Media, Edition #6: Food Revolution Continues #2

This just in my inbox: the Washington D.C. area school food director recently announced that they are banning flavored milk (1). Also, Florida schools are considering a similar milk ban (2). Now, I can't have milk at all right now , but I don't mind advocating for those who can have the stuff. After all, who wants elementary school kids to have access to this sugary, flavored stuff while in school? When I was in elementary school, I chose the chocolate milk 99% of the time - and yes, they sold the stuff when I was growing up. So congrats, D.C. and Florida area schools!

Odds and Ends: A Food Revolutionary - in my sleep!

As has probably become apparent, my "food philosophy" either resonates with or is influenced by Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution. That said, I apparently eat, breath, and sleep the Food Revolution now (as opposed to the GRE and my research).

I had a dream that, among other things, I was touring an elementary school and I heard one of the teachers complaining about the fresh, home-made, nutritious, beautifully prepped and presented food. I let it go briefly because I was talking to someone else about something else, but I finally delivered a Jamie-Oliver-esque lecture about how the food on her plate would make her feel good and help her students behave better and achieve more in her class. I wasn't even thinking - the words just came - flawlessly.

I know where this came from. I've been struggling a bit with the social consequences of taking on the AFF diet. I'm not a social butterfly, but I prefer sitting down to a home-made meal to restaurant food any day of the week. It's so much cheaper, and I get to cook. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I like showing people how easy, fast, and yummy home-cooked food can be. Professional cook I am not, but I can do simple, good, nutritious dishes on a dime with little effort. That's all a grad student needs to get by.

Media, Edition #2: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Continues #1!

The six-episode mini-series in Huntington, West Virginia was just a kick-off for a nationwide effort to get better food into US public schools and change the American food culture. Oliver has been providing weekly updates on the movement (week 1 and week 2) and the Food Revolution is picking up speed. His online petition for better food in the public schools is inching towards 600,000 people. If you haven't signed the petition, do it. When you do, you can opt in to a weekly newsletter to stay updated on the Food Revolution branch of the US movement for healthier food.

The weekly newsletter also comes with an easy recipe to try: last week was an omlete, this week is a one cup pancake. Omletes are fantastic - they were the first things I learned how to cook when I was little. This pancake is going to be a bit of a challenge - I'll have to make some changes to make them AFF friendly and have them work at high altitudes. When I do get to trying them out, I'll post a picture and my adjustments. If you get to trying out AFF friendly versions, leave them in the comments.

Media, Edition #1: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Food Inc.

The research and advocacy efforts documented on The Acne-Free Foodie are part of a growing movement advocating healthy, sane eating in the US. The AFF Media entries will spread the word about others' efforts to bring attention to the US food problem.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution documents internationally-known British chef, Jamie Oliver's effots to help the people of Huntington, West Virginia, change their eating habits from ones that are making them sick to ones that will heal them. Oliver's work tackles the mounting US obesity epidemic on several fronts: removing processed food from local school lunches; showing community members how to cook simple recipes from scratch; and raising money to fund his community projects after he leaves. I really appreciate how Oliver emphasizes how simple and fun from-scratch cooking can be, along with the health and financial benefits. His Food Revolution Website explains his branch of the movement; provides links to sign petitions; and offers recipes (and how-to videos) to cook at home. His TED Prize Talk provides a good summary of his work for the time-strapped.

There are two big problems, however: on a small scale, individual's attitudes towards food; and on an overwhelmingly large scale, our food production. Jamie Oliver tackles the small-scale while Food Inc. tackles the large-scale.

Food Inc. introduces several systemic problems in our food production system and demostrates how those problems contribute to mounting health problems in the US. The ambitious documentary links industrially produced meat, genetically modified foods, and food subsidies with food-borne illness, antibiotic resistance, obesity, type II diabetes, off-balance food prices, and environmental degradation. I'm normally measured when confronted with big issues, but, what I saw angered me and confirmed my convictions that drastic change is necessary.