Biggest diet mistake Americans make, says celebrity chef
Celebrity chef Robert Irvine believes in and supports the Make America Healthy Again movement.
Irvine, who is based in Florida, told Fox News Digital that healthier eating begins at home with the family.
Yes, "America needs to get healthy again," Irvine said in an on-camera interview.
"We are in a bad position. We need great food, simple food without all the additives. But you have to take the first step. You're the one that decides your journey and your family's journey." (See the video at the top of this article.)
Growing up in England, with "not exactly the best food in the world," Irvine said, he "started to understand" healthy living and eating once he got his first set of weights as a very young man, at the age of 11 or so.
By the age of 15, Irvine had joined the British Royal Navy, where he completed his culinary training and honed his craft.
"And from that point forward, the momentum kept, and I still am — at 60 years old in a couple of months — doing the same routine as I did at 15 years old."
Irvine said the No. 1 mistake people make when it comes to trying to eat healthier is going too big too fast.
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"And we fail miserably – because lifestyle changes [should be done in] small increments," Irvine said.
The original host of Food Network's "Dinner: Impossible" recommends starting with the basics — then progressing to healthier seasonings like fresh herbs or sea salt.
"And start to incorporate that into your recipes," Irvine said.
Irvine said it's also important for parents to make healthy eating exciting for their kids.
When Irvine's daughters were young, he would take them to a supermarket and let them pick five herbs and vegetables, he said.
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Then he'd bring them home, blindfold them, let them try the raw product — and then cook with the products they identified.
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For every food they'd guessed correctly, Irvine said, he'd give them 25 cents.
"And my children grew up loving fresh fruits and vegetables instead of chicken nuggets," Irvine said.
Citing the childhood obesity rate in the U.S., Irvine said there aren't many teenagers who could join the country's active-duty military or law enforcement today.
The obesity rate among adolescents was 22.2% from 2017 to 2020, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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"Let's start young, build them up so they understand the basics of food and then let them play," Irvine said.
He also said, "You can't just tell everyone to eat greens and be healthy … I'm saying start small."
He stressed getting to know fresh herbs, fresh vegetables, the colors, the textures of fresh, healthy food — and becoming comfortable with them. And then, taking more steps from there.
Ultimately, he said, "it's about education."