Nutrition education is health care – let’s make it public.

With big plans to improve the nation’s health and food security, this month the White House Organizes conferences on hunger, nutrition and health. – The first of its kind in more than 50 years.

At long last, health care professionals like me are thrilled that the Biden administration has put this issue to rest. In the year They set ambitious goals to end hunger by 2030 and increase healthy eating and physical activity in the US so that fewer Americans suffer from diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. This is not only a national problem but also a problem close to the nation’s capital. More than half of adults in Washington, DC are affected by obesity..

Although some are skeptical of achieving such ambitious goals in less than eight years, it can be accomplished with the right commitment from Congress to our community. Just like diet and exercise – there are concrete steps that can put us on the right path to better nutrition and health. Major, systemic changes can be made if our lawmakers are willing to seize the moment.

This starts with new legislation requiring providers to incorporate nutrition education into health care.

Nutrition is the foundation of health. As in the US Government Accountability OfficeNationally, the leading causes of death are directly related to malnutrition. Although health care providers—not to mention the public—recognize that diet is the primary treatment for many chronic diseases, most of us do not have access to nutritional advice. This lack of training makes initiating the conversation nearly impossible and limits referral to specialty services such as registered dietitians and certified nutrition specialists. An additional barrier to engaging nutritionists is poor insurance coverage, which can be overcome by a physician with adequate nutrition training.

Fortunately, the US House of Representatives Passes bipartisan bill (H.Res.784) In May, it called for “substantial training in nutrition and dietetics sufficient for physicians and health professionals to incorporate dietary interventions and nutritional referrals into medical practice.” If this becomes law, it will help to include nutrition training in the required medical curriculum nationwide, so that future physicians will have the nutrition knowledge to better serve their patients.

However, even if the bill passes the Senate and is signed by the President, implementing nutrition training will require significant time, investment, and coordination at the national level.

And for this we have to work from the ground up.

It is important for health professionals to discuss nutrition with their patients; However, all the training in the world won’t make a difference if people don’t have access to healthy food. One of the best ways we can provide healthy food for our communities is to provide the resources needed by the many community-based organizations working to improve food security and nutrition to scale up their efforts.

According to the most recent Data According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 38 million people — more than 10 percent of the nation’s population — live in food insecure households. In the nation’s capital, 1-third of children in 10 residents – face food insecurity.

How is this possible in the obesity epidemic? Obesity is a result of food insecurity, lack of vitamins and minerals, and calorie-rich foods. Foods that promote well-being and prevent and treat disease must be readily available to maintain nutrition.

Thankfully, many community-based organizations are involved in both. Urban And Rural Communities are working hard to fight hunger and culturally appropriate dietary guidelines are effective and accepted by their communities. Instead of reinventing the wheel with new organizations or programs, government at all levels should support the growth of already successful organizations.

Another step we can take is to encourage companies and consumers to make healthier choices. Too often we focus on discouraging unhealthy food choices, such as through sin taxes on junk food and soda taxes, instead of encouraging healthy food choices. Why instead of giving healthy foods for example CornWill it be turned into high fructose corn syrup and added to highly processed foods, contributing to weight gain and chronic disease and health care costs?

If people can get good food cheaply, they will buy it. While incentives may be effective and appropriate in some cases, the cost of access to healthy food—at local grocery and convenience stores, as well as farmers’ and mobile produce markets—can eliminate costs while simultaneously losing nutrition insecurity and taking purpose for those seeking healthy options. Chronic diseases related to nutrition.

Although systemic change takes time, there are system-level changes we can make now. Ultimately, millions of lives are at stake. Both individually and collectively, life-changing health goals require a lot of effort, investment, persistence, and patience. They can be done, and we will all be healthier for it.

Leigh A. Frame, Ph.D., MHS, CERT’20, is executive director of the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, co-founder and associate director of the GW Resiliency & Well-being Center, and professor of medicine. at George Washington University.