Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution: Episode 1

Chef Jaime Oliver's new program on ABC, Food Revolution, uncovers one of the most pressing concerns in America today: our relationship with food, and more specifically the culture of food that is being taught to our children. As this program unfolds in America's unhealthiest town, Huntington, West Virgina, a town that the Center for Disease Control reports has an adult obesity rate of roughly 50%, MindBodyHealth will post weekly blogs following each episode.

Episode 1:

For the first time in American history, children today have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Directly correlated to this shorter life expectancy are lifestyle choices of diet and exercise. Children learn about food and food choices from their immediate experience, most notably from important adults in their life, including their family and what is being provided in the school setting.

From the DJ at the beginning of the show, to the school cooks, to the parents, to the questionable nutritional guidelines being handed down by the school district, it was clear how tightly woven this community is in regards to their idea of nutrition. Also apparent was the high resistant to change at all levels. The important adults in this particular community do not immediately value the need to change. Despite direct evidence of higher rates of disease, poorer quality of life, and shorter life expectancy, there was no immediate incentive to begin making changes, neither for themselves or their children.

Towards the end of the episode, Jamie Oliver attempted a new menu of fresh ingredients that competed with the typical school lunch pizza. It is not surprising that the kids chose pizza, a common meal for them. This highlights the first major take away point from this show: kids eat what is common to them. They will not begin eating fruits and vegetables on their own. Parents need to model healthy choices and teach the value of consuming food that is healthy to our bodies and our overall well-being.

Lesson from Episode 1: as adults, we hold the power in teaching future generations about healthy eating. Children will follow our model of food choices. To begin your own food revolution, start with examining your own food beliefs and current diet. Recognize what you value in regards to food. Think about the choices you are making today. Perhaps a significant portion of what you know about food was taught to you by important adults in your life at one time.