Thursday, January 10, 2008

It's not just lunch, it's a movement

There's something happening out there. In our kitchens, in our supermarkets, and in our school cafeterias. Maybe it's because I'm just now becoming aware of it that I'm noticing it more and more, or maybe because what's out there, a new counterculture of food, is just now gaining traction that I'm starting to notice more articles like this.

CNN has a great article about Ann Cooper, a chef turned crusader who is director of nutrition services in Berkeley, where she has, "transformed the school lunch program from 90 percent frozen reheated foods to 90 percent fresh", all in the name of creating a generation of children who are eating and living healthier.



Cooper (seen above) has also created "a "meal wheel" to help kids all over the country understand what should be on their plates daily", and has also created a website, Lunch Lessons, to bring the message beyond Berkley.

This article compliments one in the NYT food section yesterday about Robyn O’Brien, a mother who believes that the way our children eat (via industrial agriculture) is contributing to the rise in food allergies.

What are your impressions on this movement? Will the efforts of those like Ann Cooper and Robyn O'Brien actually make a difference in the health of our children? Would their ideas change the way you eat, or the way you'd feed your kids?

*Photo courtesy of CNN

2 comments:

The Ex said...

Hmm, Berkeley really does have an AMAZING cafeteria. You should see it if you're ever on this side of the country.

But on the flip side, I really don't think people are fat because of ignorance. So education on what you should and shouldn't eat is great! But is it the answer? No.

The answer is self-control, overcoming laziness that's been ingrained in us and not eating fast food.

Also, if we lived in a country that valued our health instead of making our health or lack there of a business perhaps we'd be happier individuals with more time and inclination to do something about our fat kids. Just sayin'.

Um... Yum! said...

I agree with much of what the Ex said.

People know how to eat right. We just choose not to. I mean, I personally think being a raw vegan is the healthiest way to go (when done right), but I'm so stuck in my ways. I did it for about two or three months, and I felt incredible, but being a college student at the time and not having the means and the resources to support such a diet so easily made it almost impossible to keep up with.

So I don't think it's just about educating, but I do think she's in the right step with actually changing school lunches.