Olive Oil: A Natural Ally for Making America Healthy Again

America’s children are facing a health crisis. It was reported in today's news that for the first time, more American children are obese than underweight. In addition to obesity, rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases have soared as diets have shifted toward ultra-processed foods. The White House’s new Make America Healthy Again Strategy  calls for real solutions, including a focus on whole, minimally processed foods that can prevent—and even help reverse—chronic illness.

And one food already fits that bill: olive oil.

Unlike most seed oils, which are extracted with chemicals and high heat, extra virgin olive oil is extracted mechanically from the fruit. That simplicity preserves its natural antioxidants and healthy fats. And the science is clear: diets rich in olive oil reduce the risk of heart disease, improve blood sugar control, and support healthy aging.

It’s no accident that olive oil anchors the Mediterranean diet—one of the three eating patterns that has been recommended by federal dietary guidelines. It’s not just tradition; it’s decades of gold-standard research promoting food as medicine.

To critics who say Americans can't be expected to follow a Mediterranean-style eating pattern because Americans don't like vegetables, Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou, from the Yale School of Public Health, who is often called the godmother of the Mediterranean diet, insists that Greeks don't like vegetables either--unless they are cooked with olive oil!

At a time when more than 60 percent of children’s calories come from highly processed foods, olive oil offers a way back to balance. It is wholesome, accessible, and delicious. Drizzle it on vegetables, use it to cook fish or chicken, or simply enjoy it with bread—the result is the same: better health through better food.

If America is serious about reversing the chronic disease epidemic, the recent MAHA report is our map, and olive oil should have the pole position on the road to health. The message from the Trump Administration is not about chasing trends or pushing another supplement. It’s about reclaiming real food—and giving families a simple, proven way to make health part of everyday life.