Making America healthy for who?

All I'm asking for are some precedented times and not a panic attack with every news alert.

I’m tired. I mean, really tired. I became a dietitian because I care about health. I would think that many of us working in the health field had similar goals. I care about people getting nutrient-rich foods, and even though I talk about how necessary, processed foods are (because of cost, disabilities, shelf stableness, etc.), I would love for everyone to have the choice to access fresh produce. I also would love for everyone to live in a country where people can afford to live off of a minimum wage and don’t have to work multiple full-time jobs to barely survive. I would also love to live someplace where a work-life balance is honored. Instead, we are told to work for it and earn our keep, and maybe, just maybe, we can get the crumbs of the pie. Not a piece of the pie, but the crumbs. And the crumbs are on the floor.

What America currently feels like

We are truly in the Upside Down

We are not even a full month in with our new administration, and hell has already broken loose. I personally was giving the shit show at least a few months, but that was wishful thinking. DEI initiatives have been disbanded due to pressure from our administration. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion apparently are so threatening to the American people. The conservative party is screaming at how we need merit-based hiring, which is comical considering that not one single person in that administration and cabinet nominees was hired based on merit. Unless by merit you mean being rich enough to buy your way in because, in that case, yes, merit. Not to mention that DEI is basically everyone who isn’t a white, cisgender, able-bodied, young male. DEI was put into formation because of discriminatory and biased hiring practices that left behind women, minorities, people with disabilities, older adults, and many more categories.

In addition to DEI initiatives being put on the chopping block, it turns out federally funded programs were also seen as a no-no. And by federal programs I am referring to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formally known as food stamps), WIC (Women Infants Children), Headstart, Medicaid, Medicare, and so much more. To put this in perspective,