Let me tell you, I just watched a video with RFK Jr. and Dr. Mark Hyman, and boy, did it hit me like a ton of bricks. They’re out here talking about the #1 cause of obesity, diabetes, and illness in this country—and it’s not just about the food we’re eating. It’s about the system that’s feeding us.
You’d think it would be common knowledge by now that what we eat directly impacts our health. But no, we’re still out here drowning in a sea of ultra-processed, chemical-laden garbage, and no one’s talking about why this has become the norm. This isn’t about a lack of willpower or people not knowing better—it’s about the system being rigged to keep us sick, dependent, and profitable for Big Food and Big Pharma.
Dr. Hyman laid it out plain and simple: the food system we’ve got isn’t designed to make us healthy; it’s designed to make money. Think about it—how much of what’s sitting on grocery store shelves is real food? How much of it is made to sit there for months, pumped full of preservatives, dyes, and additives that our bodies don’t even recognize as food? And yet, we’re told these are “convenient options” because they’re cheap and easy to grab.
But cheap food comes at a cost. It’s costing us our health. It’s costing us our children’s future. And it’s keeping us in this vicious cycle where we’re so sick from the food we eat that we have to turn to medications that mask the symptoms but never address the root cause.
RFK Jr. hit on something that really stuck with me. He said that the government isn’t just complicit in this—it’s actively enabling it. Subsidies for monoculture crops like corn and soy are what make the junk food cheap. Meanwhile, small farms like mine, the ones trying to grow real food, are fighting an uphill battle because we don’t get that kind of support. The system is designed to keep real food expensive and fake food cheap. Why? Because sick people make money.
Look, I’m not saying this to scare you or make you feel bad for the choices you’ve made. Hell, I’ve been there too. I grew up eating the same processed junk because it’s what was available and affordable. But once I started learning about what it was doing to my family’s health, I knew we had to make a change. My oldest son’s food allergies and behavioral reactions were my wake-up call. That’s when I started looking at labels, cutting out the crap, and realizing that if we don’t take control of what’s on our plates, no one else is going to do it for us.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about taking small steps to reclaim our health and push back against a system that doesn’t have our best interests at heart. Start by shopping local. Get to know your farmers. Ask questions about how your food is grown. If you can’t find local options, start with the outer edges of the grocery store—fresh produce, meats, and dairy. Skip the aisles filled with boxes and bags.
It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. Every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of food system you want to see. Do you want to keep funding a system that’s making us sicker, or do you want to invest in your health and your family’s future?
We’ve got a long way to go, but I truly believe that if enough of us demand better, we can create change. It starts with what we put on our plates. Because honestly? The system isn’t going to fix itself.
Until next time,
Traci
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