The US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, is facing ridicule from congressional Democrats – among others – after claiming Americans can save money and have their meals align with new Department of Health and Human Services dietary guidelines by simply eating “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli”, “a corn tortilla” and “one other thing”.
One representative even called the remarks “a slap in the face to struggling working families”.
Rollins made the remarks during an interview with NewsNation in response to a question about how average Americans will afford adapting their meals to the White House’s updated food pyramid, which emphasizes red meat, full-fat dairy and saturated fats while discouraging ultra-processed foods and sugar. The rising cost of groceries has been a major issue for Americans in recent years.
So, the Columbo approach to meal planning. And I do love having a single spear of broccoli for garnish atop a corn tortilla.
ETA: The irony of saying immigrants are the problem and then suggesting tortillas is … stunning.
Grains, legumes, and veggies make a full balanced meal. Especially if it’s whole grains. And it’s affordable, too.
Meat is definitely a luxury, and it always was throughout history. Before industrial agriculture, besides rich people, most folks would only eat meat on feast days, and that would be on like a “kill a sheep, feed the whole village” type basis. It wasn’t a staple.
People who insist that meat is necessary for complete nutrition need to get over the fact that they’re just plain wrong.