I Say I Want A Revolution

I have an idea that would save millions on healthcare.  Unfortunately, no one has asked my opinion.  It's a shame too, because it's a fairly simple idea.  It doesn't cost a lot of money, and it makes common sense.  I guess that means it wouldn't be approved anyway.

Whenever we have a medical issue, we rush to the doctor for a prescription to cure our ills.  The body knows when something is starting to go haywire, and it desperately tries to tell us.  An ache or pain is the first warning sign that something isn't right, and it is the bodies way of saying, "pay attention".  But instead of paying attention to these signs and seeking out their source, we want something to make the pain/boil/headache/rash go away.  Since we mask the first warning signs, whatever the condition is continues to fester until we have a major problem.

Many of these problems could be corrected with diet and nutrition.  I have a friend that complains of stomach problems quite often.  She doesn't seem to equate the fact that she always has a glass of Coke sitting next to her to her stomach problems.  What we need in this country is education about food.  Our children are the first generation that is not expected to outlive their parents.  The obesity rate in the country is skyrocketing.  But everyone acts like there is no correlation between what they put in their mouth and their health.

I'm going to talk about another tv show here, which is highly unlike me.  I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver, also known as "The Naked Chef".  He has a new show on ABC called "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution."  If you missed it last week you should really check it out.  Jamie is from England, and he has worked in his own country to get people to eat healthier.  He managed to change the school lunch program over there, and is trying to help us do the same thing here.  Unfortunately, he is meeting some resistance.

I don't know if it's ignorance or arrogance, but some of the people he is trying to help act like there is nothing wrong with the way they eat.  Pizza for breakfast, chicken nuggets for lunch and dinner, what's the problem?  Their attitude is, "How dare this foreigner come here and say there's something wrong with me and the way I do things".  We always think our way is better, and everyone else should conform to our way of thinking.  Maybe if we closed our mouths and opened our ears (and minds) more often, we might learn something that would benefit us.

I'm certainly not saying it's easy to eat fresh and healthy.  I have been cooking 3 meals a day for about 3 weeks now.  And when I say cooking, I mean from scratch.  No cans, no cereal boxes, actual on the stove cooking.  I'm sick of doing it, and I'm especially sick of doing dishes.  I don't think I could keep up at this rate for good, but it certainly makes me realize the value of a home cooked meal.  What's more important than my health or the health of my family?

What really concerns me is the food we are feeding our kids in school.  I can do my best to give my son healthy choices at home, but I will lose the battle when he gets to school.  What kid do you know that would pick white milk over chocolate (or worse yet pink.  Have you ever thought about what it takes to make milk pink?)  What kid chooses fruit over candy or ice cream?  These things concern Jamie Oliver too.  He is gathering signatures on a petition, so that when he attempts to change things in our schools he can show he has considerable public support behind him.  Please consider signing it.

Come on, let's start a revolution.

Link to food revolution petition