I'm Miriam Ava, the ambassador of good taste. I share messages that matter, one Dispatch at a time.
The launch of Dr. Mark Hyman's latest book The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet at ABC Home served as the launchpad for a spirited conversation about the future of food. Joined by his friend Congressman Tim Ryan, author of The Real Food Revolution, Hyman spelled out the direct link between food and health and how it impacts us all every day, from the school cafeteria to the family dinner table. "We need to take back our kitchen," Hyman emphasizes. "We're only one meal away from changing America and America's health."
The sentiment that the food system as it is now must be transformed so America can thrive was clear. The seeming agricultural advancement and convenience of GMO, antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides has not only led to a deterioration in the health of Americans, it's also alienated them from their food. As Ryan suggests, "We need to teach people how to plant, grow, pick, cook, and eat real food." "Every school," he continues, "needs to have a garden, and a kitchen, and a salad bar."
E pluribus unum: It's up to the individual, though, to initiate and support change in their neck of the woods. "All of us need to be activists in the communities we live in," Ryan states. "Health happens where we live," Hyman seconds. "Getting healthy is a team sport and everybody needs a buddy." Special guest Vani Hari, the Food Babe, chimed in from the audience that "we have the power to change."
The desire for freedom is deeply ingrained in the American DNA, and since good health is freedom from the bondage of disease, one wonders when Americans will be fed up with voting for garbage packaged nicely and advertised as awesome. Maybe this is a good time to listen to your doctor: "Food is my best drug to use to treat patients," Hyman shares. Isn't that revolutionary?