Jamie Oliver serves up healthy dose of reality eating
Usually when something is truly gross, we choose to not watch. But how chicken nuggets are made should be required viewing for every parent who serves them and anyone who eats them.
Jamie Oliver takes the carcass of a chicken and tosses it into a food processor. It's a nasty sight.
On ABC's "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," airing tonight, the British chef tells kids what MRM is - mechanically reclaimed meat. That's the stuff of chicken nuggets, and it's revolting. He swirls it up in the food processor, adds spices and breads and fries the pieces.
He asks the children, "Who would still eat this?" All hands shoot up.
It's a deeply discouraging moment for anyone who cares about the health of our children.
"I was shocked," Oliver says in an interview. "I did that same test in England, and they wouldn't eat it. That's why, ultimately, kids have parents because parents are there to say 'no' when they need to say 'no.'"
With one in three American children overweight or obese, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and with first lady Michelle Obama on a mission to make children healthier, this is a timely series.
Oliver heads to Huntington, W.Va., cited as the unhealthiest city in the U.S. based on obesity statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oliver notes that Huntington is representative of much of this country and England. He's determined to bring about change by having people prepare fresh foods and teaching children how delicious unprocessed food is. He has forced change in England, and some schools now serve healthier meals.
In Friday's episode, Oliver illustrates how fat-laden an average diet is. If making chicken nuggets weren't nasty enough, a dump truck full of fat is bound to make anyone more aware. Oliver, a father of three, says he's appalled by the lack of food education at all levels in school.
"While the biggest killer in America is diet-related disease, not a single child is taught," he says.
Though some schools do teach nutrition, this still proves what a fight he's in. Oliver is frustrated as he examines all segments of this typical school cafeteria, where children begin the day eating breakfasts of sugary cereals with chocolate or strawberry-flavored milk. He's appalled when he realizes knives are not among the silverware. School workers question what would be the purpose of a knife.
"This is school! Teach them!" Oliver says. "To not have use for a knife and fork is not a class thing or a proper English thing. It's saying no to the use for proper food."
At the elementary school where Oliver tries to make changes, cafeteria workers barely contain their contempt. From their perspective, they're preparing foods within budget, which meet nutritional guidelines (regardless of how questionable), and children are eating.
Along comes this know-it-all promoting vegetables and fresh chicken. Oliver's way takes more time, effort and money, but the health benefits are irrefutable. He's experienced such resentment before but says that once people understand that what they are eating is killing them, they become converts. Still, the rancor reduces him to tears at one point.
At another point, the Edwardses are moved to tears when a doctor tells them that their son Justin is at serious risk of diabetes and other problems because he is so overweight. Oliver goes to the family's house, where he stages a demonstration that is certain to make an impression. All of the meals for the family's week are piled on the table and counters, and it's pretty much a menu of what not to eat: deep-fried foods for most meals, doughnuts and corn dogs, chocolate milk and sloppy joes.
It's clear that the mom loves her children, wants to take care of her family and is ready to learn how to cook healthier meals. She and Oliver bury her deep fryer in the yard, and at no time does Oliver act superior.
"My belief is that small amounts of good info can radically change people's lives," he says in the interview. "It can empower mothers and fathers and allow them to live differently and healthier. If you get into it, it can give you another 10 years of life.