Food Revolution

Have you seen Jamie Oliver's new show? I loved it and I am so excited to have him on television bringing awareness to healthy eating. I commend him for his courage and his perseverance. I have to say there were times that I felt exhausted just watching him go against the system.

It is a sad but true fact that change is difficult. We don't like change even if it is for our own good. Sometimes we can't see beyond our own safe little box to see what's on the other side. That seems to be what is happening in this town. The suspicious radio DJ and the obstinate school lunch cook are perfect examples of why it is so hard to push change.

The truly exasperating part is the bureaucracy that is in effect in the name of protecting our children. The school lunch guidelines are a joke as is the amount of money these schools are given to purchase food for our children. Seriously, we as a country need to come to grips with the fact that the less money we spend on food, the more we will be spending on health care, not to mention having to deal with illness and early death.

Industrialized farming, genetically modified crops, fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, government subsidizing are all reasons why we spend less of our income on food. These are the same things that are giving us food that is nutrient deficient and contribute obesity, pollution and antibiotic resistant microbes.

In my school district, lunch costs $1.80. $1.80?!? You can't get a happy meal for that. What makes us think the lunch they provide will be any better than a fast food meal?

In fact, I got my district's monthly lunch menu and it is appalling! Here are some of my favorite lunch choices:

• soft pretzel bites with cheese
• home run hot dog on a bun
• fly ball cheeseburger on a bun
• french toast sticks with sausage
• ballpark beef nachos
• string cheese, yogurt and Pretzel meal

This is not lunch food! It is snack food at best and more honestly it is a bunch of chemicals, preservatives, sugar and fat that is giving children no nutritional value.

And people wonder why I make my kids' lunches!

What's going on in your school district? Are your kids getting food for lunch or are they getting garbage? I have to say, the lunches that I saw on Jamie's show look actually better than the ones they serve in my district. Scary stuff! Tell me what's going on in your neck of the woods.

If you haven't watched the show yet I encourage you to head over to ABC and watch the first two episodes in their entirety. If you've already seen the show and are as thrilled as I am with the content you can go over to Jamie's website and sign his food revolution petition.