Have you ever wondered which foods are the most healthful and which are to be avoided? This seemingly simple question actually is anything but, and the proof is that doctors, food experts, and nutritionists have pondered these questions for decades and still disagree.
But on January 7, the government gave all of us some crucial information. That’s when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) released the government’s latest dietary guidelines, and it raised many eyebrows because it differs greatly from guidelines released in the past.
The latest one puts red meat, cheese, and vegetables at the top and recommends that people eat fewer highly processed foods.
These are surprising because, in some cases, they turn the food pyramid upside down and what was considered bad before (red meat and saturated fat) is now good, and what was good is now bad. Even more surprising, the government acknowledged that previous food pyramids “wrongly discouraged” protein and healthy fats. Furthermore, it “promoted a war on saturated fats.” Kennedy described the new guidelines as “The most significant reset on nutrition policy in history.”
The government’s dietary guidelines are also important because they generate a great deal of business. According to NPR, the guidelines “Determine what’s served in school meals and on military bases, as well as what’s included in federal food aid.”
To be sure, some nutrition experts were quick to express significant criticism at the government’s approval of some of these foods. But, at the same time, they drew support from many knowledgeable and influential people.
One of these is Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon currently serving as the USDA National Advisor for Nutrition, Health and Housing and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the first Trump Administration.
Dr. Carson was encouraged by Kennedy’s announcement, and said “We’re actually starting to put some logic and common sense into food policy.”
Hopefully he’s right, because the health problems in the U.S. are unprecedented and in desperate need of healing. And experts believe the unhealthy food we eat is responsible for a significant portion of those problems.
The Best of Intentions…
The government’s dietary guidelines were first proposed in 1980 and have been revised several times since then. Unfortunately, through the years America’s health problems have become much worse.
“We’ve gone backwards since then,” said Dr. Carson. “We have increased rates of chronic disease, obesity in children and a whole host of diseases that are on the increase. And most perplexing is that life expectancy is going down instead of up and we have to ask ourselves ‘What’s going on?’” By comparison, in other industrialized nations, particularly in Europe, this is not happening.
And it’s important to note that other industrialized nations have just about declared war on highly processed foods. “We have to make sure that our meals have proteins in them. We need to plan our meals and not just grab and go because most likely they’d be empty calories.”
Dr. Carson acknowledges that it’s unlikely that many people will look at the food pyramid and suddenly make completely different food choices based on what they see. He hopes, however, that the latest dietary guidelines educate people about what is healthy and what is not, what foods are going to improve longevity and what are going to shorten life. With these new food guidelines “We can begin to move the needle in the right direction.”
Is Change Coming?
Will RFK and the Trump Administration be able to convince people to change their poor eating habits? Hopefully they will but, at best, they’ll have their work cut out for them and there are several reasons why. Following are just a few of them.
Over the years the nuclear family—a traditional family consisting of two parents (man and woman) and their children living in one house—has changed drastically. And along with this change there have been other important changes: family finances, work habits, and social interaction and leisure activities. All of these have contributed to changes in our eating habits.
For example, decades ago husbands went to work while most wives stayed at home; shopping and cooking were part of women’s responsibilities. Families ate home-cooked meals together with control over ingredients. These days, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 49.6% of married couples—nearly half of the population—have both spouses working. And many other households are led by a single parent.
That’s important because when both spouses work often neither of them has the time, energy, or patience to stand behind a stove and prepare healthy dinners. It’s a lot simpler to throw prepared food into the microwave. Though it may be tasty, it is likely to have significant amounts of sugar, carbohydrates, salt, and/or other ingredients that are unhealthy. And the same is true for breakfast and lunch. When people are rushing off to work or to school, muffins and donuts with milk are a simple solution that many reach for. Some single-family households may be even more pressured.
Many food companies share the blame because they sell products loaded with sugar, salt, high fructose syrups or related items that are good for the taste buds but not for our health. Even worse, the combination of being tasty, easily prepared and relatively inexpensive makes these foods almost addictive.
Another Problem
Bad habits are still another problem that contribute to weight gain and health problems. For example, people who want to break up the day with a snack are more likely to reach for a candy bar, sugary drink or ice cream instead of apple slices or nuts.
Similarly, at the end of the work/school day, watching a movie or listening to music is a fun way to unwind but it does not require doing even a minimal amount of exercise. And at least mild physical activity is important because it can strengthen the heart, help control weight, and help avoid serious disease among other benefits.
RFK did all of us a favor when he stood up to giant companies, powerful lobbies, and risked offending many millions of people when he presented new dietary guidelines that urge them to change their eating habits. That took a lot of courage and he deserves our thanks.
But will it be enough to make a difference? At this point it may take the collective effort of food companies, schools, the media and more to encourage tens of millions of people to make significant changes in their food choices. Healthy eating is an issue that also affects the frum community, often having larger families, higher food bills and tuition to contend with. Financial pressures may also factor into their food choices.
Eating healthy is a real issue and should be taken seriously. Fortunately, some food companies are getting the message and are developing healthier prepared meals and snacks.
Sources: AI Overview; bloomberg.com; bls.gov; newsnation.com; NPR.com; zerohedge.com. YouTube: Ben Carson, Food Guidelines; RFK’s New Food Pyramid Ends The War On Saturated Fat: The Government Finally Admitted They Were Wrong.
Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.