previous administrations seems to have made a dent in the American (Titanic, as in tragically flawed) diet, going all the way back to John F Kennedy (1961 - 63, RFK Jr's uncle). What did he do?
President John F. Kennedy took many actions to improve the health of Americans, including: improving access to health care. (He proposed a bill to provide medical care insurance to the elderly, including hospital and nursing home and home nursing benefits. He also called for increasing the quality and availability of community health services. Improving physical fitness. JFK believed that physical fitness was a federal responsibility. He reinvigorated the President's Council on Physical Fitness, and encouraged Americans to be more active. Establishing the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. JFK established this institute to support research on intellectual disabilities, maternal and child health, and human development. Submitting the Affordable Health Choices Act. JFK submitted this act to the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, though he was unable to participate due to his cancer treatment.
If Robert F Kennedy can get the damn colors out of Fruit Loops (FDA- approved, Red 40, Yellow 6 and Blue 1) I applaud him. He is absolutely right when he says: "We are betraying our children by letting (food) industries poison them." Maybe that sounds hyperbolic to some, but not to me. It sounds refreshing! It's about time someone close to the top said that, don't you think?
(Article changed on Dec 01, 2024 at 4:33 PM EST)
