America the beautiful?

Happy 4th I guess? I never really ever celebrated the day as "Independence Day", but after this week what are we celebrating exactly? I have no idea.

I wrote the following newsletter at around 11:00 PM last night, full of sadness and rage. I definitely have concerns with the current state of affairs in the country, and the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill confirmed my worries. Anyway, I felt the need to quickly get out my thoughts, so please excuse any errors or mistakes. You know, because I’m human and not a robot.

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On to today’s newsletter…

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I am so angry. I am also really scared. And I feel like shit. The Big Beautiful Bill passed as most of us knew it would. With a 218-214 vote, Republicans danced to YMCA in celebration as they took away healthcare and food access for millions, increased military and ICE budgets, all to make a bunch of rich people richer. Make it make sense, because for a party that claims to be pro-life, it’s not making any sense.

How do you convince people to care about others? Actually, the question should be, why on earth do we have to convince people to care about others? How do you explain to people that only thinking of oneself as an individual and not as the collective is not helping anyone? I have to be honest, I am tired and feel a bit defeated. It’s hard to constantly talk about fighting and persevering when every single time we take a step forward, we wind up taking two steps back because some people are selfish, ignorant, and don’t seem to care.

I went about my day on Thursday, July 3rd, as I normally would, but deep down, I was waiting for the news alert to pop up on my phone regarding the bill. Working in public health during this regime administration has been no easy feat. I currently work for New York City under a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) grant-funded program. Yes, the same SNAP that is now on the chopping block. My program conducts nutrition lessons with both children and adults in low-income neighborhoods, teaching them useful ways to eat healthy within their budget. But apparently this is considered unnecessary and even “fraudulent” by the administration since many of the educational programs they want to cut.

This is highly ironic considering the Republicans currently speak of MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) and being so concerned with the health of Americans. All of the conversations regarding food dyes, additives, preservatives, and vitamins that can’t be pronounced are a distraction from what will actually make Americans healthy - having ACCESSIBLE and AFFORDABLE healthcare. Having ACCESSIBLE and AFFORDABLE food choices. Safe housing, safe and modern infrastructure, clean water, clean air, affordable housing, equal and equitable education. Millions of Americans are about to lose their healthcare and access to food altogether, but sure, let’s constantly promote and talk about organic foods as the end-all be-all cure for health.

It’s frustrating and annoying to hear, “It doesn’t matter if you vote red or blue because this is an American issue.” Umm, yeah, it actually matters if you vote red or blue because there is one specific political group that is deciding some lives are worthy and others, not so much. Of course, all political parties have their faults and are in need of a serious overhaul. Not to mention that having only a real choice of two parties is a problem, BUT it’s obvious that one side is like “maybe we should think about letting people keep their healthcare,” and the other party is like “no, because the billionaires need to pay less taxes.”

It’s also ridiculous to have seen so many of my fellow colleagues in healthcare celebrate MAHA. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen posts along the line of “not supporting Trump particularly, but excited about the possibility of nutrition being highlighted by MAHA.” I hope they are happy. I hope that the repercussions of what will soon be insurance limitations for their clients, longer hospital wait times, and a Health Secretary who is anti-vaccine, are exactly what they were hoping for. “It’s okay to care about the state of health.” Yes, it is, and no one is saying it’s not okay. But supporting a party that is actively and intentionally making sure that certain demographics never get an equal opportunity to experience health (yes, of course, there are genetics) kind of cancels out the care in which you speak of.

Current mood

So yes, I am angry and scared. Personally speaking, I am scared about my job and wondering what will happen to the program and the communities it serves. I am scared for the millions of children who will not be able to eat and access food at school. I am scared for my father, who is in a nursing home and might be affected by Medicaid cuts. I am also scared for the millions of people I don’t know who will be affected by this. I am scared for the immigrants in this country who are contributing and bettering us as a country. I am scared for those who rely on SNAP, aka food stamps. You see, I can empathize with others, even if I don’t walk in their shoes. It’s actually not that hard to think and care about how certain actions will affect others. But many people, unfortunately, don’t care about issues or concerns that don’t affect them personally.

So now what? I have no idea, which sounds horrible, but I am tired, disheartened, and also human. It’s hard to constantly fight for a country that constantly tells you it hates you. I know this feeling won’t last because this too shall pass, but right now I’m tired and sad. When I heard the news on Thursday, I decided to go to my ballet class as I usually do. It was the distraction that I needed, but then I almost broke down on the train ride home because it all came back to me about what happened today. I was teary-eyed, and honestly, the New York City train is the perfect place to cry because no one will bother you. Sometimes you just need to get out your feelings, and New Yorkers know this. I also ordered Chinese takeout, watched the hot mess that is Love Island USA, and then wrote this newsletter.

Listen, I am human and have my emotions like any other human. I am currently numb, but eventually I will get it together and figure out how to persevere like others. I am sure that many of you reading this also have the same thoughts and feelings. What I can do, though, is leave you with eating advice for these unprecedented times. I am a dietitian after all. If you are noticing a change in appetite, which is completely normal when we are stressed, here are some helpful tips.

*The below is some super generic advice. Remember, I’m a dietitian but not your personal dietitian, so this is not individualized. Yes, I have to give this disclaimer because, well, the interwebs.*