Column #498         March 14, 20251940s New York

“Let’s start a relationship by letting go of any preconceptions that you may have about me,” he stated. “I’m going to keep asking questions but hold my preconceived answers lightly. I’m willing to be wrong,” Kennedy said.1

Every credible scientist is willing to be wrong. But way too many are influenced by political expediency. Whether it is promotions, grants, a job, tenure or what have you, as we learned during COVID, there’s way too many so-called scientists that are willing to support any position called upon. And we all know that Fauci was the worst of the worst.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is on a mission to restore not only the medical community’s scientific reputation, but also upgrade the American diet. On the food side of the ledger he’s not out to ban foods or package sizes. Rather, he wants consumers and food manufacturers to make smarter choices in order to advance food safety and transparency and protect the health of all Americans, especially our children.2

To begin with his meeting with food manufacturers this past Monday was a first step in that direction. There he mostly emphasized the elimination of toxins such as food dyes, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and various vegetable oils while cutting back on sugar and salt.3

Kennedy is also pushing to greatly improve school lunch menus away from heat-and-serve processed servings to actually prepared meals utilizing single ingredient products. This is to be coupled with teaching children about nutrition and the importance of eating real food. We all have heard the stories about letting children select deserts, while fruits and vegetables are tossed in the trash. It’s insane.

As nutritionists have noted for many decades now, “While lunches in many U.S. schools rely on processed and pre-packaged foods, other nations prioritize fresh, whole-food-based meals.” They also teach nutrition and its importance. The result of this is plain for all to see. In the many foreign countries that serve whole foods in schools there is no child obesity problems plus kids perform better.4

Here in America about 40% of teenagers now struggle with anxiety or depression. In 2023 a Harvard study suggested that “Those who ate the most ultraprocessed food, defined as at least nine servings per day, were 50% more likely to develop depression than participants who ate the least, which was defined as no more than four servings daily. Consuming many foods and drinks containing artificial sweeteners was linked to a particularly large increase in depression risk. The study was observational, meaning it couldn't prove ultraprocessed foods—which include items such as soda, chips, cookies, white bread, and ready-to-eat meals—cause depression, just that an association exists.”5

Another big step Kennedy has suggested is that “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on March 10 that it is seeking to terminate a rule allowing food manufacturers to use additives without formal regulatory approval. Since the 1970s “The Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) rule allows companies to self-approve the inclusion of additives in food items without requiring a review and the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. The rule enables manufacturers to add an ingredient even if the FDA has not determined its safety.

“On March 10, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the acting FDA commissioner to explore the possibility of eliminating the ‘self-affirmed GRAS pathway’ available to companies, the department said in a statement.”6

The consequences of the past 50 years of serving up “imitation” foods with “toxic” ingredients have had very visible consequences. Look at pictures of people back in the 1940s and you see the radical differences in obesity then compared to today. Even in the sixties it was rare for Americans to be overweight. Today, in Oklahoma obesity seems to be fashionable. The weight women (and men too) carry around on their bodies is truly amazing. So much so, that being overweight is not an anomaly, it’s “normal.”7

As legend has it, in 1927 a donut hole was 1½ inches across. In 1937 it was ⅞ inches across. Today a donut hole is ⅜ inches across. While you can still find donuts with large holes today, the donut hole example shows us a possible correlation with deep-fried dough and fat people. So we are what we eat.

We are a nation of snack food addicts. It’s a donut in the morning or a greasy egg McMuffin with 28 ingredients. A fast food meal for lunch usually includes deep-fried french fries with a coke. Then for dinner, since everyone’s so tired, it’s an inexpensive chain restaurant that specializes in heat and serve processed food rather than grass-fed beef steaks and wild caught seafood. The cook-meals-at-home crowd that uses single ingredient food selections is almost a thing of the past.

Today, taste and convenience is everything. Therefore, it’s eating out or shop the center isles of the grocery store where all the boxes, cans, bottles, and bags are. If you don’t know how to read the ingredient labels on boxes, cans, bottles, and bags you are risking your health. Even the frozen pizzas have so many ingredients it’s scary when you learn what they’re for. The meats, eggs, dairy, fruits and vegetables (single ingredient foods) are where the real nutrition resides—but even those foods take some sophistication, preparation, and a desire for better health to make them work.

Everything RFK, Jr is doing for us also applies in spades to our pets due to their shorter life spans.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

For additional reading:

1. RFK Jr. Lays Out His HHS Agenda: 'Nothing Is Going To Be Off Limits' by Debra Heine from American Greatness

2. Robert F. Kennedy Jr: "I Pray All Americans Stop Eating These Foods" Part 1

3. Food Safety in Focus at RFK Jr. Meeting as MAHA Influencers Urge 'Safeguarding' of America by Ashley J. DiMella By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

4. Is The US Last In The Lunch Line? by Michelle Standlee from The Epoch Times

5. Ultraprocessed Foods May Raise Depression Risks by Maureen Salamon from Harvard Women's Health Watch

6. RFK Jr. Seeks To End Rule Allowing Food Companies To Bypass FDA Ingredient Approval by Naveen Athrappully from The Epoch Times

7. Kennedy/MAHA News: A MAHA Meetup with the Titans of the Food Industry by Robert W Malone MD, MS