Hey Foodies, did you watch jamie Oliver's food revolution last night?

[Dace]

Well yeah Sally, I agree......ANYTHING made at home from good quality ingredients qualifies as good food in my book!

I was more referring to the frozen FT stix that have all kinds of crap in them.... and that is what is served in most American homes and school cafeterias these day....very few are cooking from scratch as we do.

 

[big brown horse]

I knew what you meant Dace.

I agree Lorihadams people have to want it.

I've seen some programs on changing the school lunches before that worked. The whole school got involved and also got the parents involved. (I think as a whole, the parents and teachers were pretty fed up with the quality of their school lunches though.)

 

[noobiechickenlady]

One thing that really helps is the gardening programs. The kids grow the food and that makes them more likely to want to eat it.

At least, it worked with us. We grew the veggies in the old track field, harvested them & cooked them in home ec. I had the same teacher for plant science (the gardening) and home ec, so it worked out well.

 

[farmerlor]

Well, it sounds like one of the problems is the age-old "it costs more to eat healthy foods than junk." I see that the cost of a school lunch went up after ol' Jamie revamped things. It's hard to argue with the logic that I can go get my kid a burger and fries for a buck and know that he'll eat it all versus spending a buck fifty and having him pick through it and end up not eating it.
Besides, I think by the time they're in school you're sort of closing the bard door after the horse is gone. You need to start those healthy eating habits at birth. I've never understood how we go from breast to (more or less healthy) baby food to taking a picture of junior eating his first french fry. What's that all about? Let's get excited about junior eating a fresh peach or some par boiled carrot sticks.

 

[big brown horse]

Right on right?!

Good point, cost. That is the second reason I make sure my daughter takes her lunch to school. We can make it cheaper (and healthier) at home. (Especially if it is soup! She eats a lot of left over soup for her school lunch.)

Her school's lunch costs $2.75. That is just the basics too. That adds up!

 

[lupinfarm]

The grade schools in my area don't have cafeterias, but there is a lady on my street who operates a "lunch lady" program. If you've ever lived in the east GTA you'd be familiar with this program. In the GTA there is a group that prepares lunches for the children, the parents pay at the start of the month, and the food is delivered daily to school for them. The lady on my street who does this offers healthy foods, and it is delivered to the schools daily. Its really super helpful in a farming community where students may or may not have the time to prepare a lunch in the morning.

 

[Dace]

Well, it sounds like one of the problems is the age-old "it costs more to eat healthy foods than junk." I see that the cost of a school lunch went up after ol' Jamie revamped things. It's hard to argue with the logic that I can go get my kid a burger and fries for a buck and know that he'll eat it all versus spending a buck fifty and having him pick through it and end up not eating it.
.

That really is at the root of the problem. Until we stop subsidizing corn and soy...which supports commercial processed foods....and start subsidizing CSA shares and broccoli, well it's not going to change. Not really.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Well, it sounds like one of the problems is the age-old "it costs more to eat healthy foods than junk." I see that the cost of a school lunch went up after ol' Jamie revamped things. It's hard to argue with the logic that I can go get my kid a burger and fries for a buck and know that he'll eat it all versus spending a buck fifty and having him pick through it and end up not eating it.
.

That really is at the root of the problem. Until we stop subsidizing corn and soy...which supports commercial processed foods....and start subsidizing CSA shares and broccoli, well it's not going to change. Not really.

And realistically, Jamie has to know what he is up against. It's not just big ag--they aare the root of the problem, but they way the people are brainwashed into belieiving that it is "good for you". I hope he realises just how big of a battle it is going to be. He might be able to sway some people--those, a said,who are willing to learn and change. But in the end it is big bizz he is fighting.

 

[Dace]

So true!

 

[bibliophile birds]

When he asked them to read the ingredient on the frozen boxes, regardless that the first ingredient was "chicken" or "potatoes", none of them showed alarm that after the first main ingredient, was followed by 20 other ingreients of words not one of them could pronounce. But they thought it was good food.

as Michael Pollan says "if your grandmother wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it!"

yeah, the edible schoolyards seem to be much more successful than simply changing the cafeteria menu. kids will get on board when they get their hands dirty and learn WHY it's important all around. not that i think what Jamie is trying to do is bad, i think it's a noble attempt. i just don't see it being super successful.

The lady on my street who does this offers healthy foods, and it is delivered to the schools daily. Its really super helpful in a farming community where students may or may not have the time to prepare a lunch in the morning.

like tiffin! there are a lot of companies switching to this kind of lunch service, catered by various restaurants. i like the idea of it in schools!