this is a message worth spreading. it always continues to amaze me that so many people say they either cannot or do not cook. what kind of a life is that? not to mention the affordability of home cooked meals compared to subsisting entirely on microwavable meals or campbell's soups. we were poor immigrants and never once went hungry or had to use the food bank. ever. it was a matter of pride to eat regularly and eat well, and it was not a difficult thing to accomplish given my mother's prodigious kitchen skills.

You go Jamie...

Kids (and a lot of parents for that matter!) should learn the value of being able to cook for yourself. Just the basics will do to be able to save money, take care of yourself, your loved ones, and if you must: have fun :o)

In a lot of countries, cooking is part of the school curriculum. Remember home ec anyone? :)

PS: I'm a big fan of Ted! yeah...

I think its a great message worth spreading. I'm trying to get my family to see soda as a treat instead of a staple with meals. I want my 6 year old stepdaughter to see vegetables as things you eat to power your body.

However, we are not fighting obesity. Obesity is a symptom of the disease. I know many, many pencil thin people who live on soda, candy bars and chips. They have the same food "disease", but they are not showing the symptom of obesity.

I think when we focus on the symptom, too many people think "well i'm not nearly as fat as the people he's showing, so what i eat is fine". It's not. Jamie is right, that diet will shave years off your life, even if you never become overweight.

It’s a sad, sad situation that the cheapest, most available ‘edible food-like substances’ to our children are making them sick. I am tremendously proud of America’s First Lady for installing a vegetable garden at the White House and her work to introduce children to fresh produce. Preparing and sharing wholesome meals using quality, fresh ingredients enriches my own life in so many ways.

So inspiring. We have lost our roots. Because of that, I have started throwing dinner parties with my extended family and we share recipes. My grandmother is showing us how to make her famous pomegranate jam and homemade pie crust. Sharing and learning with your family, even after everyone has moved out and lives separate lives is so important. It brings everyone together.

Did Jamie's School Dinners air on American tv?

It did in Canada, and this is all part of the movement he started with that program. It's very powerful, and worth trying to see.

I agree with him. I think I will take my daughter to look at produce this week and make sure she knows what these foreign objects are by name!

Oh I want to watch this show...! When will it be on TV in the States?

Ack! The scene where he asked the kids what the vegetables are?? Broke my heart.

So glad this topic is getting more media attention.

With the conversations about healthcare currently, this is SO very important.

This was a fantastic TED talk and I look forward to showing my 8th grade science students. We have really fresh, healthy food in our school cafeteria and our students totally take it for granted. They don't realize how privileged they are to have such fresh, healthy lunches.

The same topic was quite effectively addressed in Supersize Me as well.

Wow. I posted the video on my blog. It's very much worth sharing and will go into my bank of videos and movies on the subject of food and how we're killing ourselves.

And here I thought it was sort of funny that my 5 year old said "potato" when I gave her some cherry tomatoes today for snack time. O_o

YES!!! GO JAMIE, GO!
We're one of those "angels" trying to inspire kids to learn how to cook healthy food!
We're a new cooking show, self-funded and going for it!
www.thegoodfoodfactory.com

Because healthy food is fun!!
Amanda
Host & Creator
The Good Food Factory

Love this article. thanks for posting this. I have children and watch their diets and limit fatty snacks.
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