In a new interview, U.S. Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz insisted it is American parents' "patriotic duty" to feed their kids vegetables so that they may one day be "eligible for the military."
Dr. Oz went on Fox News Friday and shared how parents can do better right now.
"You win the battle for health in your kitchen, your living room, your bedroom," Dr. Oz started. "Number one: Get those kids outside and playing. They need an hour a day of some activity," he added only about 15% of kids get one hour of activity a day, though the range is closer to about 20% to 28%.
The CMS director's second point was that children need to eat "real food" for a bizarre reason.
"You heard Secretary Kennedy talk about 70% of the food being ultra-processed," Dr. Oz recalled. "Just give [kids] food that comes out of the ground. Look at the way it looks when you eat it; real food that you can recognize."
He reiterated at least an hour of activity and healthy food will "make a dramatic difference and will help this country."
"It's also your patriotic duty because less than a quarter of kids are eligible for the military because they've got underlying health issues," Dr. Oz added.
Mehmet Oz on American kids: "Give them real food ... just give them food that comes out of the ground looking the way it looks when you eat it. Real food that you can recognize ... it's also your patriotic duty because less than a quarter of kids are eligible for the military… pic.twitter.com/j3M9pySRy4
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 23, 2025
Dr. Oz's push for Americans to stay healthy in order to be eligible to serve comes after President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have repeatedly boasted about a "record-breaking surge" in military enlistment.
During his Middle East tour, Trump boasted that, following years of a recruiting shortage, "enlistments in the U.S. armed forces are now the highest in 30 years because there is such an incredible spirit in the United States of America." The boost was happening before the president took office, however, according to reporting by CBS News.
Originally published on Latin Times
