Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

[berry987]

LOVE IT! Anyone else?

[sosurreal09]

i one million percent agree with him! THINGS NEED TO CHANGE! hes such a hottie too lol but whats with the new hair? its very mullet-esk lol

[lilyka]

I have been trying to decide if i want to go back to school for diet and nutrition or social work. i think he just helped me cind a way to combine them And I like that he is not extreme. very down to earth reasonable stuff and it is still soooooooooo much better.

[berry987]

lilyka -- I've wanted to formally study nutrition for awhile, but I am turned off by what they teach nutritionists. It's the standard AHA diet, which is not healthy and not benefiting our country. I'm curious if you have thoughts on this -- I wonder if there is a route that doesn't lead to the USDA food pyramid?

[Nansense]

awesome! I try to eat healthy, but get lazy - it was a good kick in the butt to get back to the naturals!

[nolansmummy]

There is already a discussion going on in the television forum... here

I really enjoyed this show- one of my professors was discussing it in class last week. I think we need more people like him in order to truly have a big change. I hope he is able to accomplish what he is hoping.

Berry987- I was going to school to be a dietitian, but i'm not sure its the direction i want to go in for the exact reasons you listed. I just don't think the government really knows what is best for our health.

[Mawood]

loved it too. crazy what the kids have to eat at school......

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by Mawood

crazy what the kids have to eat at school......

even crazier is that the kids *like* that food. I was so pained to see only some of the kids try the chicken, and then even of those who ventured, it seemed like a lot didn't like it. sigh.

I'm hooked though. I have to know what happens!

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by berry987

lilyka -- I've wanted to formally study nutrition for awhile, but I am turned off by what they teach nutritionists. It's the standard AHA diet, which is not healthy and not benefiting our country. I'm curious if you have thoughts on this -- I wonder if there is a route that doesn't lead to the USDA food pyramid?

this is what has been holding me back. It helped me to actually work with a dietition on some stuff. She is quite excellent. and not at all promoting the whole food pirymid crap. If I go to school it will just be for the peice of paper and not so much for the education. sad yes but necessary for what I need to do to get a good job in the field I want to go into.

[sunny*pa*mom]

I love it too. We eat about 90% whole foods, with a few snacks like crackers and pretzels for the kids. It was the kick in the pants I needed to get the last of the processed food out of my house. I'm so glad to see this message on primetime tv.

[iamme]

Originally Posted by berry987

lilyka -- I've wanted to formally study nutrition for awhile, but I am turned off by what they teach nutritionists. It's the standard AHA diet, which is not healthy and not benefiting our country. I'm curious if you have thoughts on this -- I wonder if there is a route that doesn't lead to the USDA food pyramid?

I actually did this, and quit due to the overwhelming stupidity I was being taught.

I later learned that there is a university in Wisconsin maybe (?) that takes a much healthier approach to nutrition. This was years ago, so things may have changed by then.

[berry987]

I just want to add - I DVR'd the 2nd episode and watched it yesterday afternoon. The kids were playing in the backyard, but came in just after it started...at first I was annoyed because it is nearly impossible to watch anything on TV while the kids are awake (picture me as jungle gym on couch). But, they sat down and started watching with me. When he did the experiment with making chicken nuggets (with ground parts) my kids were saying "gross! ewww!" and then I asked them if they'd eat it and they said, "No!!" And then they watched the entire hour with me. I thought it would go over their heads (they're 5 and 3), but they were really interested.

So, I just wanted to add that it's a good program to watch with kids to reinforce good eating habits.

[hjrowan]

Those who've expressed interest in a slightly alternative view of nutrition schooling might want to check out Bastyr University near Seattle, which has several nutrition programs, including a RD (registered dietititan) track. Although the RD (BS and MS) is overseen by the ADA it's not entirely Food Pyramid based! Bastyr is a naturopathic uni so there a "whole Foods" slant to the nutrition courses. PM me if you want any more info.

[Caneel]

I have read a lot about the show but haven't watched it. I need to check the schedule.

A few years back there was a big feature in the NYT magazine about some foundation that committed to take over a school cafeteria for a number of years. They completely paid for everything so there was no cost to the district.

The kids and parents revolted and the story told how parents would come up to the playground fence and throw bags of fast food over the fence to their kids. Crazy!

[avendesora]

I agree that the cafeteria is atrocious, and I think that what Jamie Oliver is doing, in general, is fabulous.

But I have to disagree with him on a few points.
- Pizza for breakfast. Not sure why he thinks that's inherently bad. Crappy pizza for breakfast isn't healthy, but it wouldn't be healthy any time of day. I'd rather the kids be served crappy pizza for breakfast than lots of other things they might have thought of - poptarts, stickybuns, pastries in general.

- The chicken nugget experiment. I'm glad that we're not wasting the chicken carcass if the grocery stores mostly sell chicken breasts and thighs/drumsticks. He complained that there was marrow in it, lol. My only concern with chicken nuggets is the stabilizers, etc., not that it has 'gross' chicken parts. If we're going to eat meat, lets use the whole animal, please.

- I saw him frying homemade chicken nuggets in olive oil on Oprah. Frying in olive oil creates trans-fats, which is worse than using a more stable fat like lard.

I like the emphasis it has on teaching people how to cook basic good food. It makes me think of the Michael Pollan article where he (jokingly) suggests a diet where the only rule is you have to cook whatever you eat yourself. Potato chips are fine, if you're willing to go through all the work, for example. The result being that you're not going to eat too much junk because it just takes too long.

Aven

[JoyMC]

i LOVE it, too!!

as a TF-er, i am not going to agree with everything - like the aversion to marrow, LOL. but on the whole, so great.

and it's not just what schools provide or less affluent communities, either. i used to substitute teach at a private elementary school in an upper class neighborhood of Seattle, and lunch-room duty was part of the job. i was HORRIFIED to see what the parents were sending for their kids to eat every day. in almost every case, the BEST item was the electric-food-dye colored "yogurt". (except the one crunchy granola girl who came with her little tupperwares filled with leftovers stews and soups and casseroles obviously made from scratch by an awesome mama. )

[mamakah]

Originally Posted by berry987

lilyka -- I've wanted to formally study nutrition for awhile, but I am turned off by what they teach nutritionists. It's the standard AHA diet, which is not healthy and not benefiting our country. I'm curious if you have thoughts on this -- I wonder if there is a route that doesn't lead to the USDA food pyramid?

I've been worried about the same thing. I have wanted to go to school for nutrition and do something along the lines of what Jamie is doing. After reading some local Universities and Colleges "Nutrition" programs I'm really concerned. Even on the show, he was having to stick with the USDA guidelines that want the kids to have 2 grain servings with each meal? So, even though he had brown rice to serve the kids, he had to throw a bread roll on there too! That was just wrong to me (and I am a grain/bread lover!). I wish I could find a school that teaches "preventative" nutrition and work with a naturopath.

[mamakah]

Originally Posted by Caneel

The kids and parents revolted and the story told how parents would come up to the playground fence and throw bags of fast food over the fence to their kids. Crazy!

Wow. I can't wrap my head around that mentality. Who would be against feeding their kids right? If someone came to me today and said "you know, that (enter some random food item) is really not good for your DS. Give him this instead..." I would be open to it. But that's just me I guess?

[Eaglevoice]

This is hands down, the scariest thing I have seen on television in a looooong time. I can't believe that this is really happening in our country. I guess I can believe it, but I live in coastal southern California, so I'm a little sheltered from people who think that way. I am really looking forward to this weeks episode.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by Caneel

I have read a lot about the show but haven't watched it. I need to check the schedule.

Both episodes are free on hulu.com!

Love Jamie! The project he did in the UK was fabulous and I was so excited he decided to do it here...speaking the American language: reality tv.