“In the next 20 minutes, 4 adults will die from the food that they eat.”
So begins Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk when he was awarded the TED prize. (If you’re new to TED talks, check out this link. They’re my favorite way to spend car time!) Jamie is a well known chef, cookbook author, and TV personality, and he recently starred in a miniseries called Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, highlighting the abysmal state of eating habits in a town in West Virginia that earned the distinction of being the Unhealthiest City in America. Watching his talk is 20 minutes well spent. Do it in the car from your smartphone if you can’t spare the time in front of the computer. Here’s what’s in store for you.
Jamie, in his unpretentious way makes the case for why we must teach our children about food – what it is, how to buy it, cook it, and eat it. Listening to his talk reminded me that the work we do at Nourish is not just about helping people achieve their highest goals and ambitions by freeing them from food-related anxiety. It’s even more basic than that. The work we’re doing can actually SAVE LIVES.
By reaching people who want to build basic skills (to choose healthy foods, to cook them quickly and simply, to make the time to sit down for a meal). Jamie emphasizes a point I’ve often made – that we’re now in the 3rd decade of people who lack basic cooking skills. Fast food has taken over the country with supermarket convenience foods close behind. Thirty years ago most food was local and fresh – today most is highly processed. Many children cannot even identify basic produce! If you don’t believe me, watch this short clip of first graders trying to name vegetables as Jamie holds them up. Heaven help us.
The problem can seem insurmountable:
- 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese
- Most of the leading causes of death are DIET related
- Obesity costs $150 billion/year – 10% of our health care bills in America and it’s on track to double in 10 years