If we are in the midst of a school food revolution, Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama have figured out how successful revolutions evolve: by recruiting grassroots support from those who will benefit most — in this case, children.
Who can forget the photos of the first lady with D.C. schoolchildren, planting, harvesting and cooking fresh vegetables? Last week’s episode of “Food Revolution” had similarly vivid images: six high school students from the unhealthiest community in the United States, who attest that cooking with Oliver will save their lives.
Oliver’s grassroots effort has changed the way British schoolchildren eat lunch, and now he and Obama want to change the way American children view food. My last two columns have looked at their mutually supportive efforts and addressed some of the obstacles that impede the shift from life-shortening to life-sustaining school food. Since this involves students everywhere, communities and the United States Department of Agriculture will need to work together to overcome those obstacles.
Oliver’s efforts in England began in 2004, but schools throughout the country are now serving fresher, healthier food. The Royal Economic Society recently published data to show that pupils in Greenwich, London, who have been following Oliver’s healthy food initiative for more than a year, have a 15 percent reduction in absenteeism and a boost in both English and math test results. Better food clearly equals less illness and increased focus. One of the Greenwich teachers comments, “Because the children aren’t being stuffed with additives, they’re much less hyper in the afternoons now.”
The ultimate appeal of the Oliver revolution is that colorful vegetables and fruits will sell themselves to anyone who slices and dices them. The dinner he and his “gang” of six Huntington High School students prepare for 80 “big shots” looks beautiful — wild mushroom risotto, roasted butternut squash and salad with candied walnuts. And when he asks those students to describe why they care about menu changes, they each provide moving indictments of dietary norms based on their own or a family member’s battle with illness and obesity. These kids are the revolution’s best ambassadors.
This weekly column will look at lists of books kids are reading in various categories, including grade level, book genre and data from booksellers. Information on the books below came from Amazon.com’s list of children’s best-sellers and are listed in order of popularity.
Children’s books on staying healthy
1. The Monster Health Book: A Guide to Eating Healthy, Being Active, & Feeling Great for Monsters and Kids! by Edward Miller (ages 9 to 12)
2. My Amazing Body: A First Look at Health and Fitness by Pat Thomas and Lesley Harker (ages 4 to 8)
3. Health by B. E. Pruitt, John Allegrante and Prothrow-Stith (young adult)
4. Life Skills: 225 Ready-to-Use Health Activities for Success and Well-Being (Grades 6-12) by Sandra McTavish (young adult)
5. Prentice Hall Science Explorer-Human Biology and Health by Elizabeth Coolidge-Stolz, Douglas Bowman, Patricia Doran and Jorie Hunken (ages 9 to 12)
6. Good Enough to Eat: A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition by Lizzy Rockwell (ages 4 to 8)
7. Kids Running: Have Fun, Get Faster & Go Farther by Carol Goodrow (ages 9 to 12)
8. How Does Your Heart Work? by Don Curry, Jayne Waddell and Jeanne Clidas (ages 4 to 8)
Fresh food is more expensive than pizza, french fries or chicken nuggets — in part because school food often consists of subpar ingredients preserved with chemicals. But once students experience the pleasure of cooking and eating “real” ingredients, they will never go back. That’s why Oliver’s “Food Revolution” preaches healthy food as a permanent solution to a variety of family, academic and bodily ills.
Even if we agree that better food will revolutionize our country’s health and our test scores, how will we afford it? According to Oliver and Obama, we can’t afford not to adopt these changes. In Huntington’s schools, $6,500 a month per school has changed the menus from deadly to healthy. That cost is modest, and if students and parents lobby for change in their own districts, change is inevitable. And Oliver has a cooking “pyramid scheme” that will teach everyone to be a fresh food chef.
More on that and other life-sustaining recipes next week. Oliver believes that cooking, family and school performance are interconnected, and that improving school lunches is the key to revolutionizing all three.
Erica Jacobs, whose column appears Wednesday, teaches at George Mason University. E-mail her at [email protected].
