This Revolution Was Televised
I mentioned a while back that I’d post a review of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, but I felt I should probably wait until it had finished its run and I’d seen all the episodes. Well, I saw the last episode a few days ago and it’s time to have my say. Firstly, though, to clarify something. I’ve been asked why I don’t like Jamie. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He’s incredibly passionate about what he’s doing and that’s an amazing thing. He’s also a likable guy. My issue is not with him, but with the “common knowledge” we’ve been led to believe and that he’s spreading – that saturated fat is bad for us and that we should stop eating it. If only he could get past this roadblock, then we could really start seeing results.
The biggest thing I took away from this show (and other related research) is that the USDA guidelines and supplied foods are total and utter crap. Our kids are being force-fed this grain filled trash all week long. Should anyone try to deviate from this and feed some real food, then they had better add some extra bread lest they fall short of the ridiculously huge grain allotment. This exact scenario happened at one point. Jamie was feeding the kids with his new menu and had to add some rolls just to be compliant with the guidelines. I could see the disgust and disbelief in his face when he was told this. The huge amounts of processed foods are also pretty scary, especially since he discovered that the same supplier can also supply fresh food just as easily.
He’s certainly had an impact, and has made people start thinking and talking about this and that’s fantastic. I’m just worried it’s going to get derailed by focussing on the easy scapegoat that is fat.
