Will Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution save our lives?
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Over the past two decades, scientists have established that addictions, and especially the cravings behind them, are directly linked to our memories. Once the brain has been introduced to a stimulus, especially in regular intervals, it is hard to forget. Researchers have also long known that foods provide this same kind of stimuli, as WebMD explains nicely here.
Equate food addictions with drugs and the obesity rate in America makes perfect sense. Processed food, especially those high in sugar, salt and fat, are as powerfully addictive as many narcotics. They are also as deadly, given the amount and regularity with which we consume them, and they are pushed by tragic and ironic sources: parents and schools.
I just finished watching the new ABC series “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” You can find a preview now on Hulu; it officially premieres Friday night. I believe it might be the most important show on television. Unlike Morgan Spurlock’s “Supersize Me,” Oliver is more about substance than gimmick. More importantly, unlike the “Biggest Loser,” he gets at the source of our obesity crisis: the way we eat as children.
Oliver goes to the public school system in Huntington, West Va. and finds conflict almost immediately as he tries to spread the message of replacing processed foods with natural, healthy alternatives. Huntington often winds up on the top of ‘fattest city’ lists. I would have preferred the producers not choose such an easy target, because this is not a flyover problem. Still, that’s a small criticism. Most everyone in the U.S. will be able to see themselves in this show. And the program often reveals how government regulations and a general cultural bias cause the problem.
I have spent the greater part of my life obese by medical standards. I grew up on the packaged foods that most of the kids of my generation ate. When I moved to New York last August, I decide this was the chance I needed to change my life. Using the subway system I walked more, all of the chain restaurants had to list their calories and trans fatty foods are banned–that was the kick-start I needed. I visited the nutritionist on my insurance plan, walked as much as I could and counted calories. Once the easy pounds came off and I got stuck, I started using the gym. So far I have lost 60 pounds and still have 20 more before I hit a healthy weight. There are no tricks to it, I began moving more and eating better. It was simple but not easy. The struggle is fighting those cravings as my brain courses through its addictions. I have to keep my mind on other things, to eat foods that are healthy but filling, to avoid giant portions more than specific foods and to eat more vegetables. These are all of the points Oliver makes on his show.
It is the wake-up call our nation needs to kick its habit.
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Good for you with the weight loss!
I watched the pilot of that show and found it extremely compelling. I was very impressed with his passion — and depressed by the bureaucratic BS and pushback he ran into.
Thanks Caitlin! I agree — those USDA guidelines were especially ridiculous.
In response to another comment. See in context »Michael, I came across an article that may be of some interest to you: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/
“Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn’t true, at least under the conditions of our tests…”
This is outside the addiction theme of your post, but still pretty fascinating, because what it says is that if you do go for sugar (and who doesn’t?), go for the lesser evil variety in the form of natural sweets. A simple change like this can have a profound effect if the research holds up.
Jamie Oliver is one cool dude: I hope you also caught his TED talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html
Those are great resources, John. Thanks very much for sharing them. That study is especially important when there’s a major advertising campaign trying to convince us of the opposite.
In response to another comment. See in context »As a chef and an advocate of healthy choices as well as sustainable dining I found this line of thought an especially inspirational and compelling one…
Kudos to you as well Michael…I have said it over and over it is not only about making the choice to lose and enjoy life, it is a matter of willingly and lovingly changing your lifestyle to face your own demons…
Chef Michael Hayes
Greenville, SC
Keep up the good work, Michael. Chefs are really leading the way on this, because you show us how to eat well without feeling like we sacrifice anything.
In response to another comment. See in context »Michael, Bless you and your choices to make a difference in your life and health! I watched Jamie Oliver’s show and was full of such mixed emotion! I am not a chef, or a nutritionist, or even a gym rat. What I am is a Mom who has always been so proud of my son, who is turning six, who will ask for salmon and broccoli for his dinner; loves avocado and fresh fruit with yogurt for dessert, and is healthy – thank God – and growing like a weed. I, too, identify with what you mention about food cravings and addictions. When I was a child, I was seen at Stanford for a heart defect and my mother would make the trip “special” by taking me to the deli for a hot pastrami on dark rye, provolone cheese, and mayonnaise on both sides of the bread. Yum. But oh the irony. It’s what I look for when I am overly stressed! Anyway, Jamie’s show made me take a second look at not only what the school is serving my child for lunch, but also what I was packing in his lunch out of convenience! Oh my! It’s so easy to grab a bag of chips, miniature cookies, ans a sandwich – but the convenience is not worth the lifetime eating habits he will develop. He will likely only buy on occasion, and I revamped his lunchbox back to what I know is right… fresh fruit, cheese, and a sandwich with a water. He is thrilled! I hope that Jamie’s show hits home with us all and the USDA stops and takes notice. As always, change takes place in the home first! Thank you for your story, and I praise Jamie for his COURAGE to say what nobody wants to hear. Good luck to you!
You sound like a great mom and one based in realism. I would never blame my mom for that processed food, it was all sold as ‘nutritious and delicious.’ But she too has seen how those decision affected her life, especially after she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. She’s lost even more than I have!
In response to another comment. See in context »Great Michael, change your avatar pictures too, our minds trick us in all kinds of ways! Sometimes it is like an internal civil war those kind of changes, go bro!
That’s a great idea! I think when I hit my goal that’s how I’ll celebrate.
In response to another comment. See in context »Loved Oliver’s shows over in the UK and another show I also became a fan of is “You are what you eat” with Gillian McKeith. Amazing when she spreads out on a table or two what people consume in a week…
Interesting, he does that in the first episode of this show. You’re right, it blew my mind and it led to the emotional exchange of the show.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] Will Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution save our lives? [...]
If you feel inspired by Jamie’s campaign, he has created an online petition, promoting healthy food for children, that he will present to the White House. You can find the petition here:
http://www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com/petition. Pass it along!
Thanks Jessica.
In response to another comment. See in context »Jamie Oliver is great because he isn’t a fanatic,just sensible
Michael this is a great article, and definitely a call to action.
The hardest thing for a parent is to watch their child struggle with obesity, because they don’t want to take away that soda and fast food if every one of their friends is eating it. What we have to do instead is make eating healthy “cool” to our kids again.
I recently found this company that is doing just that and my family has fully adopted the “WAT-AAH” concept. We’ve ditched sodas and sports drinks for good old water, and my kids think they’re drinking the coolest thing now, because its good for them.
Some wat-aah videos that my kids love: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BC3796CB622E57BB