“Let’s come up with creative ways to help improve the health of all Americans.”

Our Proposal:

• Have a contest to create great recipes based solely on convenience-store food items 
• Create a free pamphlet of winning recipes to distribute in convenience stores nationwide

The Goal:

• Help make meals that are nutritious, economical and good tasting for “food desert” residents and others
• Promote better health though a lifestyle based on balanced diet, calorie awareness, and exercise

Explanation:

America is (still) the wealthiest country in the world, but due to our poor diet we are not the healthiest one. Over 100 million Americas have pre-diabetes or diabetes, more than 120 million have cardiovascular disease, and 3 out of 4 are overweight or obese—in other words, more Americans are sick than not. Poor diet is not only the root cause of these and other maladies, it is the leading cause of mortality in our country. So it is not an exaggeration to say that our food is literally killing us. The health problems caused by our poor diet is a major reason the U.S. spends more than any other nation on health care, while shamefully still leaving millions of people uninsured. Even those with insurance are too often forced into bankruptcy due to medical bills.

Key to making us healthier and getting our nation’s health costs under control is therefore helping all Americans to eat better. This is particularly true for those living in “foot deserts”, poorer neighborhoods where access to supermarkets is limited, thus making convenience stores the principle source for groceries for many households. Health issues related to poor diet are particularly acute in such economically-challenged areas, including the scourge of childhood obesity. Early-age obesity is particularly tragic, as it greatly increases the probability of a lifetime of what-could-have-been avoidable health problems and degraded quality of life if not addressed before adulthood. This in turn leads to higher insurance and medical costs for all of us . 

The Solutions Party proposes that an easy way to help improve things would be to harness the creativity of students at local-area culinary schools in order to come up with recipes for nutritional and economical meals prepared with food items from convenience stores and similar businesses. The idea is basically the following:

1) In cities and towns around the nation, have an annual contest by inviting students of regional culinary schools to create novel meals using only items that can be found in local convenience stores.

2) The meal creations would be scored according taste, nutritional value, economics, and ease of preparation.

3) Cash prizes would be given to the winning students (or groups thereof) from money raised through donations

4) Based on scoring, the top 20 recipes (for example) could be compiled into a pamphlet called “Convenience Cuisine”, to be provided free at convenience stores, and elsewhere as appropriate.  

Longer term, the goal would be of course to rid the nation of food deserts, but the Convenience Cuisine pamphlet could be a useful first step to helping our most vulnerable citizens improve their health through better nutrition.

Taking this a step further, the Solutions Party asserts that a lifetime of good health and quality of life can be achieved by following a simple “BCE” plan: Balanced diet, Calorie awareness, and Exercise. No need for fancy diets and gimmicky exercise gizmos if you just stick to a BCE lifestyle. The Convenience Cuisine pamphlet would therefore also contain important facts regarding appropriate calorie consumption, and simple tips regarding at-home and at-work physical activity—all explained in an easy-to-understand manner.

A well-balanced, calorie-appropriate diet is the most important factor for maintaining good health. Let’s come up with creative new ways to help all Americans achieve it. At the same time, let’s promote an American lifestyle based on B, C, and E: Balanced diet, Calorie awareness, and Exercise.

A fit America is a stronger and happier America.