Food Revolution

As many of you know, or can tell from my incessant recipe posting, I put a lot of emphasis on a healthy diet.  Wes and I are constantly amazed at some of the things that Colin not only will eat but actually loves (just tonight he ate roasted zucchini and squash).  I'm sure part of it has been luck but I think another big part of it is that we eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and have fed Colin the same since the beginning.  We try to never say the words, "he won't eat that" or "he won't like that" or "x is yuck".  Accordingly, we have a great, healthy eater.  It's so nice to not have to worry about fixing him a separate meal because he will always eat at least some portion of what we're eating.

Like I said, I know part of this is luck of the draw and we were fortunate enough to have a good eater and not a picky one.  I have friends who have tried everything to get their little ones to eat to not avail.  I was once one of these picky eaters, so I completely understand the frustration and reality of it.

There are, however, plenty of other families who haven't tried anything else.  Fast food and other convenience items are just far too, well, convenient to try any alternatives.  The problem is that they are virtually eliminating fruits and vegetables from their children's diet and are doing a severe injustice to their bodies.  The kids are rendered helpless because not only do they not have the insight to make better decisions, they lack the means as well.  Enter Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution.  Jamie is on a nationwide quest to end childhood obesity and teach Americans how to eat healthier, including how to cook at home - what a concept!

Jamie began his quest in the unhealthiest city in America, Huntington, West Virginia.  He, along with his co-producer, Ryan Seacrest, document their journey in a series being aired on ABC.  In case you missed Friday night's premiere, you can catch the 2-hour video here:  Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  He starts in one of their public schools and it is amazingly disheartening how unresponsive and unwilling these adults are to change the future for our children.  I shed some tears and got angry several times but in the end I was encouraged because he appears to be making a breakthrough with at least a handful of individuals.

Like I said, I'm pretty passionate about this subject, so I'm just trying to do my part in spreading the word.  If everyone will just consider each bite before it goes into his/her mouth and make a conscious decision to eat healthier, that would be a great start!  If you feel really compelled, you can go sign Jamie's food petition here.