It’s Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, It’s also my Passion

My kids go back to school next week and you know what that means?  It means it’s back to me weaseling my way into visiting the cafeteria during my son’s lunch period. You know, to chat.  About things like math, science, oh, the science of some of the cafeteria food, that is.  I have discussed such things as hot dogs not being real food and the fact they are among the first generation of kids who will die before their parents.  What? Do you really think I should feel bad about sharing the realities of the foods some of these kids are eating on a daily basis?  These are the same kids who talk about which level they are currently on in the M rated video game they have at home.  So, no, I don’t feel bad at all.   I don’t do it because I’m mean, I do it because I care.  Somebody has to.  We are still a fat country with a scary number of children in the category of obese.  Many schools, ours included, need major changes to their lunch programs in order to feed our children’s minds rather than their already existing bellies.  Bellies should only be seen on men who drink too much beer, not on our tweens and teens and sometimes younger children. 
I have attended a few meetings regarding positive changes to the lunch program in my kids’ school district because I feel if the school is responsible for feeding the students that one meal of the day then it should be healthy for them.  And by healthy I don’t mean processed chicken nuggets or nachos, I mean real vegetables and dishes prepared from scratch.  Even if as a parent you don’t feel you have the skills or feel you lack the tools to begin feeding your family healthier meals, your child still deserves to eat a healthy lunch at school.  What I  have a problem with, is if you know that you are raising your child on an unhealthy diet and you do nothing to improve it.  Or you do nothing to educate yourself on ways to improve what you feed your family.
You wouldn’t send your child out to play on street filled with traffic or allow your small toddler to walk up and down a set of steep stairs unattended, would you? 
As parents, we are constantly worried about keeping our kids safe and hoping that we guide them with the tools to make the best choices for themselves.  The same applies to the food we feed them.   If we lead by example, they will begin to make better choices for themselves when they are away from home, like at school.
Ever since it began, I have been excited about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.  Not familiar with it? Check it out here.  His mission is simple yet daunting.  He wants to change the school lunch programs across our country.  He wants better for our kids when they eat lunch at school.  Not his own kids, but our kids.  The kids of America.  His kids don’t even eat lunch in our cafeterias, but he cares about our kids.  This is where he and I are similar.  My kids do not participate in the lunch program in our school district.  I simply prefer to know what goes into their lunchboxes and into their bodies.  Also, at this point, the lunch program simply isn’t as healthy as I’d like it to be when serving my kids.  So I will continue to work toward a better program for all of the other students, work toward educating them on why they should make better food choices. Although I feel very strongly about this, I also feel it begins at home.  If you don’t feel you have the tools, or you don’t know where to begin, or you think you can’t afford to eat more healthy, ask someone for help.  Ask me for help.  My email is in the sidebar of this blog and I will not judge you for any question you ask.  I will, however, judge you if you read this and know what you are doing is wrong and you make no effort to change it.
In the meantime, I issue you this challenge: 
Choose one night a week, just one, and decide you will not eat anything from a box or a can on that one night.  Create a meal with fresh vegetables and herbs (for delicious flavor), maybe some whole grain pasta or brown rice, and some homemade beans.  Oh my gosh, I’m hungry! Now, off you go…..check out Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution site for inspiration, pick your night for a healthier dinner, mark it on the calendar, and get cooking!  Another thing?  Get out for a family walk after that healthy dinner.