Saturday, March 27, 2010

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Okay, so I know that the show ended a few weeks ago, but I just caught up. What did everyone think?

I thought it was remarkable what he was trying to accomplish, I had heard a bit about what he did in England and if anyone needs help it's America. It was shocking to see the carbs and sugar that were being fed to children who are expected to sit in class all day and learn. This is what we're fueling our future on. My jaw was on the floor when he got in trouble for not having enough starch or the time when he didn't have enough vegetables, yet the french fry line got a pass.

I understand that it's good television, but I couldn't believe there were so many neighsayers! But then I thought about it and a lot of the things that happened on the show parallel adopting a healthy lifestyle overall.

  1. There are people who don't like or cannot accept the change
  2. After adoption has been complete, people fall off the wagon and need to be nudged back into the right direction
I was so happy to see that so many people were receptive to the changes and that the neighsayers eventually saw the light. It was hard for me to relate to Jamie's main adversaries since he was trying to help besides the fact that it makes for great television.

What did I come up with? Other than the fact that he is British and not as widely popular in the States as he is in the UK, it can be frustrating when someone comes in and points out your flaws and claims to have the solution to something you struggle with daily. The British part may sound funny, but I truly think that if Rachael Ray came into a small town in America to help out that she would have a different reception. Now, her and Jamie's backgrounds and approaches may have also been quite different.

One of the most shocking moments, to me, was the chicken demonstration. I don't think I'll ever see a chicken patty or nugget the same way again. And how crazy was it that the kids wanted to still eat them? I was pretty old (2nd Grade) when I realized where meat came from and was thoroughly disgusted. Yes I know, I was naive. I think I knew chicken came from chickens, but beef from cows blew my mind. That was my first (and probably longest) attempt to go vegetarian.

I think that overall this has opened the eyes of a lot of parents, in conjunction with the mass popularity of a lot of different documentaries out there. I definitely feel encouraged that the First Lady is taking an active hand in childhood obesity and nutrition, I feel like it's a great first step forward.

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