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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- A survey shows kids at the West Virginia school featured in ''Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution'' liked their standard pizza and chicken nuggets more than the celebrity chef's fresh, healthy menu items.
Survey - Kids Spurn Celeb Chef's Healthy Lunches
Seeded on Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:05 PM EDT
Article Source: The New York Times- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (44)
I thought it was interesting when the kids couldn't identify an actual potato or a tomato. Diabetes anyone?
- 7 votes
I didn't watch the actual show, but seriously? They didn't know what a tomato or potato looked like?
- 3 votes
Seriously. It was scary. The teacher took it upon herself to remedy that gap in their education and they did fine the next time they were asked. However, a school that serves a "breakfast pizza" is certainly sending the wrong message to students. I applaud the district and the principal for giving Jamie a chance.
- 3 votes
Agreed...i remember transferring to a high school my senior year (Cottonwood, UT) where instead of a normal cafeteria, there was instead Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and a few others. I don't know that they still allow that, but it's tough to implement a healthy diet for children when all they see on TV are Big Mac's, Double Whoppers, etc...add to that fact that quite a few parents are also addicted to fast food, and the problem is plain to see. I applaud the schools efforts though and hope they don't abandon it.
LUCKYDOG: Unrelated, but i love the quote, "Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress" Ghandi is one of my personal heroes and quite the quoteworthy individual.
- 1 vote
Peter Faden - I've been to Cottonwood High School. It was years ago for a jazz competition thing. I grew up just outside of Park City, UT. Where I went to high school - it was a normal cafeteria. No fast food restaurants or alternate choices at school. But, we had an open campus for lunch - so most of the students went to one of the local diners or the drug store to eat at. While we didn't have any fast food restaurants in the town at the time - the diners and drug store didn't serve much healthier food.
luckydog - I thought it was great that the teacher saw a problem and worked with her class to fix the problem. I thought Jamie's idea of dumping what the kids eat on a tarp and a dumpster full of fat in front of the parents was an excellent idea. I also think it's a good idea that he's working with individual families within the community. It shows that the problem has to be addressed from multiple angles in order to fix.
- 1 vote
When did you go there? Did they have the same thing then? My neighbors dad had a time share in Park City (this was while i lived in the Avenues and went to East High, however....transferred to Cottonwood later.)
- 1 vote
Might have misrepresented my question-when did you visit Cottonwood?
- 1 vote
Oh, it would've been '94 or '95. A guy I dated for a couple of years after high school graduated from East High. When I'm done w/ med school, I'm considering doing my residency in SLC. I'm not LDS, but I love SLC and Park City (neither of which are overwhelmingly LDS compared to the rest of the state).
- 2 votes
I'm not LDS either, and actually just moved back to the Valley from Texas this month-it's actually been snowing all day without break where I'm staying. Most days though, i can look out my window and see nothing but snow capped mountains-I'd almost forgotten how breathtaking the scenery is here...i graduated in '90-since we're already off topic, did they have seminary in your high school for LDS?
- 1 vote
It is a beautiful state - I was actually talking about it with one of my friends today. She just got back from a ski trip to Park City (her brother is on ski patrol out there). Yeah, there was seminary where I went to school. We could sign up for seminary or release time - release time was suppose to be a study hall. I signed up for release time, and the school counselor put me in seminary. I went to get it changed and she said "Well, I think seminary would be a really good class for you" then proceeded to not let me transfer out of seminary. I told my parents about it - they told me not to go to seminary, but to stay on campus. I did that, and the school tried to mark me as "sluffing". My parents told them if they kept pushing it, they'd take them to court. I was allowed to sit in the cafeteria and do my homework during that time from then on without any comments from the school.
- 1 vote
I remember "sluffing" (lol, never heard that term used outside SLC)...did so myself on numerous occasions (usually after a good snow when there was fresh powder to ski or board on)-never had to attend seminary fortunately. Almost all of my friends did though.
- 1 vote
- I've never heard it outside UT either. I was guilty of "sluffing" many times - like you usually after a good snow day, for the same reasons. I was pretty good at forging my mom's signature - so I never got caught "sluffing".
Kind of back on topic - when I was in high school in Utah, there were very few obese people in Utah. I think a lot of that comes from the outdoor activities that go on there. It actually has a lot of things to do outside year around. I moved to Missouri a few years after high school - the level of obesity is much higher in Missouri than in Utah. Also, people smoke and drink a lot more in Missouri than in Utah. I now live in Pennsylvania - here there seems to be less obesity than in Missouri, but more than there was in Utah. Maybe Utah has caught up now, I don't know.
hmmm...from what I've seen since being back, there is a smaller percentage of overweight individuals than there were in Texas and Louisiana (my only real experiences in America over the last 20 years). I can't remember enough about it here from when i was in high school to draw an actual comparison from then to now though...I think your assessment is correct though-there's just too much you can do to stay active here for overweight and/or obesity to be a huge (no pun intended) problem here. There's also less alcohol which tends to be a factor (in Texas by way of contrast, drinking beer is almost viewed the same as drinking water, and in LA (at least New Orleans), any alcohol will suffice as long as its strong and plentiful)...
Missouri is pretty much the same as Texas when it comes to beer drinking. I've been to NOLA a couple of times (once before Katrina, and once after). The first time I went we went for Mardi Gras, the second time I went for an Experimental Biology conference and the French Quarter Music Festival. Strong and plentiful is probably and understatement. Bourbon street smells and I would strongly recommend people NOT wear open toe shoes there..... Where in Texas did you live? I have family in Galveston, Corpus Christi, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and a couple of smaller towns.
Primarily in Austin and a few towns surrounding it. I also stayed in Arlington for about 9 months. It's true about Bourbon Street-did you witness the police equestrian sweep at the end of Mardi Gras? (where the equestrian patrol lines up across the end of Bourbon and just walks down the street to end the celebration-you either get off the street or get trampled-at least that how it was through '94 when i moved back to Austin after 2 years in N.O.)
Peter: When I went, they still did that. Last time I was in NOLA we stayed at the Sheraton just a couple of blocks of Bourbon Street. Fun place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there.
That's what i told myself when i finally decided to move away. Seems i made the right choice with everything that's happened there since.
What Oliver needs to do is hold up two photos. One of a healthy weight teen and one of a morbidly obese teen and ask the kids which they want to be in a few years and explain that sometimes you have to eat healthy foods to be the healthy weight teen and adult.
- 4 votes
#2 - Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:09 PM EDTwouldn't work.
I say this as someone who worked with adolescents for 15 years and love them: kids are dumbasses.
they're just too adept at being a wonderful combination of intelligent and immature in that phase of development. Most of them would very simply go straight to denial or another defense mechanism; they'd pretty much just say "I wouldn't let myself get like that..." and leave it there. They're very good at telling you how great they're going to be in the future, you know, since they have no experience actualy being an adult, they get to discuss their adulthood as an idealized version.
Even if they did agree on the facts, they'd still eat the french fries when it came right down to it.
- 9 votes
I agree with greck (and have similar experience). The solution? Don't give them a choice, just give them the healthy (or healthier) stuff but make it enjoyable. Of course, this cuts into the profits of the vendor who provides the lunches, but when do we start worrying about the kids and not the profits?
- 6 votes
It has to start at home. There's no getting around it. If it's not the culture at mom and dad's house, it's not going to fly outside the home.
It's a pretty sad article, what a shame.
- 8 votes
#3 - Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:18 PM EDTAll of my kids eat fruits and vegatables. Never had a problem. I started them off when they first started eating food at 6 months.
I also put ground up brown flax seed in their oatmeal and yogurt daily. No complaints!
- 5 votes
my older daughter begs me to let her eat everything in our vegetable garden; I have to stop her so she won't eat all the carrots when they're too little.
I'm going to try a cold box next year, see if we can keep the excitement going year-round.
- 2 votes
I think some kids' preferences have a genetic component because we've always eaten a wide variety of foods from the healthy to the not so healthy and my daughter likes fish and chicken and almost every veggie or fruit ever grown. She loves Veggie Delight sandwiches from Subway with no cheese. Whereas my son wants only pepperoni and cheese on pizza and if it's not meat or some form of potatoes, it's almost impossible to get him to eat it. He won't even eat vegetables on a burger (not even a pickle) or on top of a pizza. I did have a small victory when we realized that he liked spinach pasta, but usually if I get him to eat three green beans I'm thrilled.
- 2 votes
my older daughter begs me to let her eat everything in our vegetable garden; I have to stop her so she won't eat all the carrots when they're too little.
Reminds me of one of my cousins (now out of college). When she came to visit us for a week when she was 4, my mom took her to the grocery store and said she could have whatever treat she wanted.
She ran to the cucumbers. To this day, she eats a healthy diet and doesn't really care for dessert. She's my opposite, I hated (and still don't like) many fruits because of the texture--the taste is fine. Veggies don't bother me as much.
- 1 vote
I find it rather naive for anyone to think that kids are going to be very willing to toss out what they have learned to eat for something new.
The whole experiment sort of reminds me of a time when the vet wanted me to switch to a specific food for my cat, because she may have been having some kidney issues (luckily that wasn't the case). I though she'd starve - refused to touch the "good" food.
- 5 votes
#4 - Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:59 PM EDTIn england - they have done some studies in the schools where they switched to Jamies healthy menu and the kids test scores increased 5%. No other changes in learning where introduced - enough said!
- 5 votes
The longest journey begins with a single step. Do we abandon future generations to poor health or do we start taking the actions we need to take to change behavior?
- 9 votes
When Jamie did this England the children were up in arms - some of the more ignorant parents were actually selling junk kids to the kids through the gates! but that was 5 years ago - now kids are starting school and the healthy menu is just part of their lives. It is scary to think that this young generation could be the first to die before their parents due to their diet and sedentary life style. Action is definitely needed.
- 4 votes
The longest journey begins with a single step.
True, but it doesn't sound like this particular "step" is working out too well.
I'm not familiar with this experiment - are parents backing the changes up at home?
- 2 votes
I'm not familiar with this experiment - are parents backing the changes up at home?
Not so much although in the last episode when Jamie took the parents and their son to the doctor for a physical, the parents were told flat out by the doctor that their son would develop diabetes. That seemed to reach them in a way that perhaps nothing else has.
Change isn't easy but we need to make it happen.
- 5 votes
Parents really do have to back the changes up, but they themselves have to get educated about what's a better food choice. A lot of people use money or convenience as excuses to eat poorly. I know I'm really busy a lot, but I've managed to find ways to get healthy food on the table even when I'm too tired to cook. Tonight a deli rotisserie chicken, bag of salad, and container of fresh tomato/spinach/carrot pasta came to my rescue and it was enjoyed by all and a lot better (and believe it or not cheaper) than a sack full of fast food.
- 3 votes
Well, duh. Fat, sugar and salt taste good, even as they're killing you. You have to be educated to learn to appreciate good food. I wish Jamie good luck. He's got an uphill battle.
- 8 votes
#5 - Tue Mar 30, 2010 3:43 PM EDTTests scores and moral would improve greatly if they would only embrace the things that are good for them. I can tell a very big difference in myself when I eat right.
Such a shame. They don't know, and they don't want to know. What can you do with that?
A few ideas would be to candy the carrots, add cheese to the broccoli, and bring on the good sauces. It mind seem mildly counter-productive, but it could help him get his foot in the door. There are plenty of ways to manipulate recipes to be more enticing to any given crowd.
- 6 votes
#6 - Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:08 PM EDTI think your ideas are spot on River. I myself am not a big fresh fruit eater but I like fruit in recipes.
It's a challenge to offer nutrition and education about nutrition and promote change all in one fell swoop but we are a nation badly in need of all three.
- 3 votes
There are two fruit dip recipes that a sure fire winners.... One is made with marshmallow creme and pudding, then other with cream cheese and pudding. They'd love fresh fruit if it had the good stuff to go along with it.
Veggies are just a little more of a challenge, but it's well worth it to try new ways to introduce them. As far as those chicken nuggets go, what Jamie needs to do is come up with a play by play show of just how those chicken nuggets are made, from baby chick all the way to plate. Kids won't be so quick to reach for them after that, maybe.
- 3 votes
... what Jamie needs to do is come up with a play by play show of just how those chicken nuggets are made, from baby chick all the way to plate. Kids won't be so quick to reach for them after that, maybe ...
He did that, even showing how they included ground-up gristle and bones and innards and fat, and the kids still wanted to eat them. <sigh>
- 4 votes
Jamie should introduce other, healthier foods in nugget shape...I've seen spinach and mushroom nuggets at stores, they are lightly breaded but full of veggies.
- 2 votes
I've had Morningstar Farms' veggie "chick'n nuggets" and to be honest, I think I like them better than the real ones. Even my meat and taters son could be fooled into eating them.
- 3 votes
Try their spinach nuggets, they aren't half bad--of course, I haven't read the ingredient list, they may have the calories and preservatives of a burger.
Trader Joe's sells a BBQ faux-chicken that I like a lot. Sometimes I enjoy chicken and beef, other times, I find myself grossed out that I am eating animal parts.
- 2 votes
I've had Morningstar Farms' veggie "chick'n nuggets" and to be honest, I think I like them better than the real ones.
They are pretty good. Their faux Buffalo Wings are worth a try also.
- 3 votes
Sometimes I enjoy chicken and beef, other times, I find myself grossed out that I am eating animal parts
I feel the same way sometimes. I have flirted with vegetarianism on and off most of my life, but I can't seem to cut meat completely out. Part of me likes it too much.
- 1 vote
#7 - Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:45 PM EDTSuper Ultra - I've been in the same position as you. Though, I was just looking at what I've eaten for the last month - and I haven't consumed any animal products (including milk, eggs, cheese, honey, etc.) in over a month. It hasn't been that hard - I just haven't been wanting any meat lately. Still getting protein just through different sources. I guess I should make sure my multi-vitamin has B12 in it.
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