Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy was joined by boxing legend Mike Tyson, medical experts and other Trump administration officials Wednesday as they laid out additional details about a revamped food pyramid they said will “fix” chronic health conditions among American children.
Kennedy said the new food pyramid, announced in January, will help combat rising rates of obesity, diabetes and metabolic disorders among the nation’s children.
“This is not a small crisis,” he said. “This is the defining health crisis of our time.”
The new guidelines place more emphasis on protein, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, guidance from the administration said. It calls for people to avoid highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates.
Kennedy took issue with previous administrations for allowing billions of dollars in food subsidies to go toward what he described as “ultraprocessed” food items
“The change started because of President Donald Trump because he had the courage to take on the big food industry and challenge the status quo and put healthy American families and American children first,” Kennedy said.
“He refused to accept the system that made our kids sick and called it normal. He told us to fix it and we are now fixing it. That is leadership.”
Kennedy said the goal is to make “healthy, affordable food accessible to every American.”
Flanked by posters of himself and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sporting what appeared to be facial tattoos inspired by Tyson’s, Kennedy welcomed the boxing legend to the stage. Tyson appeared in a Super Bowl ad sponsored by the Make America Healthy Again Center that disparaged processed foods and obesity.
Speaking Wednesday, Tyson said ultraprocessed food was “the norm” where he grew up in Brooklyn. He blamed obesity for his sister’s death at age 25.
“This is the biggest fight of life. ” want to be a hero in this particular field because it affects my life,” he said, adding that he has an “affinity” for people he sees who have obesity.
“I want to be close to them. I want to talk to them. I want to be their friend.
“I say, ‘hey you remind me of my sister.'”
Critics of the revamped food pyramid and Make America Healthy Again campaign in the Trump administration say they overly simplify the complicated issues surrounding the causes of obesity, genetics and what it means for foods to be processed.
Marissa Karp, a registered dietitian, told Huffpost that “processed foods” are more than just sodas and candy.
“Processing exists on a spectrum, and many processed foods like yogurt or pre-cut vegetables are nutritious and accessible,” she said.
While dietitians have praised the emphasis on healthy proteins, fats and gut health, they have taken issue with fiber not playing a priority and a lack of guidelines on alcohol and sodium.
This week in Washington
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., looks on as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a press conference after weekly Senate Republican caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
