Have you seen the new TV series
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, featuring celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his quest to change the way America eats?
This impassioned chef is taking on obesity, heart disease and diabetes in America, where our children are the first generation not expected to live as long as their parents. It's pretty compelling stuff.
Oliver decided to start his revolution in Huntington, West Virginia, which has the dubious distinction of "unhealthiest city in America." You can watch him on the show as he takes on the community's nutritional ignorance and bad habits. He tries his hardest to replace the old ways of eating with a fresh, whole foods approach and healthier food preparation.
Some people welcome his brand of change. Others -- well, not so much. I must admit I felt sorry for some of the folks on the show as they defended their way of life to this British upstart who's telling them they've been feeding their kids all wrong. But I was also shocked at what I saw, such as a classroom of 6-year-olds who couldn't identify common fruits or vegetables and a family whose fryer was the main cooking tool in the kitchen.
Jamie Oliver definitely has his work cut out for him in his food revolution. But I applaud his efforts to improve the nutrition of our country's families--and so far, his show has gone a long way toward raising our national consciousness of food-related problems.
If you missed the first three episodes, you can
watch them for free on the ABC website. And don't miss the remaining episodes on live TV, Fridays at 9/8c on ABC. You can also try out some of his
fresh, flavorful recipes here.