Why MAHA hasn't done anything about processed food
video description
Date: 2026-03-07
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 20
Andipants26
re restricting junk food from SNAP benefits: we already have a program that does that: WIC. It gives pregnant people & families with kids under 5 a card to use at approved stores to buy WIC-approved (healthy) foods (among other benefits. And first off I want to be very clear that those benefits can be a literal lifesaver for struggling families, but they're also SO much more of a hassle than SNAP. My partner worked at the local health dept doing WIC outreach for a year and her entire job was educating ppl how to access and use their WIC benefits, taking them shopping to teach what was and wasn't eligible, etc and there are so many pitfalls. Eligibility is often random and unpredictable; even things clearly marked as eligible don't always ring up correctly for no apparent reason; grocery store employees don't know how to work with the program or troubleshoot when things aren't working; sometimes the cards just don't work; etc etc etc. As someone who personally used SNAP for several years, my family never ran into any issues NEAR what she dealt with in that job every day. (And from a purely FiScAL perspective, all those guidelines and outreach and education cost money to implement and enforce. There is no way it's not more efficient for The Taxpayers to just give people money and trust them to make their own decisions for their own families)
reply
re restricting junk food from SNAP benefits: we already have a program that does that: WIC. It gives pregnant people & families with kids under 5 a card to use at approved stores to buy WIC-approved (healthy) foods (among other benefits. And first off I want to be very clear that those benefits can be a literal lifesaver for struggling families, but they're also SO much more of a hassle than SNAP. My partner worked at the local health dept doing WIC outreach for a year and her entire job was educating ppl how to access and use their WIC benefits, taking them shopping to teach what was and wasn't eligible, etc and there are so many pitfalls. Eligibility is often random and unpredictable; even things clearly marked as eligible don't always ring up correctly for no apparent reason; grocery store employees don't know how to work with the program or troubleshoot when things aren't working; sometimes the cards just don't work; etc etc etc. As someone who personally used SNAP for several years, my family never ran into any issues NEAR what she dealt with in that job every day. (And from a purely FiScAL perspective, all those guidelines and outreach and education cost money to implement and enforce. There is no way it's not more efficient for The Taxpayers to just give people money and trust them to make their own decisions for their own families)
reply
aragusea
Lowkey infuriating how you miss the point. America isnt the sickest country on earth
Data indicates that approximately 74% of U. S. adults are overweight, with nearly 43% of them fitting the criteria for obesity Just because this isnt tuberculosis doesnt mean that 74% of the country isnt currently.
Now which country has a 43% obesity rate and a 1 in 31 children autism rate (you could argue if thats a sickness but if you add autoimmune youve got a slid 50% of the american population being obese inflammed and having mental health problems, they arent acutely dying but they by NO MEANS ARE HEALTHY and no country besides the absolute POOREST SHITHOLE is that bad off. Your way of argumenting blind trust in whatever some professional says is why RFK got elected in the first place. You have a good point RFK lied and so did Trump yet your not addressing why people flocked to them instead of the proffessionals.
Also they are all in on the epstein thing. I personally think twice about trusting pedophiles. (I didnt vote for Trump but at least i agree with the rhetoric of needed change rather than trust the status quo democrats)
reply
Lowkey infuriating how you miss the point. America isnt the sickest country on earth
Data indicates that approximately 74% of U. S. adults are overweight, with nearly 43% of them fitting the criteria for obesity Just because this isnt tuberculosis doesnt mean that 74% of the country isnt currently.
Now which country has a 43% obesity rate and a 1 in 31 children autism rate (you could argue if thats a sickness but if you add autoimmune youve got a slid 50% of the american population being obese inflammed and having mental health problems, they arent acutely dying but they by NO MEANS ARE HEALTHY and no country besides the absolute POOREST SHITHOLE is that bad off. Your way of argumenting blind trust in whatever some professional says is why RFK got elected in the first place. You have a good point RFK lied and so did Trump yet your not addressing why people flocked to them instead of the proffessionals.
Also they are all in on the epstein thing. I personally think twice about trusting pedophiles. (I didnt vote for Trump but at least i agree with the rhetoric of needed change rather than trust the status quo democrats)
reply
logicalparadox2897
Yeah. But. Coalition governments are also part of how healthy democracy functions. It's why I wish we had ranked choice voting in our elections. The real question should be, how did MAGA W
win over the MAHA crowd!
Those of us who are rabidly against glyphosates, GMOs, seed oils, added sugars, processed food, artificial additives, industrial food systems. My people. Used to be squarely LIBERAL it was crunchy hippies who would only eat biodynamically raised pastured eggs and talking about how the Republicans and corporations were profiting off our sickness. How did so many of my compatriots get roped into Trump support.
Because pro science became pro system. We should think about how the Left lost RFK (or people like Joe Rogan for that matter). Because you don't win arguments by being right, you win by convincing people and forming bigger coalitions. Instead of alienating these folks, we should have been allying with them in opposition to the MAGA movement with a plausible alternative to the status quo
reply
Yeah. But. Coalition governments are also part of how healthy democracy functions. It's why I wish we had ranked choice voting in our elections. The real question should be, how did MAGA W
win over the MAHA crowd!
Those of us who are rabidly against glyphosates, GMOs, seed oils, added sugars, processed food, artificial additives, industrial food systems. My people. Used to be squarely LIBERAL it was crunchy hippies who would only eat biodynamically raised pastured eggs and talking about how the Republicans and corporations were profiting off our sickness. How did so many of my compatriots get roped into Trump support.
Because pro science became pro system. We should think about how the Left lost RFK (or people like Joe Rogan for that matter). Because you don't win arguments by being right, you win by convincing people and forming bigger coalitions. Instead of alienating these folks, we should have been allying with them in opposition to the MAGA movement with a plausible alternative to the status quo
reply
EPG_CATX
You analysis that MAGA and MAHA are basically at odds about how to proceed is accurate, but there is a 3rd issue/power center: congress and donations and lobbying by food manufacturing companies. 'Getting something done' with a congress that doesn't really have food regulation or process management as a priority is definately difficult.
An early step towards actually doing something is getting the public sufficiently interested in the topic that it moves up the priority list among the elected politicians. You can argue about if the superbowl ad, and MAHA are doing this effectively, but that seems to be their objective: get the topic on people's radar.
It's already on your radar, and mine, as people who care about food and cooking and health and nutrition, but for a shockingly large number of people it's just not an important enough topic for them to care about.
reply
You analysis that MAGA and MAHA are basically at odds about how to proceed is accurate, but there is a 3rd issue/power center: congress and donations and lobbying by food manufacturing companies. 'Getting something done' with a congress that doesn't really have food regulation or process management as a priority is definately difficult.
An early step towards actually doing something is getting the public sufficiently interested in the topic that it moves up the priority list among the elected politicians. You can argue about if the superbowl ad, and MAHA are doing this effectively, but that seems to be their objective: get the topic on people's radar.
It's already on your radar, and mine, as people who care about food and cooking and health and nutrition, but for a shockingly large number of people it's just not an important enough topic for them to care about.
reply
teddysuplex
There's a whole lot of sitting around going we need to do something about this from the people with power, who then put it back on people with no power to take care of while putting extreme restrictions on what can be done and offering no solutions or assistance or resources themselves. In my experience, I see it at even the lowest level of government now. A lot of talk about how something needs to be done but when actionable recommendations are made, they can never be implemented because the any infrastructure, the will and even and any miniscule power to implement changes at any level of government has been complete stymied by the dictatorial-like power Trump has taken over every branch. I'm honestly surprised we even have what appears to be a semi-functional government still based on I experienced and witnessed last year.
reply
There's a whole lot of sitting around going we need to do something about this from the people with power, who then put it back on people with no power to take care of while putting extreme restrictions on what can be done and offering no solutions or assistance or resources themselves. In my experience, I see it at even the lowest level of government now. A lot of talk about how something needs to be done but when actionable recommendations are made, they can never be implemented because the any infrastructure, the will and even and any miniscule power to implement changes at any level of government has been complete stymied by the dictatorial-like power Trump has taken over every branch. I'm honestly surprised we even have what appears to be a semi-functional government still based on I experienced and witnessed last year.
reply
jmnypop
In regards to SNAP and making it only cover healthy food, my housemate is disabled and on SNAP. They can't properly prepare food outside of a microwave or toaster oven, and can barely stand long enough to rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Most things that get deemed healthy require intermediate steps to either make safe to eat, or just palatable. And the most easily prepared ones aren't usually nutritionally complete.
If they were only allowed to buy healthy food, then they would be probably be 100% dependent on me for preparing anything whatsoever. Which isn't out of the question, but would put a huge burden on me. And then you have to realize that not every person on SNAP is in a position where someone COULD support them like this.
reply
In regards to SNAP and making it only cover healthy food, my housemate is disabled and on SNAP. They can't properly prepare food outside of a microwave or toaster oven, and can barely stand long enough to rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Most things that get deemed healthy require intermediate steps to either make safe to eat, or just palatable. And the most easily prepared ones aren't usually nutritionally complete.
If they were only allowed to buy healthy food, then they would be probably be 100% dependent on me for preparing anything whatsoever. Which isn't out of the question, but would put a huge burden on me. And then you have to realize that not every person on SNAP is in a position where someone COULD support them like this.
reply
slouch186
I am not convinced that MAHA cares about health outcomes. The popular cultural disdain for processed foods is more about judgement and moralism than caring about health. It barely even has anything to do with processed foods at all, when you consider how adjacent the promoters of the idea are with the supplements industry.
From this perspective, it makes complete sense to do nothing productive to achieve any goal at all. It generates fear and disdain for vague, unspecified institutions while reminding people that they should feel like they are superior to others because of their diet. Bad people eat more junk food than you do. They are uglier and less healthy than you are. And it's their fault for being bad people.
reply
I am not convinced that MAHA cares about health outcomes. The popular cultural disdain for processed foods is more about judgement and moralism than caring about health. It barely even has anything to do with processed foods at all, when you consider how adjacent the promoters of the idea are with the supplements industry.
From this perspective, it makes complete sense to do nothing productive to achieve any goal at all. It generates fear and disdain for vague, unspecified institutions while reminding people that they should feel like they are superior to others because of their diet. Bad people eat more junk food than you do. They are uglier and less healthy than you are. And it's their fault for being bad people.
reply
kamoboko86
Look. People 60 years ago didn't have obesity, they didn't have heart disease, they didn't have high cholesterol, and they didn't have cancer other than asbestos induced incidence.
Oh no they used a celebrity with a checkered past as a spokesperson! How many celebrities don't have a criminal past
It's like finding a needle in a hay stack.
You know how many people on the left have a criminal past but you still talk about them as if they are perfect angels.
Everything is baised. You are baised. I am biased. No one is innocent. But if you pretend that one side is good and the other is bad then you are the problem. I am the problem if I say you are the problem and only my side is good.
reply
Look. People 60 years ago didn't have obesity, they didn't have heart disease, they didn't have high cholesterol, and they didn't have cancer other than asbestos induced incidence.
Oh no they used a celebrity with a checkered past as a spokesperson! How many celebrities don't have a criminal past
It's like finding a needle in a hay stack.
You know how many people on the left have a criminal past but you still talk about them as if they are perfect angels.
Everything is baised. You are baised. I am biased. No one is innocent. But if you pretend that one side is good and the other is bad then you are the problem. I am the problem if I say you are the problem and only my side is good.
reply
aragusea
This is a really good video Adam, not super scientific but very logically sound. I really like the way you dived in on this issue very neutrally yet still held people accountable. But people remember Adam is right in one thing the government sure did make it our problem and we can indeed vote with our dollar! We should all seek out (at least the people have access) to small organic farms and farmers markets to avoid shopping at the grocery store. I just try to eat aligned with how ancient people used to eat as much as possible and only eat bad stuff when I’m out and about never bring bad stuff into my home. And I feel pretty darn good for the moment. Hope everyone stays blessed.
reply
This is a really good video Adam, not super scientific but very logically sound. I really like the way you dived in on this issue very neutrally yet still held people accountable. But people remember Adam is right in one thing the government sure did make it our problem and we can indeed vote with our dollar! We should all seek out (at least the people have access) to small organic farms and farmers markets to avoid shopping at the grocery store. I just try to eat aligned with how ancient people used to eat as much as possible and only eat bad stuff when I’m out and about never bring bad stuff into my home. And I feel pretty darn good for the moment. Hope everyone stays blessed.
reply
curhob
Maha's followers want to restrict processed foods. Maha themselves don't. And yes, the idea of removing them from SNAP is absolutely dehumanizing to poor people. It assumes they can't think for themselves, when if given the options, the time, and the education, many of them would want to try to learn how to eat better. Health culture in general tends to overlook people's limitations, disabilites, and situational context, and presents health in a narrow way that is more likely to resonate with middle class and non-disabled people (who tend to be white, and that's part of how we got to this point where people don't understand appeal to nature, placebo, and things like that.
reply
Maha's followers want to restrict processed foods. Maha themselves don't. And yes, the idea of removing them from SNAP is absolutely dehumanizing to poor people. It assumes they can't think for themselves, when if given the options, the time, and the education, many of them would want to try to learn how to eat better. Health culture in general tends to overlook people's limitations, disabilites, and situational context, and presents health in a narrow way that is more likely to resonate with middle class and non-disabled people (who tend to be white, and that's part of how we got to this point where people don't understand appeal to nature, placebo, and things like that.
reply
aragusea
I've been thinking about this a lot. Are we really owed a PUBLIC apology You have to repent, certainly. Make amends, sure. But with the victims, if they want it. Do you need to make amends with strangers on the internet That's where i get confused. Im hoping kenji lopez has answers in the interview he just posted lol.
And if that's the standard we set, how do we distinguish it from performative soulless amends In every interview, mike seems like he's gonna cry, presumably about the harm he did. Do we really need him to like, say he's sorry For whose benefit I'm actually asking. Things are more complicated when the internet is involved.
reply
I've been thinking about this a lot. Are we really owed a PUBLIC apology You have to repent, certainly. Make amends, sure. But with the victims, if they want it. Do you need to make amends with strangers on the internet That's where i get confused. Im hoping kenji lopez has answers in the interview he just posted lol.
And if that's the standard we set, how do we distinguish it from performative soulless amends In every interview, mike seems like he's gonna cry, presumably about the harm he did. Do we really need him to like, say he's sorry For whose benefit I'm actually asking. Things are more complicated when the internet is involved.
reply
andrewwebster13
Where were you during the Obama years when Michelle destroyed school lunches Where was this discussion for the Biden years
You’re a Monday morning hack who just doesn’t like Trump. Your facial expression and tone says it all. You’re now caring about this
You are the swamp! Illegal entry to this country is down in 95% compared to the previous administration! Time to grow up and vote for policy stop being pretentious. You’re just somebody with glasses trying to be intelligent, but the words aren’t doing any favors.
reply
Where were you during the Obama years when Michelle destroyed school lunches Where was this discussion for the Biden years
You’re a Monday morning hack who just doesn’t like Trump. Your facial expression and tone says it all. You’re now caring about this
You are the swamp! Illegal entry to this country is down in 95% compared to the previous administration! Time to grow up and vote for policy stop being pretentious. You’re just somebody with glasses trying to be intelligent, but the words aren’t doing any favors.
reply
Funtime_Foxy_1815
25: 00 I think that even though it feels scummy, but foods that are categorized as Ultra processed foods should be banned from production. It is againts freedom, yes, it is a intervention of personal life, yes. But when everyone gives their personal desicions with freedom in regards to food, we have ended up with tens of billions of dollars and more importantly physical resorcues dedicated to problems it cause. Maybe human brain actually just sucks collectively in making desicions, even if the avarage person is not too bad in diet.
reply
25: 00 I think that even though it feels scummy, but foods that are categorized as Ultra processed foods should be banned from production. It is againts freedom, yes, it is a intervention of personal life, yes. But when everyone gives their personal desicions with freedom in regards to food, we have ended up with tens of billions of dollars and more importantly physical resorcues dedicated to problems it cause. Maybe human brain actually just sucks collectively in making desicions, even if the avarage person is not too bad in diet.
reply
Geist1027
People on SNAP and other food assistance benefits/programs should not be limited in what they can obtain at the grocery store. There should be more education and educational supplies to teach children in school and those on benefits healthier options and alternatives. Just because you do not like someone feeding their child something a corporation made and sold them, does not mean the parent is at fault for that. I normally don't comment, but you have/had a very Liberal take on that.
reply
People on SNAP and other food assistance benefits/programs should not be limited in what they can obtain at the grocery store. There should be more education and educational supplies to teach children in school and those on benefits healthier options and alternatives. Just because you do not like someone feeding their child something a corporation made and sold them, does not mean the parent is at fault for that. I normally don't comment, but you have/had a very Liberal take on that.
reply
Chris-zi1we
Brown rice, eggs, and kimchi has become my go-to lunch most days. I can't even explain how much better i feel when i avoid processed food and stick to whole grains and balanced, whole food meals. We as individuals can choose not to spend our hard-earned money on ultra-processed food. I do wish regulators would be harder on the food industry, but for now, being educated on nutrition and making good choices is something we can all do to improve our health
reply
Brown rice, eggs, and kimchi has become my go-to lunch most days. I can't even explain how much better i feel when i avoid processed food and stick to whole grains and balanced, whole food meals. We as individuals can choose not to spend our hard-earned money on ultra-processed food. I do wish regulators would be harder on the food industry, but for now, being educated on nutrition and making good choices is something we can all do to improve our health
reply
qwertyuiop1st
I'm perfectly willing to arch an eyebrow and intone that People need to make better choices with their food. But for that assertion to mean anything people have to have plenty of opportunities to make good choices - in cost and proximity of shops, in having cooking facilities, and in knowing how to cook. If people are to do what you want those choices need to be perfectly reasonable, clearly beneficial to them, and quite practical.
reply
I'm perfectly willing to arch an eyebrow and intone that People need to make better choices with their food. But for that assertion to mean anything people have to have plenty of opportunities to make good choices - in cost and proximity of shops, in having cooking facilities, and in knowing how to cook. If people are to do what you want those choices need to be perfectly reasonable, clearly beneficial to them, and quite practical.
reply
adamdecurtins3405
I've said it before and I'll say it again I think one of the only real ways we can make the change from ultra processed foods to less processed or unprocessed foods is to make it financially expensive for producers to manufacture the processed stuff, and financially affordable for families to but unprocessed foods. Until then, it doesn't really matter what the health effects are, people are going to buy the food they can afford.
reply
I've said it before and I'll say it again I think one of the only real ways we can make the change from ultra processed foods to less processed or unprocessed foods is to make it financially expensive for producers to manufacture the processed stuff, and financially affordable for families to but unprocessed foods. Until then, it doesn't really matter what the health effects are, people are going to buy the food they can afford.
reply
austinp8942
19: 00 you try to make them sound dumb for saying that but you then go on to say exactly the argument they are trying to make You know that it’s not an actual argument they are trying to make that we are the sickest country in the world. It’s a slogan it’s not really about making your exact argument. fact is for a first world country America is a lot less healthy than the majority of first world countries.
reply
19: 00 you try to make them sound dumb for saying that but you then go on to say exactly the argument they are trying to make You know that it’s not an actual argument they are trying to make that we are the sickest country in the world. It’s a slogan it’s not really about making your exact argument. fact is for a first world country America is a lot less healthy than the majority of first world countries.
reply
jonnydent825
You're correct that there is no current policy that directly favors processed food over non-processed food. But there are some current policies that help the processed food industry. For example, the U. S. gives significant subsidies to the production of feed corn (for high fructose corn syrup) and soybeans, making those two crops much cheaper, which are then 2 of the biggest ingredients in UPF.
reply
You're correct that there is no current policy that directly favors processed food over non-processed food. But there are some current policies that help the processed food industry. For example, the U. S. gives significant subsidies to the production of feed corn (for high fructose corn syrup) and soybeans, making those two crops much cheaper, which are then 2 of the biggest ingredients in UPF.
reply
Watercloud-11
i get that the US is dependant on glyphosate, but is that really true the country is morbidly obese. so if you cut glyphosate, ok there would be less yields in food production, but is that a problem in a overfed country as if anyone is going to starve. What would happen tho is that the food production companies would lose billions, which is why Trump wants to increase glyphosate.
reply
i get that the US is dependant on glyphosate, but is that really true the country is morbidly obese. so if you cut glyphosate, ok there would be less yields in food production, but is that a problem in a overfed country as if anyone is going to starve. What would happen tho is that the food production companies would lose billions, which is why Trump wants to increase glyphosate.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
