After the release of the revamped nutritional guidelines earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a cooking show putting these new guidelines into practice. “The Real Food Show” premiered last week with its first episode teaching Americans how to make crispy salmon cakes with a side of apple, white bean, and greens salad.
The show’s premise is simple: Teach Americans how to eat healthy foods at affordable prices. RFK Jr. is joined by a renowned chef each episode with a new recipe for Americans to try at home.
The premiere episode features celebrity chef and restaurateur Andrew Gruel, who has made a name for himself in Make America Healthy Again circles with his wealth of knowledge on cooking, sourcing food, the food industry, and focus on healthy eating.
As RFK Jr. and Chef Gruel walk Americans through the steps and ingredients of the recipe, they aren’t just teaching people how to cook salmon cakes; they’re also focused on the nutritional benefit of each ingredient. Salmon contains high-quality protein, for instance, and beans offer prebiotic fiber. The flipped food pyramid and new dietary guidelines are heavily featured throughout the running commentary the hosts give as they cook. And along the way, sidebars pop up with more facts about the nutritional value of each ingredient, as well as other relevant facts about the ingredients.
Speaking to the origin of the dietary guidelines, RFK Jr. explains that the previous guidelines were crafted by food lobbyists. The new guidelines flip the old ones on their head by being spearheaded by top nutritionists, he says. And while the public messaging on the new dietary guidelines has highlighted the benefits of high-quality protein and healthy fats, the other aspects of the guidelines — fruit, vegetables, and whole grains — have been far less discussed.
That’s one area “The Real Food Show” shines: The recipe includes arugula, apple, onion, nutritional yeast, herbs, and more. Certainly, the visuals of the flipped food pyramid are striking, but beyond the pictures, the actual guidelines recommend nearly as many servings of vegetables as protein and as many servings of whole grain — if not more — than protein. The serving size for each food group is different, but the guidelines make clear the importance of all types of macro and micronutrients.
Additionally, the new dietary guidelines emphasize the quality of each food consumed, and RFK Jr. and Chef Gruel each reference the value of buying high-quality ingredients and offer their tips on buying seafood. For instance, Chef Gruel explains that flash freezing technology has made frozen fish a better choice than fresh fish in many cases.
Amid ongoing concerns about the cost of groceries, another part of the pitch for “The Real Food Show” is showing Americans how to make healthy food for less than $5 per serving. For some households, that’s an already high number, and for others, it’s lower than their current spending levels. But it is, of course, cheaper than dining out, especially at a restaurant offering healthy, quality choices. The first episode has a $4.91 per serving cost, and as the hosts point out, that cost could be lowered with canned salmon, tuna, or another protein of choice. It’s not a magic fix to rising grocery costs, but it’s one way for price-savvy Americans to save a few dollars.
“The Real Food Show” also adds in other corollary tenets of MAHA such as conservation and supporting the American food supply, with mention of sustainable fishing regulations and U.S.-based fisheries.
But all that information is also the show’s weakness. The tips on ingredient substitutions, flavor swaps, and other recipe modifications may be helpful to an intermediate cook but overwhelming to a novice. And for a first-time cook or a parent accustomed to reheating rather than cooking from scratch, the show doesn’t offer many beginner cooking tips or much advice. How do you know when your salmon is fully cooked? Why is emulsion important for the vinaigrette? Why do prebiotics matter?
There’s no doubt the show can help plenty of cooks by demonstrating the recipe, offering aspiring home cooks new ideas, and teaching Americans about health information that’s been long lacking in public discourse. The show is a perfect conversation starter for American families about real food, and for classrooms, it would be an equally appropriate lesson about nutrition and the American food supply. But there’s also a contingent of Americans who are completely new to home cooking and the world of health and wellness. On one hand, the show simplifies these concepts (and the written recipe also lays out some of the details in a format that can be re-referenced), but on the other hand, it may not meet beginner cooks where they are.
Despite this, it’s a light in the wasteland of American nutritional advice. Groceries are far too expensive, the standard American diet is filled with ultra-processed food and devoid of nutrients, and many Americans don’t know where to start.
There are plenty of beginner-friendly resources to learn how to cook from home. We live in an age of millions of free recipes online, pages of recipes on shelves at local libraries, in-depth online tutorials for advanced and novice cooks alike, and even meal kit boxes that bring ingredients straight to your doorstep. There’s never been a better time to learn how to cook, and maybe “The Real Food Show” will be what some Americans need to start rethinking how they approach their grocery plans.
***
Jordan Jantz is the assistant editor at IW Features as well as a freelance writer, editor, and website designer.
This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
