Mayor Eric Adams blames ‘capitalism’ as the root cause for the obesity crisis facing the nation and revealed in a CNN op-ed piece that ran Wednesday that the issue for him is ‘personal.’
In the column, Adams claims that the ‘American way of eating today is focused on profit, not progress, on empty calories, and fast food, not on health.’
He shared how he reversed his Type 2 diabetes by losing weight and exercising, and wrote that his mission is now to ‘help Americans get – and stay- healthy.’
‘America’s food system is feeding a public health crisis. From obesity to type 2 diabetes, that crisis is escalating quickly – and we must act now, he said.
‘Major advances made in addressing hunger and malnutrition, it’s long past time for us to shift our focus from calories to nutrition,’ he wrote, in part.
He said his personal journey started in 2016 when the doctor told him he might have his driver’s license revoked due to vision loss, and permanent nerve damage in his fingers and toes.
‘I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life on insulin,’ he wrote.
Adams said he started doing his own research and after connecting with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn at the Cleveland Clinic he learned how to treat his diabetes with lifestyle changes, including ‘overhauling’ his diet and exercise, he said.
The Mayor admitted he was ‘skeptical’ at first but once he began to reduce his meat and dairy consumption replacing them with fresh produce and grains, he said he began seeing the results.
‘Within three months, I lost significant weight, lowered my cholesterol, restored my vision and reversed my diabetes,’ he said.
The before and after of Mayor Adams. He said his personal journey started in 2016 when the doctor told him he might have his driver’s license revoked due to vision loss, and permanent nerve damage in his fingers and toes. ‘I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life on insulin,’ he wrote
A student eats a vegan meal served for lunch (with milk as a drink) at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 in New York City. The Department of Education in New York City, which introduced Meatless Mondays in 2019 and Meatless Fridays this past April, will start phasing in ‘vegan-focused’ menus on Fridays or ‘Vegan Fridays’ as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ initiative to serve healthier food to students
A photo of a hamburger, French fries, and a large soda from McDonald’s. Mayor Adams said, ‘I have made it my mission to use what I learned and increase New Yorkers’ access to a high-quality, affordable, nutritious diet, so that more people can avoid diseases in the first place’
Adams said he recognized that many people don’t have access to specialists like Esselstyn, and said that ‘it may not be possible for everyone to reverse a diabetes diagnosis with a lifestyle change or even with medication.’
He continued: ‘I have made it my mission to use what I learned and increase New Yorkers’ access to a high-quality, affordable, nutritious diet, so that more people can avoid diseases in the first place.’
Adams used numbers to drive his point. ‘About 1.4 million people in our city are experiencing food insecurity, according to New York City’s 2021 Food Metrics Report – even as more than half of the adult population is overweight or obese, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
‘And, as the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health points out, nearly 1 in 5 of our children are already overweight, putting them at risk of lifelong health issues and chronic illnesses.’
Adams shared what his administration has done, thus so far that includes the renovation of the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center in the Bronx.
The distribution center, he said, is one of the largest wholesale distribution centers in a largely Black and brown community, and one that provides an estimated 25% of the city’s produce.
And, last spring, was the launch of Plant-Powered Fridays in all our public schools, he said, ‘they are upgrading 100 school kitchens across the five boroughs to serve our children and educators better.’
He also added the expansion of urban farms on public housing properties through the New York City Housing Authority.
Though efforts have been transformative, he stressed this cannot be do this work alone and said ‘ambitious federal action is necessary to turn the tide on diet-related disease in our city and across the country.’
In his final note, he said: ‘Now is the time for our country to make the shift from treatment to prevention, from feeding the illness to giving people the tools to build sustainable lifestyles and healthier, stronger communities.’
The Mayor seen here at Gleason’s gym in Brooklyn, as part of a campaign stop to celebrate the re-opening of boxing classes after the COVID-19 pandemic. Adams stressed the importance of exercise in his CNN op-ed to beat type 2 diabetes
A photo provided by the NYC DOE shows a Black Bean and Plantain Rice Bowl, green garden salad, salad bar carrot and lemon salad vegan school lunch, part of Eric Adams’ vegan food initiative to offer children healthier school options
In an effort to teach students about healthier eating habits, the New York City public school system is planning to develop plant-based recipes for students, and enlisting popular talk show host, Rachael Ray to help out.
This will be the city’s first-ever Chefs Council, in partnership with Wellness in the Schools (WITS) will have Rachael Ray serve as council chair.
The announcement was made by Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks on Tuesday.
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