Please set time aside to watch this very powerful talk by Jamie Oliver about the effects the food industry has on our children's health. It is so IMPORTANT. We do not want children to live shorter lives than we do because of the landscape of food that's been built around them. This video shows clips of Jamie doing a show & tell with basic veggies in an elementary class. Sadly, most of the kids could not name or recognize them! He states that... "many kids can tell you about drugs but do not know what celery or courgettes taste like." I think it is also interesting to note that Jamie promoted Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' campaign.
Anyway, we are all responsible for this lack of education. There are ways to teach kids about food and it's primary role as nourishment for our bodies. Often times, junk foods (including fast foods) are given to kids as a reward for a 'job well done' OR as a way to get them to stop nagging us. (I had little brothers, I know) It's bad enough we bribe our pets with treats but why should we treat our children like that? The kids in this country deserve healthy foods, clean fruits, and lots of yummy veggies prepared together (hopefully) in loving environments at home and ALSO in school where they spend so much time. Teaching a kid to eat healthy is like teaching a kid to ride a bike. It will become hardwired in their brains. So start as early as you can and remember it is never TOO LATE!
RECIPES
If you feel inspired by Jamie's campaign, he has created an online petition, promoting healthy food for children, that he will present to the White House. You can find the petition here:
http://www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com/petition. Pass it along!
Posted by: Jess | March 11, 2010 at 08:43 AM