20 Shocking Minutes
This Is Important!
Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food is a "must-see" presentation. You don't even have to watch it online - you can download it for later, read the transcript instead, or even read along to it. If you have children you owe it to yourself to set aside some time and watch this straight through, even if only to reassure yourself that your own kids are not part of the affected majority.
I realize I am starting to get all worried/ fanatical/evangelical about the child obesity epidemic. I think it's mainly because it's getting so uncomfortably close to home. My kids aren't obese - yet. But I am far from satisfied with either their current diet or their level of physical activity. Unfortunately, the solutions are not uncomplicated. It's not as simple as putting more vegetables in front of them and then pushing them out the door. Or is it?
I guess I should take some comfort in the fact that I have at least identified the issue before it's (hopefully) too late. I've got to figure this out.
Well, our parents did. Mind you, I grew up in small time where parents didn't have to worry as much what we're up to outside, but we were out a lot more then kids today. No VCRs, no computers, no cable TV, no Xbox....so what else was there to do at home anyway?
And my mother cooking was I guess similar to what you got at home. Nothing was pre-made and on Saturday my mother would bake some kind of pie (which would last maybe 2 days). That was it for the week.
In one of your articles you mentioned how people in the '60s and early 70's weren't overweight. Well, I've come to Canada in '89 and it was still very rare in Czechoslovakia (or probably Europe) to see obese person. 20 years later and lots of overweight people there now. These food giants that produce all this processed/refined food are global players. You see the same products in the supermarket no matter where you go. I've seen lot of US junk even in Asia. I had a shock of my life in Singapore. Rich country/city but seeing so many fat Asians was a shocker to me. But you go to poor country (like Cambodia) where the US/western companies haven't broken the market (yet) and NOBODY is overweight. All food they eat is cooked from raw materials.
