Cook America

The theory, which seems reasonable, is that the cause of poor diets for those living in a food desert is a lack of access to healthy food choices. I recently came across a 2016 article published in the academic journal “Society” that came to a different conclusion.

The research report said: “Culture and economics are far greater barriers to healthy eating than the distance to the nearest full-service supermarket, a conclusion now sustained by a sufficiently large body of evidence to make one wonder whether ‘neighborhood food retail location’ matters very much at all.”

The study went on to say, “Moreover, a number of cases are reviewed where full-service supermarkets were opened in food deserts, usually with little effect on shopping or eating habits.”

I don’t think the study was saying that easy access to healthy food choices is irrelevant; they were simply making the point that how people cook is more complicated than local shopping options.

For example, access to a car and household income are, indeed, important factors. But if a full-service supermarket arrives in a food desert and diets don’t change, then it is time to review why people cook what they do at home.

On a recent trip to Calabria, I noted that everyone ate healthy food and the cost per serving was low. Chickpeas and pasta. Potatoes and pasta. Polpettine. Onions agrodolce. Pasta with breadcrumbs and anchovies. Frittata. Beans and greens. Minestra. This food is a whole lot cheaper than the fast food or snack foods that are available in small convenience stores in a food desert.

The residents in Calabria have two major advantages. They have access to a lot of healthy, locally grown food, but—more to the point—there is a long tradition of preparing cucina povera, using inexpensive ingredients to produce excellent food. Here in America, many of us grow up in households that, themselves, are culinary food deserts. I have seen that firsthand even among wealthier families—they survive on take-out, frozen pizza and the like. Often, neither parent can cook.

So what is the prescription? Cooking has to be transformed into a pleasure from a chore. Second, we all need to take responsibility for what we feed ourselves and our kids. The obesity rate in America is 42 percent (a body mass index of over 30 qualifies as obese—a 5-foot, 8-inch adult who weighs over 200 pounds is considered obese.) Parents who feed their children a diet of fast, processed and junk foods are making choices that will condemn their kids to unhealthy lives, including a high probability of diabetes.

And let’s stop fooling ourselves. Wearing Lululemon yoga pants is not exercise. Trendy diets rarely work out long-term, including intermittent fasting, paleo and keto. Ozempic may be a disaster waiting to happen (nobody knows the long-term effects). Instead, teach yourself to cook, eat non-processed foods, eat with moderation and eat with variety.

Today, I am calling for a new national initiative called Cook America. Let’s put cooking and home economics back into public schools. Let’s teach the next generation how to cook healthy food with little money and a dash of kitchen smarts. Let’s share the blessings of cucina povera.

As a nation, the obesity rate in America may be our biggest challenge, yet it is completely absent from the national debate.

It’s time to get cooking.