Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

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PLB

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In a Community and Population Health course in university, we watched a few episodes of Jamie's School Dinner's, which was a program based in the UK focusing on the quality (or, rather, lack of quality) of food that was being fed to kids in school cafeterias. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is a similar program based in the US.





If anyone has not seen or heard of this show, I highly recommend looking into it. It's one of those situations where we've simply turned a blind eye to what are kids are buying for lunch at school, or we have never even thought to ask - or worse, yet, parents might believe that what is being served is actually considered to be healthy. (I say 'we' as a collective community... I don't have kids yet!)

Some of my favorite examples from the show are when he takes it a bit further than the school and challenges a local burger stop to provide a healthier version of his current menu (not an easy task to convince the owner that it could be done and that his customers would actually prefer the healthy version!) He also gets in contact with a newly single dad and his two sons and helps them to realize that it's actually cheaper and faster for them to make healthy meals at home than to go out and get fast food.

It's amazing to me that there are so many people who have been given the privilege of looking after children and adolescents, and they simply DO NOT CARE, or are too proud to admit that maybe they're wrong about what should be served in a cafeteria. If we have any hope at all of changing the fact that the current generation of kids will be the first ever to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, they need to be fed and taught about healthy, nutritious food.

If you serve a kid burgers and fries everyday, how the hell are they gonna know what else to eat?

Has anyone seen the show(s).... What's your take? I've posted the first part of the first episode's of the 2 seasons, but there's probably a better place to watch the episodes than finding them all on you tube!
 
I haven't watched it, but there was a big thing over here about Jamie Oliver being reduced to tears on several occasions while filming in the States because children, teachers and parents dowright refused to have any part in what he was trying to do. Kids didn't even want to try the food, teachers weren't willing to motivate the kids to try, and apparently he even got some rather nasty letters and visits from parents that were less than appreciative of the fact that he was trying to get their kids more healthy. Go figure....:(
 
ROFL... my lack of faith in people has again been confirmed.
....
I am enjoying this show immensely!
 
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Watch episode 2 part 1.
I guarantee you will never, ever, ever, ever....
eat another chicken nugget again...... GOTTA PUKE NOW!
 
Not all of the US is full of fat and stupid people. We get such a bad rap. Our government has severely misinformed us over the years as to what we should eat. We have been fed a bunch of lies, just so certain industries can make more money. One guy made a documentary about it. It's called Fathead and it's on Hulu. You guys should check it out.

"Plaudite, amici, comedia finita est."
 
The reason school systems don't turn over to "healthy food" has nothing to do with the lack of interest or concern for our childrens' health. It has everything to do with money.

The high school I went to was given millions of dollars by Pepsi. The school used that money to refurbish the football stadium, build a new baseball stadium and, more importantly, add new computers, books and other educational tools to the classrooms. In order to receive that money though, the school had to agree to put Pepsi machines in the hallways and advertise Pepsi on the stadiums' billboards.

If the school were to turn to health food, they would lose Pepsi's sponsorship, which would mean millions and millions of dollars of funding that would be thrown out the window. No more new books, no more new computers, no more much needed construction to fix the building, no new teacher salaries, etc.

That is why the schools don't switch over to healthy food choices.
 
Agree with Chef - my kids school serves nothing but junk. Coke/pizza/burgers and little else. Coke machines abound.

Our 2 take sandwiches every day (not without a fuss).

I haven't seen the show, but I'd like to. Did someone say it was on Hulu?
 
Iain1974 said:
Agree with Chef - my kids school serves nothing but junk. Coke/pizza/burgers and little else. Coke machines abound.

Our 2 take sandwiches every day (not without a fuss).

I haven't seen the show, but I'd like to. Did someone say it was on Hulu?
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I don't think so, but it's free on youtube.
scroll up, my good man! You'll see that a movie called Fathead was on Hulu!
 
Okay.. I have a question. The overweight teenage woman in the show said that she has liver spots, and might only have seven years to live. I tried looking it up online, but found ambiguous information.
Does anyone know:
1) Can the spots go away, if she changes?
2) Even if the spots don't go away, can she improve her lifespan to that of a normal person, or is the damage done.
3) Any more information about her liver spots would be a great help, I really don't understand the medicine behind this. thanks.
After doing a better search.. I found this... for anyone who wishes enlightenment:
 
And.. don't you guys just love how french fries count as a vegetable in schools?
In my school, KETCHUP was considered a vegetable!!!!! Thankfully, this has changed!
 
OK watched the show yesterday. I was quite surprised at the stonewalling from the LAUSD. It was like someone trying to convince the 1980's Soviet polit-bureau to give capitalism a shot.
 
Omg, Monster...right? I have been a dietary aide in a few residential facilities where they always had potatoes as one of the veg served. Um....?

And everyone knows that ketchup is a fruit serving. Geez! ;)

"Plaudite, amici, comedia finita est."
 
Monster said:
Okay.. I have a question. The overweight teenage woman in the show said that she has liver spots, and might only have seven years to live. I tried looking it up online, but found ambiguous information.
Does anyone know:
1) Can the spots go away, if she changes?
2) Even if the spots don't go away, can she improve her lifespan to that of a normal person, or is the damage done.
3) Any more information about her liver spots would be a great help, I really don't understand the medicine behind this. thanks.
After doing a better search.. I found this... for anyone who wishes enlightenment:
Click to expand...

I'm somewhat confused as to what you mean by 'liver spots'. Liver spots are skin lesions and have nothing to do with with the actual organ, or being overweight. They are usually a cosmetic issue and entirely harmless.

If you are talking about fatty liver disease (NAFLD), then from all I know, there is still no reason why this woman would only have 7 years to live. NAFLD is non-lethal, and can be reversed through SLOW weight loss (Fast can apparently make it worse), and healthy nutrition. In very rare cases, NAFLD can lead to cancer (according to what I read, I never heard that when I studied to be a nurse), but in itself, is nothing that can kill you.

I didn't watch the show, but my initial diagnosis would be that the woman either doesn't know what she's talking about, or the show is full of Bos Taurus feces....:/
 
San said:
I didn't watch the show, but my initial diagnosis would be that the woman either doesn't know what she's talking about, or the show is full of Bos Taurus feces....:/
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I don't know. She say the doctor said she might only have 5 to 7 years to live. (at one point she just said 7) and that it was because of liver spots. She was (is) quite obese for a high school student.
 
Well, liver spots are dark spots on the skin, mainly on the hands. Here's a rough overview:



They are nothing dangerous, so I really have no clue what she was talking about.
 
Hmm...spots on her liver....can't think of much from the top of my head other than cancer to be honest. Tumors, cancerous and non-cancerous, start as what looks like spots on the surface of the liver. But to my knowledge, there is no connection between being overweight and developing tumors on the liver.
Maybe she was talking about the fact that she only had that little time left, and that's why she wants to lose weight and make the best out of it? Just guessing.

Here's an article I found with an overview...can't post the link cause it's full of advertising:

Causes of Spots on the Liver

Imaging studies of the liver, including ultrasound, CT and MRI scans, allow doctors to visualize the structure and texture of the organ. The liver normally has a uniform appearance on imaging scans. A spot on the liver describes an area that appears different from the majority of the liver tissue. Infections, inflammatory reactions and various types of noncancerous and cancerous tumors can appear as spots on the liver. Additional tests help identify the underlying cause of a spot seen on a liver imaging study.

Hemangioma
A hemangioma is a noncancerous tumor composed of abnormal blood vessels that form during development in the womb. Hemangiomas are the most common type of noncancerous liver tumor, reports the online medical encyclopedia MedlinePlus. The tumors occur more commonly in females than in males and may present at any age. Most hemangiomas do not cause symptoms and are discovered incidentally. Rarely, blood vessels within a hemangioma rupture, necessitating treatment to stop the bleeding.


Liver Adenoma
A liver adenoma is an uncommon noncancerous liver tumor. Women taking oral contraceptives are most frequently affected. Liver adenomas, also known as hepatocellular adenomas, arise from the abnormal growth of liver cells, or hepatocytes. In rare cases, multiple liver adenomas develop in association with an inherited abnormality known as familial liver adenomatosis, notes the Atlas of Genetics and Cytogenetics in Oncology and Haematology. Among women taking oral contraceptives, discontinuation of the drugs generally leads to resolution of the tumor. Large liver adenomas may require surgical removal.

Granuloma
Liver granulomas represent distinct masses of inflammatory tissue that appear as spots on liver images. Granulomas may form in response to infections that involve the liver, such as tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, cat scratch fever, syphilis, histoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, tularemia and cryptococcosis, reports The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. Other conditions that may cause liver granulomas include sarcoidosis, Hodgkin lymphoma and polymyalgia rheumatica, an autoimmune disorder. Most liver granulomas do not cause liver-related symptoms. Treatment addresses the underlying condition causing the liver granulomas.

Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is the most serious and potentially life-threatening cause of spots on a liver scan. The American Cancer Society estimates the occurrence of more than 24,000 new cases of liver cancer among Americans in 2010. Risk factors for liver cancer include chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, alcohol abuse and overload, according to the National Cancer Institute. Liver cancer generally does not cause symptoms until the disease reaches an advanced stage. Regular ultrasound monitoring of the liver among people at high risk for liver cancer can help detect early-stage disease.

Metastatic Liver Cancer
Certain types of cancer commonly spread to the liver, including lung, breast, colon and pancreatic cancers. The term metastatic liver cancer, or liver "mets," describes liver tumors arising from the spread of cancer from another location. Metastatic liver cancer proves more common than cancer arising from the liver itself, notes The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. Metastatic liver cancer is an ominous development because cancer that spreads from one organ to another often cannot be cured.
Click to expand...
 
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Nah... I'm sure it wasn't cancer.. I think it was that other thing related to obesity.
Anyway...... I'm not that concerned about it.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
 
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