For anyone who is a food network junkie like myself, you probably recognize the name Jamie Oliver. And if anyone is into changing the world, like my husband, then you probably recognize the name Jamie Oliver. Jamie has been in the news most recently for two things: His new show on ABC called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, and for winning the prestigious TED award. The TED award is given annually to one person who has a wish of gigantic proportions to - yes really - change the world.
Jamie's vision to make our world a healthier place, started many years ago in his home country (the UK). But he has recently focused his sights on the U.S. and our HUGE (no pun intended) eating problem. His focus is on education and empowerment of today's youth especially. His new show is situated in West Virginia in the country's "fattest" city. He works in the local schools to try and find healthy alternatives for the students and tries to change the mind-set of the school's administration, all while trying to understand and navigate all of our federal red-tape. He even had to ask what the FDA was all about. The show documents his struggles with the local lunch ladies and radio DJ, but also shows the small victories with some of the families in the town. He works closely with the local pastor as well and is distraught when the pastor goes through the amount of funerals he performs each month.
This city is not unlike many other cities in the US where fast food reigns and people think frozen meals are just as good as a home-cooked one. It's time for our generation to step up and start caring about what we're putting into our bodies. It was one of the most depressing things to me to see Jamie go into a classroom with a basket full of vegetables and as he held each one up, the kids kept getting it wrong. They didn't even know what a potato was, but they sure did know what a french fry was. It can start small, you don't have to go organic in one day or even at all...but here are some ways I would encourage our generation to make a change:
1. Go to more local markets to get your produce. Most cities have a variety of outdoor markets where local farmers sell their produce. You know it's organic and fresh and instead of your money going to a corporation like Walmart or Dominicks, you're supporting local businesses.
2. Start buying free-range, grass-fed meats. Pharmaceutical companies are having to come up with new anti-biotics because our bodies are consuming so many from the meat we eat, that we are becoming immune. Whole Foods has an amazing selection of meats and you always know what state and even city and farm the meat is coming from. It's not cheap, but you don't have to buy your entire week's worth of groceries there, but start with the meat.
3. Host a supper club for your friends. Four of my closest friends in Chicago do this and not only do we get to enjoy a home-cooked meal, but it's an excuse to hang out every week. It forces you to learn to cook a few recipes (with no fear of judgment, since we're all friends) and gives you the inspiration you need to cook more often, even for just yourself!
4. Take a cooking class. The Chopping Block (http://www.thechoppingblock.net/classes.html) in chicago as well as Sur La Table (http://cookingclasses.surlatable.com/) offers a wide range of classes from beginner to chef. Instead of a movie or dinner date...get your friends to save up the cash and do this once every couple of months...you get to learn something new AND you get to eat the food you've just learned how to cook!
These are just some of my humble suggestions, but it might just start the food revolution our generation needs. We need to be a generation that cares. Apathy comes easy to people my age, but the differentiator is going to be the people that take action and inspire others to do the same. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America today and it's such an simple thing to avoid. If we could just get this one thing right, then a lot of other things would come easier.
A blog that might (or might not) have popped in response to Jamie's revolution is a blog called Fed Up With School Lunch. It's about a teacher who has committed to eating her school's lunches for an entire year...there are photos and guest bloggers, but it's so amazing to see what the younger generation is eating on a daily basis in our public schools.
Things need to change, so please, check out Jamie's website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/ and figure out what part you're going to play in this growing revolution. I leave you with a quote of Jamie's from his TED award speech:
"I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity."
