Thread: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Did anyone catch this on TV? I half watched and liked what I saw.....

LOS ANGELES - In the film "We Are Marshall," the town of Huntington, W.Va., reels, then regroups after most of Marshall University's football team is killed in a plane crash. Forty years later, Huntington is at the center of yet another potential turnaround tale. Only this time, rather than a phoenix emerging from the ashes, the image is more of a grilled chicken breast rising from a landfill of deep fryers.

In "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," the boyish and preternaturally media-friendly British food guru known for a while as "The Naked Chef" because of his penchant for simple food, comes to Huntington in the hopes of transforming the unhealthiest town - i.e. the fattest town - in America. After overhauling the menus for the British school system, and with half a dozen TV shows to his credit, Oliver seems just the man for the job.

After a brief wrangle with a hostile local radio talk show host, he attempts to slay the dragon of the local school lunch. It's a brilliant move, narratively speaking. Not only do we meet all the fabulous "lunch ladies," including one Alice Gue, who I am fairly certain ran my elementary school cafeteria, but we also discover there isn't a person alive who won't joyfully bash school cafeteria food.

When Oliver arrives, the kids are all enjoying a hearty breakfast of pizza and/or sugary cereal doused in chocolate or strawberry milk.

"I've never seen pizza served for breakfast," Oliver says in horror (and a tiny bit of hypocrisy - his Web site includes a pizza he calls "perfect" for breakfast, although it does include grapes and pine nuts, which the Huntington breakfast pizza most certainly does not.)

....and the article continues.....

http://wvgazette.com/ap/ApTopStories/201003190811

I think this is a great idea. Rather than cram a mandate down someone's throat, if things are presented to people in a rational way....I think things can change. People won't feel 'denied' by having their nuggets taken away, but will feel empowered knowing they've made great choices.

I think it's win/win for everyone.

I hope to watch the series...although I might not catch it all.

I saw this, I thought it was really good! Did you see all that crap that was being served to the kids in school! And the attitudes of the lunch ladies? LOL... I didn't catch like the last 10 minutes of it, my so DEMANDED my attention LOL, I do hope that his fresh/healthy food choices he cooks up for the kids, that they like them. Also that big book of foods that lady popped out to order the food for schools...... it did sound like they can make different choices for our children, just stay withen the $$ guidelines. It will be tough for the kids to make a change though, since they are so use to eating what I consider fast-food like junk.
oh ya, he only has 1 week to prove himself on trying to change the menu, which I thought that he should have atleast gotten 2 weeks.

They said this was THE most obese unhealthiest place IN AMERICA!

Saw part of it - the family with the top freezer full of pizza was a shock, with all the other fried food served during the cours of the week. I felt sorry for Jamie when he was misrepresented in the newspaper story. I'm curious to see how this event unfolds....

What channel is this on ??

ABC I think.

Found this : http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns...ood-revolution

Message from Jamie

I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future.

Sign the petition to save America's cooking skills and improve school food. http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns...ution/petition It could be the most important thing you ever do for your family. America's health needs you now!

The American Food Revolution needs to start now! If you care about your country and the health of its children please help us make a difference. We need your support to get people back in touch with food and keep cooking skills alive before it's too late. We want to make sure every kid gets good, fresh food at school. It's proven that real food promotes more effective learning. If you want better health for your kids the junk food must go. I need to be able to show The President and industry how many of you out there really care about this issue so please don't wait, sign up today. It will only take 30 seconds.

America's health needs you!

Thank you. Please forward this to your friends, family, classmates, teachers, colleagues and anyone else who you think cares as time is short.

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People need to eat less fast food for sure. Here in Louisiana, food is next to a religion.

I personally do not fry food because I worked in a resteraunt/caterie in college and had to fry cases and cases ( up to 80 per day ) of chicken and assorted goodies. I can't stand the smell of cooking grease. The kids love it when daddy "cooks" - it is the only time they get fried chicken - Church's, Popeye's, Joes, or KFC.

Celebrity chefs lead the charge for healthier food
By J.m. Hirsch, Ap Food Editor 24 mins ago

MIAMI – Jamie Oliver is using fresh fruit and vegetables to try to win the hearts, or at least the fatty arteries, of a West Virginia city. Rachael Ray is working to reform school lunch. And Paula Deen, queen of Southern-fried goodness, recently taught an auditorium of kids how to cook and eat healthy.

Chefs have always wanted us to eat something good. Now, it seems they're just as interested in seeing that we eat well.

"They're digging down to more substance, which is great because we all win," says Phil Lempert, the food marketing expert known as The Supermarket Guru. "Before it was cleavage and being cute to get noticed. Now it's all about substance, nutrition."

This didn't happen overnight.

Pioneers like California chef Alice Waters and, more recently, journalist Michael Pollan have been preaching the gospel of fresh, unadulterated food for years.

But when everyone from Deen to "Dancing With the Stars" alum Rocco DiSpirito is talking about the benefits of produce over processed you know the tent has gotten a little bigger.

"It became clear to a bunch of us that not only is it a good idea now, but people are ready to be receptive," says DiSpirito, author of the recent New York Times' bestselling healthy cookbook, "Now Eat This!"

That's partly because the rock star status TV chefs enjoy gives them an entree into American kitchens that previous proponents of healthy eating lacked, notes Lee Schrager, founder and organizer of the annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Oliver, for example, is headlining "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," an ABC reality show documenting his efforts to change eating habits in a community the network calls the nation's unhealthiest.

Chefs are realizing they have a responsibility to use their influence to foster change, Oliver says. And celebrities often can do that with more panache than traditional nutrition advocates have.

"You don't want to food nazi the fun out of everything," he says. "You can still cook great things that are calorific, but you just need to intro it with kind of — Look, this is a special occasion, or this is for the holidays, or whatever."

Snappy titles and glamorous stars are new tactics for the eat healthy movement, which in the past has been perceived, fairly or not, as fun-deprived. Even Sesame Street is reaching for star power. The program recently named Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey's former chef, as its healthy eating adviser.

"It's becoming less elitist," says nutrition and policy expert Marion Nestle, who credits first lady Michelle Obama's championship of healthy eating with helping take the issue mainstream.

Deen agrees. "We work on unintimidating foods that mothers and dads can put together pretty easily," she says.

Now there even is a glossy food magazine dedicated to helping kids eat and cook healthier. The just launched quarterly ChopChop Magazine is aimed at 5 to 12-year-olds.

A tipping point in the debate seems to be child obesity, the focus of the first lady's campaign. A nation that can gaze with equanimity at racks of XXL clothing for grown-ups has grown less tolerant of needing "husky" jeans for 5-year-olds.

At the recent South Beach festival in Miami, an event for 50,000 people where $300 tickets are the norm and Champagne flows freely, obese kids might seem off-topic. But Schrager worked them into the schedule for the third year, adding a healthy eating fair for children at a nearby zoo. For $20, families could spend the day learning about healthy eating and watch cooking demos by Food Network celebrities such as Ray and Deen.

"Everything has to change — access to food, attitudes, education," says Ray, who designs healthy recipes for the New York City school lunch program and started the Yum-o! charity, which raises money to teach kids healthy eating.

Even the message itself has changed. Low-fat and low-carb are so last century. Today, it's about balance and real foods.

"It's far better to eat a balanced diet of full-fat whole foods than it is to eat no-fat, low-fat or fake foods where they've replaced fat with fillers and stuff like that," says Ray. "And I think that one of the benefits of eating a balanced diet is that you can eat some of the things that are not so figure-friendly some of the time," says Ray.

Still, even celebrity-driven change doesn't come easy.

Oliver, in the early episodes of his new show at least, has made some converts but also gotten pushback from people who don't take kindly to an out-of-towner overhauling their diets.

But, he says, it's an effort worth making.

"One doesn't want to suck the life or fun out of food because that would be wrong. But, you know, I think the general world of food — chefs, celebrity chefs, fast-food industry, supermarkets, the 'government food gang' — they all need to do a bit. Hopefully, a bit more than a bit. And if they do, the world will change."

___

Additional reporting by Michelle Locke for The Associated Press in Berkeley, Calif.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100405/...xlYnJpdHljaGU-

White House anti-obesity campaign: http://www.letsmove.gov/

Jamie Oliver: http://www.jamieoliver.com

Phil Lempert: http://www.supermarketguru.com

: doesn't he have something new coming out ?

8:47 PM 5/3/2011 by Philiana Ng

Bad news for chef/TV personality Jamie Oliver.

ABC has pulled the the Ryan Seacrest-produced reality series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, from the schedule during May sweeps.

The show, which follows Oliver as he tries to change the way kids and adults eat at home and in school, will air its four remaining episodes beginning Friday, June 3 at 9 p.m.

ABC says the Dancing With the Stars recap was a better complement to the DWTS results show on Tuesday nights, though emphasizes it is still behind the anti-junk food series. The network had pre-empted the third episode of Food Revolution for a DWTS-related hour last week.

Food Revolution has dropped in the ratings in its second season, with the premiere slipping nearly 40 percent from last year's series debut.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...rs-food-184598

Jamie's food revolution is actually a reality show targeted toward helping people, much like Biggest Loser. Although I enjoy the entertainment of Dancing with the Stars, the recap is WAY overdone. I saw it the night before. I didn't need to see it again. ..They drug that results show out more than American Idol. It was ridiculous & unnecessary. What ever happended to VARIETY in television? I really would have rather watched Jamie try to fight the L.A. BOE than have to recap DWTS. Can't wait until he's back in June!!

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Jamie, You must have been doing something worthwhile to ruffle feathers enough to cause them to cancel the show. We really appreciate your effort in trying to educate us. You also have quite the gift of a calm and caring personality in fighting for your cause. I've learned alot

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SO, abc pulls an intelligent show that is trying to show our kids how to eat better, and adds more dancing with the stars! I love that L.A. County unified would not allow him in the school kitchens to even see what, or how they prepare the food! I wonder if they let their kids eat that disgusting food?

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We are very disappointed with ABC's decision to pre-empt Jamie Oliver. This show is so important to educate the American public! We are bombarded with commercials about fast food, junk food, etc. and our children are growing up not knowing the benefit of good, healthy food. And, the consequences will be decreased lifespan and increased disease. Jamie is showing the alternative to the poor way that most people eat. His message should have its air time. ABC is making too many decisions that are not about quality programming.

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What a disgrace abc! The real reason why they pulled is because of narrow minded Americans do not like it when they are called overweight and lazy! Truth hurts doesn't it? I am born and raised American and this show was so educational and brilliant. I never really watched ABC because of the sorry shows they produce, until this show aired, now I am back to showing no respect to the network! Are you serious with DWTS? What's wrong with people these days, if you enjoy watching people dance then get off your ass and take some lessons, its way better than watching lazy good for nothing losers!

What the heck is with ABC these days????