What’s eating us
Mayor Adams has a tremendous story of personal transformation. One morning in 2016, he woke up and couldn’t see his bedside alarm clock. He had Type 2 diabetes, a consequence of a diet laden in sugary, fatty, fried and processed foods. The doctors said he faced blindness and amputation.
He took control and dove deep into a diet of plant-based foods — setting an example that can not only change but save lives. For many New Yorkers, and disproportionately people who look like Adams, dietary habits contribute to obesity and chronic diseases. That’s a big reason COVID-19 was especially deadly among African-Americans here.
So we consider it very, very good that New York City has a chief executive who can enthusiastically promote healthier lifestyles, a mission he is taking seriously by having public schools start vegan Fridays and expanding plant-based eating clinics for adults and families to all five boroughs. The first such Friday left lots to be desired — piles of vegetables with a side of chips aren’t a complete or appetizing meal — but if executed better, the idea is worthwhile.
Which brings us, in the fourth paragraph on purpose, to the less significant but still relevant question of what Adams calls himself. He’s repeatedly said he’s vegan. Now, after being pressed by reporters who heard otherwise, he admits he eats fish now and then.
No mayor should fib, no matter how seemingly small the mistruth. Credibility, like fish, rots from the head. But there’s nothing wrong and plenty right with having a primarily plant-based diet with exceptions now and then; it’s far, far healthier than the diet Adams had before, and moving in a similar direction would represent huge progress for thousands of New Yorkers. Indeed, the “vegan” label is intimidating for many who might otherwise embrace change.
Mike Bloomberg was a top-down, anti-sugar scold; we didn’t mind, but it rubbed many the wrong way and failed to break through culturally. Adams is a healthy eating evangelist who fervently wants others to see the light to save themselves. May he succeed, with candor.