I love this Ted Talk. Jamie Oliver, chef, food and health activist, gives an unsettling talk on the absolute crisis we are in with respect to our health and food.
In this impassioned talk, he reports:
- In the 18 minutes of his talk, 4 Americans will be dead from the food they eat.
- Two-thirds of Americans are overweight.
- American children will live 10 years shorter than their parents.
As Jamie says, “Diet-related disease is the biggest killer in the United States, right now, here today.”
Lest you think we’ve escaped the problem here in Canada, we haven’t. Our rates may be lower, but we’re headed to the same place–we’re just a decade behind. Our main streets are clogged with fast food and sugary drinks. Our homes are no longer a place for cooking and eating together, and our schools make food decisions based on economics, not nutrition.
Perhaps the most staggering moment in the talk is Jamie showing clips of young school children who are unable to identify vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, and broccoli.
How do you deal with a problem this big? Jamie gives many suggestions, but the one I like the best is this: Every child, before they leave school, should be taught to cook 10 recipes that will save their life.
A great idea. And here they are: http://www.cookingmanager.com/jamie-oliver-teach-ten-recipes/
Commit to one a week. One a month. Hell, you could commit to one a year if your kids are young. Do it with your kids, and then have them do it for the family, or even better, for their friends!