Have you ever had something completely unexpected happen? 

And you couldn’t wait to share it, but you promised to keep it private?

Well, that happened to us earlier this year.  It has been SO hard to not talk about it, but now we are finally allowed to share!

A Call from Washington DC

Back in January, we received a call from a representative of the incoming administration, asking if we would be willing to make a trip to DC to discuss ideas on improving healthy eating in the U.S.  She said their team was intrigued by the message “Eat REAL America” and they wanted to have an exchange of ideas as they were putting their strategies together.

Obviously we said, “Yes!”  And the day after inauguration, we boarded a plane to DC.

Before we left, we received some details about the meeting.  They gave us a specific date and time we should arrive at the White House. 

Yes, the White House. 

They didn’t provide any details on who would be attending the meeting, other than “interested representatives of the incoming administration.”  And the agenda was very succinct:

• Guests to share their vision on how to help America eat healthier
• Administration representatives to share their vision on how to help America eat healthier
• Open discussion of ideas and strategies
• All discussions to be kept private by all parties until March 31, 2025

Arriving at the White House

The morning of our meeting as we were walking to the White House, we suddenly heard sirens and saw several dark-tinted black vehicles headed our way.  We don’t know for sure if it was the President, but we both asked, “what are the odds we will catch a glimpse of the President today?”

We arrived at the White House and spent almost an hour navigating the security protocols.  We were greeted by a super sweet young intern named Claire.  She led us through a couple of stunningly gorgeous hallways to our meeting room.  She said the team would be showing up within the next 15 to 20 minutes.  She offered us some coffee, which was THE BEST coffee we’ve ever had.  Maybe it tasted so good because we were standing inside the White House looking out at the Washington Monument.

Promptly at 10:00, five administration representatives showed up.  We quickly took our seats, and the meeting started.  We didn’t know any of these representatives and they didn’t elaborate on their specific roles other than being part of a team that is working on how to “Make America Healthy Again.”  Before starting, the woman running the meeting reiterated that the discussion is “off the record and will be kept private by all parties until March 31, 2025.”   Why this date?  We still have no idea.

Sharing Our Thoughts

We were up first!  Before the meeting, we had a lot of discussion about what we should share as our vision for helping America to eat healthier.  There are so many things that need to be done, but we narrowed it down to a couple of key themes:

1. A public education campaign using the human action model to bring about meaningful change:

   • Create a sense of unease with the current situation.  Help people understand how current eating habits and ultra processed foods are adversely affecting their health.

   • Provide a vision of a better state.  Share inspiring REAL-life examples of people finding health and vitality.
   • A path to get there.  Educate people about REAL food and inspire them about how to turn REAL ingredients into delicious meals.  So delicious they forget they are eating healthy.  
2. Create a level playing field and change the incentives.
   • Make healthy food cheaper and easier to access.  Eliminate subsidies that artificially lower the cost of ultra processed foods and consider shifting subsidies to healthy REAL food.
   • Revise government assistance programs to incentivize healthy food choices.
   • Improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas (and inspire people with how to enjoy those foods).

Everyone was very pleasant while we were sharing our thoughts and ideas, but we didn’t get many questions and honestly couldn’t really tell what they were thinking.  The woman running the meeting thanked us for the thought we had put into our presentation.  She said that, while we had presented some good ideas, she could speak for the team that perhaps we weren’t thinking broad enough and hadn’t fully embraced the new technologically-advanced world we are now living in.

Learning About a New Vision

The chairwoman of the meeting turned it over to another attendee to share the administration’s vision.  He started by drawing an analogy to self-driving cars.  He said “we need to embrace what technology can do for us and move into the new world of automation.”  

He shared “there’s no reason people should have to drive any more.  We live in a world where cars can drive themselves.  Instead of spending hours idly holding onto a steering wheel, people can let technology do the work and use that time to get things done – to send messages, run their businesses, order things they need.”  He said that the thousands of hours people spend driving right now can be redirected to more productive endeavors.  And this will provide huge benefits for our economy.

One of the meeting participants asked if we had ever been in a self-driving car and we admitted we hadn’t.  He suggested that the rest of the discussion would be more productive if we experienced these cars that are already on the road.  So, we took a quick break and headed out to a nearby neighborhood to get a first-hand look.  Needless to say, our minds were blown!  Here is a short video we recorded:

Self-Cooking Kitchens?

After returning to our meeting room, he transitioned to how this relates to helping America eat healthier.  He said, “let’s face it, no one wants to cook anymore.”  He went on to explain the correlation between people not wanting to cook and the prevalence of fast food, take out, and ultra processed foods.  He even talked about how Americans think it is easier to prepare their taxes than to figure out how to eat healthy.

Then, he presented the administration’s vision that the key to helping people eat healthier is to use technology to do it for them, giving them freedom to spend their time on the things they want to do.  Just like that self-driving car.

Needless to say, we were trying to wrap our head around all of this, and we were still reeling from our experience with the self-driving car!  Now we are hearing that the vision isn’t to educate and inspire people to eat healthier, but instead, use technology to do it for them – so they don’t even have to think about it.  SERIOUSLY?!

A Surprise Guest

As if we hadn’t been shocked enough, there was a loud knock at the door, which quickly opened.  And, believe it or not, the President himself stepped into the room.  No, he wasn’t there to see us.  He was confirming with the chairwoman details about a meeting scheduled for later that afternoon and not so subtly stating his expectations for what would happen at that meeting.

Before he left, he asked about our discussion.   After the chairwoman explained what we were talking about, the President weighed in with his thoughts:

“Look, cooking is very outdated.  Nobody wants to cook anymore.   It’s a total disaster — the chopping, the stirring, the watching stuff boil.  People are burning toast, it’s very sad.  We’ve got the best kitchens now, beautiful kitchens.  They cook for you.  They know what kind of food you need.  Nobody needs to touch a spatula ever again.  It tosses a salad better than any chef.  And it even does the dishes for you.  Why would anyone ever need to cook their own meals?  Thank you all for making this happen.”

Just the Start

At this point, we looked at each other in utter disbelief.  Were we dreaming, or was this real?   The door shut and the chairwoman said, “well, that was an unexpected treat – now, let’s get back to our discussion.” 

Another attendee chimed in and shared more about how they expect this vision will evolve.  He said the implications are far-reaching.  He said our country will need far fewer doctors in the future.  He stated “technology already exists where your device will alert you that you are sick or have a health condition before you even realize it.  This will soon be available for the general public – and we are talking to the insurance companies to get them to pay for it.”

He then explained that there are “huge amounts of dollars” being invested with the pharmaceutical companies.  They will be able to deliver a pill to your doorstep that will treat whatever health condition your device has alerted you about.  And he said there are even trials being conducted to develop pills that will give you all the nutrients you need.  He said, “soon, we will live in a world where food is optional.”  Sure, there will be people that want to eat food.  And that’s fine.  However, some people don’t.  For them, it’s time consuming and a distraction.

Our Reaction?

After a few more minutes of presenting this vision, the chairwoman asked what we thought.  It’s a bit of a blur and I don’t remember exactly what we said, but it was something to the effect of, “to be honest, we are kind of wondering why you invited us here if that is the vision.”  She said the team was hoping we would embrace their vision and sign on as “influencers” to help Americans understand what is possible and transition their thinking.

If you are as dumbfounded as we were and wondering what kind of bizarre reality this is, you might want to take a quick glance at your calendar…

Did we have you going?  Maybe just a little?

While we did visit some dear friends in Washington DC, there was no meeting at the White House and no discussion about self-cooking kitchens!

I have to admit, though, that with the way technology is advancing, some of this doesn’t sound as far-fetched as it might have a few years ago.

How do you see technology affecting our food and our health in the future?  

And how do you feel about that?