Where was Jamie Oliver two decades ago when America’s obesity and diabetes rates weren’t yet out-of-control? This blistering British brood swept into America to start a food revolution in one community that has been particularly hard-hit by this public health epidemic. This bold Brit transformed the hearts, minds and mid-sections of a small, West Virginia town and I hope he’s not stopping there.
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution isn’t just about food; it’s about changing the culture around how this country thinks and feels about food. I’ve said before that we love to eat and eat to love; that food evokes emotions and emotions evoke the desire for food. And it’s up to us to balance our minds’ satisfaction of cravings with our bodies’ requirements for nutrition.
That’s just what Sir Oliver did for Huntington, West Virginia. Starting in the public schools, with the help of a few teenage champions, Jamie taught administrators, principals, teachers, school-food staff, parents and students about one of my passions – core cooking. He showed them that nutritious food can taste good and can be prepared quickly to serve a busy family or several hundred hungry students.
This show is about the power of education in transforming the health of an entire community. After overcoming several challenges and barriers in the schools, Jamie took his food fury to the streets of Huntington, where he was able to get more than 1,000 people through his community kitchen to learn about nutrition and cooking basics.
Jamie gave individuals and organizations the knowledge and confidence to motivate change in school-food procurement processes and shopping, cooking and eating habits. He introduced this community to a new way of life that can be sustainable, hopefully resulting in healthier, happier people.
If you missed the show’s broadcast you can watch full episodes online at ABC.com. I also encourage you to get involved by visiting Jamie Oliver’s site at www.jamieoliver.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment