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Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

Jamie OliverOur choices make an impact on our health. It is a very simple concept but most of us don’t make that connection… somehow we don’t pay attention to what we are putting in our mouths.. well, we should. I am glad Jamie sat some kids together and discussed calories and lack of exercise and what it does to our bodies.

As parents it is our responsibility to teach our kids how to cook and eat healthy foods. We need to show them how each meal needs to be balanced with protein and healthy carbs including fruits and vegetables. For those of us who work in addition to taking care of our families- we need to organize ourselves and plan meals for the week on the weekend. I realize people are busy but it is important to break the junk food cycle and teach our kids how to live healthy and make sensible choices for themselves.

Thanks to Jamie Oliver, some people will make this change and start to live healthier lives….

Jamie Oliver- Food Revolution- Second Episode…

Jamie OliverA big hug and kiss for Jamie Oliver for what he is doing for our kids. As I watched the show last night, I couldn’t believe all the hoops he had to go through to get into the Los Angeles school cafeteria. Obviously they have something to hide- why else would they create so many hurdles. Bottom line- we as parents have more power than we think. Our kids should be eating healthy, good food and we should know where the food is coming from. It is important to teach our kids to eat healthy and hopefully keep far away from diseases like diabetes. It was heart breaking to hear that girl’s story about her family being sick all the time.

I love what Jamie did with the healthy burgers. It is amazing how good food can be especially when it is healthy. It is important to bump up the flavor with lots of spices and herbs. I couldn’t believe the owner claimed his customers are not looking for quality- just quantity!! Really??? Maybe that is the problem- we don’t demand good, real food. Well, we should ask for good, reasonably priced food. It doesn’t help matters when places like McDonalds and Burger King are always full and doing better business every year. If we can’t afford to go out to places serving healthier food- we need to cook at home and serve our families good food.

I agree with Jamie- we do deserve better.

Jamie Oliver- Food Revolution- First Episode…

Jamie OliverI am so happy to see Jamie Oliver back on television. Don’t get me wrong- I watch him all the time- cooking with the kind of passion that generates huge amounts of pleasure. His passion is contagious. Last year when he started the Food revolution, I was thrilled and grateful.. someone is doing something and getting people aware of what we are feeding our kids and ourselves. I try my best to feed my family healthy food but unfortunately the stuff served in schools is a different story. Right now, my daughter takes lunch from home- thank God.. but I know as she gets older, she is going to want to eat at school- and that thought is super scary, especially knowing what is being served.

It scared me watching the show last night- what was that food they showed??? There is no cooking going on- my rule is – if food given to me that does not have an expiration date- I will not eat it. There is something wrong when our kids are given this crap.

It is so important to know where our food comes from. When Jamie showed what parts of the cow is being used at our schools- I was not shocked. We have the lowest standards for food in our schools- imagine.. that is what our kids are eating. I was sick to my stomach… and at the same time wanted to give Jamie a big kiss for putting this in front of all of us and making us aware.

We need to stop eating fast food and giving it to our kids- to me the big fast food places are the biggest culprits. There is nothing wrong with a burger- but I want good quality ingredients in my food, which most fast food joints don’t use. Good for Jamie to try to revamp the menu in that restaurant… at the end of the day- we need to demand where our food comes from.

Watch this show with your kids- it was amazing to see my daughter’s face last year while watching Jamie’s show. I will be watching it again with her this weekend as we do tv turn off through the week…

Sign the petition for serving plain milk in schools.

Want Milk? Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Continued…

Jamie Oliver
One more week of the food revolution reality show left on ABC- I can’t believe the season finale is next week. As I mentioned before, my daughter and I watch this fascinated show together. Last week’s show was no exception. Curled up in bed together, we watched the show on the weekend.

This particular show had the usual theme of showcasing all the unhealthy foods our kids get to eat in their schools. Besides introducing dishes made with fresh food, Jamie also eliminated things like chocolate and strawberry milk. Only plain, low-fat milk was left for the kids to drink.

When he returned to the school, all was going as planned, except for the milk. The flavored milk bottles were back and when he noticed the kids picking up their lunch, most of them opted for the flavored milk.

When my daughter started kindergarten, she was not interested in eating at the school cafeteria- which was just fine with me. As she got more comfortable in the school, she wanted to buy a drink to have with her homemade lunch. That was fine with me until I saw she was purchasing chocolate milk. I sat her down and explained to her that flavored milks have tons of sugar and most of them have high fructose corn syrup. I told her I can make chocolate milk for her at home and pack it for her but I didn’t want her to drink the one available at school. She understood what I was saying but still wanted to buy the one at school. We agreed on maybe purchasing a carton once a week.

I agree with Jamie Oliver and think the kids shouldn’t be given a choice between the ‘boring’ plain milk and the sugar laden flavored milk. Kids don’t know what is best for them and need to be told what to eat and drink- so they can grown up knowing what is healthy.

The Monday after watching the show, I forgot to pack a drink with my daughter’s lunch. I asked her what she bought at school- and she told me plain milk. I was extremely happy knowing she made the right decision, on her own. It is so important to equip your child with information about good food and nutrition. They may wander off and eat what they like as they get older, but will eventually get back to eating healthy- especially if they have all the information as they grow.

Please do your bit and sign the petition

Jamie’s Food Revolution- Continued

Jamie Oliver As I mentioned last week, I am closely following Jamie Oliver’s reality show every Friday on ABC. Since I was away to Austin, Texas, I didn’t get a chance to watch the show for the last two Fridays. I did watch them once I got back and was very surprised to see what they showed at the high school. Jamie showed up there and saw french fries being served and all the kids choosing them as the primary food.  To change things a bit, he proceeded to cook a noodle stir fry dish with seven different vegetables and served it with flavorful pieces of chicken. One of the inspectors who was reluctantly giving Jamie a chance looked at the plate and immediately said that the lunch doesn’t fit the regulations. According to her each lunch tray should have a cup and a half of vegetables. Although the noodles were full of veggies, she didn’t think they were enough. I was very surprised to hear that, especially since they had shown what the kids were eating earlier- burgers and fries- where were the veggies in there???

Are you ready for this- the fries were considered a vegetable. I guess technically speaking, they are made out of potatoes- but really??? I couldn’t believe it. Such misguided rules are making our kids obese and unhealthy. I was angry our government is not doing anything while our kids eat crap food in schools.

My daughter was sitting next me while I was watching and getting angry. She immediately came to her school’s rescue and told me they are not served french fries. She explained how there was fruit cups and salad in their cafeteria. I was happy to hear that but still very concerned about the future of our schools.

As I continue to support Jamie’s effort to make our schools healthy, please do your bit and sign his petition.

Jamie’s Food Revolution..

Jamie OliverI love Jamie Oliver! I have always loved watching and cooking Jamie’s recipes. I have his show set on my dvr and have saved them all in there. My daughter likes him as well- especially after I told her he is my favorite chef to watch. We watch his shows on the weekends and I love watching him cook in his garden in a rustic kitchen in the UK- I wish I could be there.

Now that he is all over television with his show, The Food Revolution, I love him even more. I remember watching him in the UK doing the same thing for the schools there and thinking I wish he would come here. Essentially, he is trying to make our schools healthier. He goes to a school and talks about all the processed food our kids are being fed and tries to teach the school how to make simple, healthy food out of real ingredients. All I can say is – why didn’t someone else do this a long time ago???

Healthy eating comes from the homes but our government makes it hard to eat healthy especially for families who are on a tight budget and find the processed foods a lot cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables- something is wrong.

When our kids are younger, like mine is (she is seven), we can still control what they eat. I pack my daughter’s lunch everyday except one day when she eats pizza. I am okay with one day of pizza as long as the rest of the days I can give her lunch- but I feel, as she gets older, she is going to want to eat at school and the thought makes me cringe. All the unhealthy food being served is very depressing. I am trying to raise her with healthy eating habits and it gets harder as she gets older. Everywhere I look there are tons of unhealthy food choices, chain restaurants, candy and sugar…

Since Jamie Oliver is trying to make a difference, I want to do everything to help. He has a petition we can all sign on his website. Please go ahead and do so and cook something healthy tonight!