FOOD REVOLUTION

Please tell me you have been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? Being married to a Brit, I have been a fan of Jamie Oliver for nearly a decade. For Christmas and my birthday, the in-laws get me either Jamie's latest or Gordon Ramsay's latest book. I have acquired quite a collection. Jamie has always been my favorite because my style is so similar to his-simple clean food. All of his recipes are accessible and can be made pretty quickly.

Jamie started his food revolution in England a couple of years ago and has been really successful. He's got balls for trying it over here. Whether he succeeds or not (I happen to think he will), he has already won so many small victories, like revealing to the American public that french fries are considered a vegetable, that many kids cannot even identify vegetables in their natural state. He has given many of us the wake up call we need to see that the way we are eating is having long lasting effects. Did you see that teenage girl who was told by her doctor that unless she loses weight she will be dead in 5-7 years? When you are 16, you really shouldn't have to think about your own mortality as a result of your diet.

Do all of you cook at home? What about those of you with kids? My mom used to cook our dinners and she routinely made things we didn't like. God, it seemed like she made spinach for every damn dinner and I know we had fish at least once a week despite my protests. She only made one meal, if we didn't like it, we had to sit and consume a portion that she deemed reasonable before we were excused from the table without dessert. She never made us a box of macaroni and cheese because we didn't like her dinner. She never let us have ice cream or a bag of chips instead. At the time, I wasn't amused, but looking back, I am glad that she stood firm and made us eat the things that we didn't like.

I don't want to ramble on about my food philosophy, but I do want to make an important point about health and weight loss-they are not the same thing. Many of my peers suggest to their clients lowfat or nonfat foods in an effort to reduce calories for weight loss. I do not agree with that. Many of those diet foods are full of additives, preservatives and gross ingredients that have nothing to do with health. I really believe in eating whole, real foods. If you are trying to lose weight, you can eat this way, you might have to balance it with reduced portions and exercise, but please avoid the faddy diet foods.

Let's get back to the Food Revolution for a second. If anyone wants to make any changes to their current diet and don't know where to start, I am happy to give some advice and tips, drop me a line or write a comment below. A good place to start would be the first meal of the day-breakfast. It is really as important as you have always been told. Instead of sugary cereals, maybe have plain oatmeal with a bit of honey and fruit, or scrambled eggs and spinach. I love quinoa porridge for breakfast, it's quick, cheap and a good source of protein. It doesn't really matter where you choose to make your changes, it's just important that you do something! Oh, and it would be nice if you told the rest of us about it so we can congratulate you.