By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Following the passing of the 2026 budget bill, which proposes significant Medicaid cuts, Dr. Mehmet Oz offered advice on Fox Business. Oz, discussing his role as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, emphasized the importance of personal health and staying healthy. Ironically, during the discussion about healthy living, Oz offered a carrot cake, which he humorously dubbed the “MAHA Medi-cake,” referencing the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” slogan.
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Don’t eat carrot cake: That’s the takeaway from Dr. Oz’s recent pronouncements on how Americans facing Medicaid cuts should navigate their healthcare. It’s a pretty bold statement, especially considering the backdrop of increasing wealth inequality and the potential for reduced access to vital medical services. You can’t help but feel like we’ve wandered into a dystopian landscape where dietary choices are scrutinized as a proxy for deservingness.
The core of the issue, as it appears, revolves around a message of personal responsibility in the face of healthcare limitations. While encouraging a healthy lifestyle is generally a good thing, framing it as “don’t eat carrot cake, eat real food” when people are struggling to afford basic necessities and access healthcare is, well, a bit tone-deaf. It feels like a modern-day version of “let them eat cake,” but with a slightly more judgmental edge. And considering the current economic climate, it’s hard not to see this as a simplistic and potentially harmful oversimplification of complex issues.
Interestingly, the whole thing is made even more ironic by the fact that Dr. Oz seems to have, at some point, offered someone a carrot cake. It’s hard not to read this as a complete disconnect from the reality of people’s lives. This kind of advice, particularly coming from someone known for promoting various dubious health products, only serves to further erode trust and fuel cynicism. The real problem is it seems to assume that everyone has the same opportunities and resources to make “healthy choices” as those in more privileged situations. It’s a stark reminder of the often-widening chasm between the rhetoric of personal responsibility and the very real challenges faced by millions of Americans.
The impact of financial hardship and the chronic stress it creates cannot be ignored. Constant stress, stemming from financial insecurity and other socioeconomic challenges, releases cortisol, a hormone known to interfere with weight loss and overall health. Telling people to simply “eat real food” without addressing the underlying causes of their stress, the lack of access to nutritious foods, or the impact of potentially harmful pesticides in the food supply is not just unhelpful, it’s potentially harmful. It deflects from the systemic issues that contribute to poor health outcomes and places the blame squarely on individuals.
This message can feel even more problematic when it comes from someone who, in the past, has been criticized for promoting certain health advice, or who has appeared to prioritize profit over patient well-being. And the ethics pledge that he signed which includes a commitment to not promote health and wellness products. This makes this advice about not eating a carrot cake seem, at best, hypocritical, and at worst, intentionally dismissive of the struggles many Americans face.
The situation surrounding Medicaid cuts, coupled with the current economic climate, makes this messaging particularly insensitive. The implication seems to be that individuals who are not in perfect health are somehow deserving of their fate, which is a dangerous idea, and it completely misses the bigger picture. The truth is that not everyone has equal access to healthy food, safe environments, or affordable healthcare. And so when someone in a position of influence, a medical doctor, offers such simplistic advice, it can be seen as not only unhelpful, but also as a way to divert attention from the systemic problems that need to be addressed.
The response has been swift and varied. Many people are feeling frustrated, especially when the advice comes from an individual who has been accused of pushing dubious health products in the past, and is also a public figure with the potential to influence policy decisions. Others are cynical. It seems, that the real worry is that this kind of messaging is merely a prelude to more drastic cuts to healthcare, placing blame on individuals while ignoring the systemic problems.
There is a strong sense of exasperation, with many expressing a strong desire for more nuanced and empathetic solutions. This is the kind of messaging that ignores the bigger picture. It simplifies the complexities of health, the impact of poverty, and the environmental factors that make up a person’s health. It’s not as simple as just telling someone to give up carrot cake. And, frankly, it makes you want to eat it even more.