Today, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will visit Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami to highlight a first-of-its-kind initiative connecting local farms directly with health care providers. This partnership with HHS’ Take Back Your Health initiative will bring fresh, nutrient-dense food and medically tailored meals to patients, including children in pediatric oncology units.
Earlier this year, the federal government released new dietary guidelines, the nutrition standards that shape everything from school lunches to federal food programs across the country. The message from the HHS and the Department of Agriculture was simple: Americans need to get back to eating real food.
Bob Rommel is the chair of America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Florida chapter. (courtesy, Bob Rommel)
What Americans eat shows up in how long we live — and how well. The updated dietary guidelines turn that simple, timeless truth into practical guidance for American families.
That issue is personal for me. My mom made breakfast in the morning and packed our lunches for school. We ate a home-cooked dinner almost every night. There were vegetables, usually a salad, and something simple for protein. If you finished everything on your plate, you might get dessert.
We were not wealthy. Fast food was rare, and even then, not cheap. Looking back now, I realize something else: No one in my family struggled with weight. My parents did not talk about diets, nutrition plans or health trends. We simply ate real food, and we thrived as a result.
My childhood shapes how I think about the health of Americans today. It leads me to ask one question: Are Americans actually healthier now?
Americans are living longer, according to the Social Security Administration, from an average of 71 years for men and 77 years for women in 1945 to 82 years for men and 86 for women today. But longevity alone does not tell the full story.
Health care spending in the United States continues to rise at an alarming pace. Americans spent more than $4.5 trillion on health care in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control. By comparison, the European Union, which has a similar population, spent roughly $2 trillion that same year. Americans spend far more than anyone else while experiencing far worse outcomes.
Waste, fraud and abuse are part of the reason. Prescription drug costs remain significantly higher in the United States than in Europe. But corruption and cost are secondary to the real culprit: our national diet.
Americans have gotten heavier. In 1945, the average American male weighed between 160 and 170 pounds, while the average female weighed between 130 and 145 pounds. Today, the average American male weighs about 199 pounds and the average female weighs about 172 pounds.
New fast-food chains appear every year. Eating out is quick and convenient. Not surprisingly, far fewer families regularly eat meals together. Only 38% of Gen Z Americans eat at home on a regular basis, according to the Survey Center on American Life.
The shift away from home cooked meals has changed both how and what Americans eat. Easily accessible, processed foods have become the default option for millions. Obesity rates have climbed dramatically, with devastating consequences. Obesity is linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and many cancers.
During my time as a legislator, I saw another side of the issue. Pharmaceutical companies regularly came to lawmakers to promote the newest drug designed to treat chronic illness. These medications can help people live longer, and they have an important role in modern medicine. But they cannot address the underlying causes of many of the diseases we are trying to manage. They cannot provide prevention. And that invaluable prevention is exactly what the new dietary guidelines provide.
The goal of the new guidelines is straightforward. Encourage Americans to eat real food and reduce highly processed foods while making it easier for families to make healthier choices. This is all recommendation, not mandate; there is no federal guideline that can force someone to eat broccoli instead of pizza. But good guidance can help families and school cafeterias make better choices.
If we want to reduce health care costs, strengthen American families, and ensure that the next generation grows up healthier than the last, we must return to the basics that once defined American life.
That means more meals at home. It means more real food. It means fewer highly processed and addictive shortcuts. Hospitals and pharmacies and insurance companies cannot alone make America healthy again. Americans can. And that journey starts at the dinner table.
Bob Rommel is the chair of America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Florida chapter.