I adore Jamie Oliver

stoney321 came to my attention through her funny parody/exegesis of the Twilight saga. I don't know her personally, but I like her posts and enjoy reading them.

Earlier today, she posted a link to a twenty minute talk by Jamie Oliver regarding obesity and its prevention. Chef Oliver has apparently been working with a town in West Virginia to change their eating habits and bring down the childhood obesity rate.

The talk itself is chilling. I've loved Jamie Oliver since The Naked Chef. Even when he uses ingredients I don't care for, he's entertaining and, as with Alton Brown, I come away knowing more than I did when I started the half hour. His discussion of the issue, complete with an illustration of the amount of sugar the average US kids gets from the sweetened, flavored milk most school districts offer, is eye opening.

My relationship with food is complicated. I love to eat well. I love to cook. I weighed at least 70 lbs more five years ago than I do now. I'm still, according to my BMI, obese. The good news is, I'm no longer morbidly so.

Most of you know about my twice daily walks (and may I say that not getting them due to the snow is a real issue. I'm having headaches and my temper is shorter and I feel like a caged animal.). What many of you don't know is that I changed some of my eating habits at the same time.

I still eat meat, but it's less than once a week for chicken and less than once a month for red meat. I don't eat much fish either. Whole grains, vegetables, and some beans make up the bulk of my diet. Peanut butter and milk figure in as snack foods (no sugar in either). Lent starts tomorrow, and, while I'm no longer a believer, I plan to give up sugar for the next forty days. I find it to be a good thing to do once in awhile. I don't get as hungry when I eat less sugar.

The biggest change was that it no longer bothered me to cook for one. The two years in California where I rarely got to cook for anyone made me long for the stove. Cooking for myself is no longer a chore, but a joy.

I think what Jamie Oliver is doing is wonderful. With my friends list, I know I'm preaching to the choir. Most of you whom I know from real life, cook or know someone who is willing to cook for you.

Please do what you can in your community. I think little things, like getting the Farmers' Market to take food stamps, are huge in this particular fight.