Kennedy to host cooking show with focus on inexpensive meals

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a show geared toward teaching Americans how to cook healthy, inexpensive meals.

“Thanks to President Trump, we flipped the food pyramid and put real food back where it belongs: at the center of the American plate,” Kennedy said in a video he posted Wednesday to YouTube touting “The Real Food Show.” 

“I’m traveling across America, connecting with renowned chefs to show families how to cook delicious, nutritious meals with real ingredients, and all at affordable prices,” the HHS secretary added. “America, it’s time to eat real food. Let’s get cooking.”

The show’s first episode aired Thursday on YouTube, with Kennedy and celebrity chef Andrew Gruel teaming up to prepare crispy salmon cakes with apple, white beans and green salad.

In January, Kennedy unveiled new dietary guidelines for Americans, placing vegetables, fruits, proteins, dairy and healthy fats at the top of the food pyramid and whole grains at the bottom.

The guidelines also called on Americans to avoid “highly processed foods” and refined carbohydrates. The move was part of Kennedy’s efforts to address the root causes of chronic disease.

“Diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduce disease risk more effectively than many drugs,” Kennedy said at a White House press briefing outlining the changes. “All grains outperform refined carbohydrates.”

“Added sugars, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, drive metabolic disease, and today, our government declares war on added sugar, highly processed foods loaded with additives, added sugar and excess salt.” 

To lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, known as “bad” cholesterol, the Mayo Clinic recommends eating fiber-rich foods such as oats, beans and apples; filling your plate with fruits and vegetables; and eating whole grains instead of refined grains.

Kennedy told USA Today his new cooking show aims to convince Americans that eating healthier does not cost more.

The price of food at home and away from home both rose by 0.2 percent from May to June, according to the consumer price index, a popular measure of inflation. 

“When we published the dietary guidelines, there was immediately sort of a good reaction, but also a little trepidation from the public and from critics saying that this food is a lot more expensive than the ultraprocessed food that we’ve been eating,” Kennedy told USA Today. “And that’s not true.”