Food Revolution

While television has taken several different approaches to the obesity epidemic in America, in the end almost all of these shows end up being a weight loss competition. This is helpful for the millions of Americans looking to change their lifestyles and lose weight, but it only offers solutions for people who have already gained the weight. Jamie Oliver is taking a completely different approach. So how is one man going to stop obesity at the source? By changing what Americans are consuming day in and day out.

He starts out in Huntington, West Virginia, one of the most obese towns in America. Although some of his tactics seem overly dramatic, such as dumping a mountain of animal fat onto the school lawn, his intentions are good and his findings are shocking. Is it possible to avoid weight gain and obesity when unhealthy foods are all that surround us? Parents rely on schools to educate their children and keep them safe, but the reality is that schools are part of the obesity problem. Many of the kids on this show could not name basic vegetables, and while Oliver was not expecting these kids to be master chefs, it is horrifying to think that there are people out there who have never been exposed to fresh vegetables.

The school worries that if they stop serving lunchtime favorites like pizza and chicken nuggets the kids won't eat lunch, and while it's true that some kids might be upset, how can we know until we try? It's not that children are resistant to healthy foods, and if they became exposed  to healthy alternatives and fresh food they would be able to find something they really enjoy. Lets be serious, everyone loves some fresh fruit for breakfast and a delicious homemade meal.

What people don't realize is that cooking is not as intimidating as it sounds. And fresh food is not nearly as expensive as one might think. It's easy to throw together a salad and grill some chicken, and this is certainly much healthier than that cheeseburger and fries from the drive-thru. Maybe it's time we all reevaluated what we've been eating and what we're being served in schools and restaurants.