EMILY STACK: Trump Administration Delivers On Promise To Make America’s Kids Healthy Again
For years, American mothers have navigated the complex maze of feeding their children meals they want to eat, while also worrying about obesity, chronic illness, and the many unhealthy offerings crowding every grocery…
For years, American mothers have navigated the complex maze of feeding their children meals they want to eat, while also worrying about obesity, chronic illness, and the many unhealthy offerings crowding every grocery aisle and school cafeteria. Now, in a historic step, the Trump Administration is poised to deliver landmark recommendations that promise to empower moms to improve the health of their children.
The “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Commission, led by Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., presented President Trump with a plan to finally tackle obesity and chronic disease among our nation’s children.
The original MAHA assessment released in May painted a stark picture about the health of our kids. It found that more than one in five children over age six are obese, marking a more than 270 percent increase since the 1970s. Pre-diabetes now affects over one in four teens, having more than doubled in just two decades. Childhood cancer has surged nearly 40% since 1975, while autism spectrum disorder affects one in 31 children today.
These statistics are startling. But they are also a call to action among moms and HHS under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership.
The MAHA initiative provides a clear road map for making our kids healthy again. Now that the federal government is committed to combatting factors fueling childhood obesity, moms can be empowered to push schools to provide healthier natural foods, and less processed snacks. Giving moms the tools to make informed choices is key.
This would represent a massive change to the status quo that is making kids sick. While it may be shocking for parents to hear that nearly 70 percent of children’s calories now come from processed foods, knowledge is power. Having this data empowers parents to demand better options that can be both healthy and delicious.
For too long, healthy has been seen by kids as synonymous with bland. But herbs and spices can play a central role in changing that. When we think of spices we think of flavor but there’s more to spices than flavor, there are health benefits as well.