The Revolution is Coming!
May 15th 2015 is this year’s Food Revolution Day! This global campaign, headed and backed by Jamie Oliver, is fighting to put compulsory food education back into the school curriculum. By educating children in a fun and engaging way, we can give them the tools they need to lead healthier, happier lives, for themselves and their future families.
Mardi Michels, a full-time French teacher, Food Revolution Day Ambassador for Toronto and the author of the blog eatlivetravelwrite.com, is doing her part by passing her knowledge of healthy eating onto the next generation. Mardi began her after-school cooking club for boys in 2010 after hearing Jamie Oliver speak about the importance of healthy eating education. We spoke with Mardi to learn more about her cooking club, Food Revolution Day and how to get kids interested in healthy eating.
SDTC: You started an after-school cooking club for boys after hearing Jamie Oliver speak. What was it about what he said that was the catalyst for your involvement?
MM: When I first heard Jamie speak in November 2009, he had just finished filming the “Food Revolution” TV series in Huntington, West Virginia, and he spoke of the concept of “passing it on.” By this he meant that if one person teaches a recipe they know how to make to three people and those three people teach three people, imagine how quickly knowledge and cooking skills could be passed on. His idea is that the changes that need to be made are huge but that even small steps can have a big impact. That’s why I decided that as a teacher, I definitely needed to be doing something to pass on my own knowledge to the next generation.
What are the factors that you see in your own experience that contribute to kids eating unhealthily?
Kids these days are exposed to so many choices and, if they are not armed with the knowledge they need to make healthy choices, it’s hard for them to really know what is good or bad for them and why. It all goes back to bringing back Home Economics and Food Education into schools, which is Jamie Oliver’s big campaign this Food Revolution Day.
What are the barriers that still remain in terms of educating and promoting healthy eating for young people?
Well, obviously I agree with Jamie Oliver that food education should be compulsory in schools (did you sign the global petition yet?), but I also feel that if more parents took the time to get in the kitchen with their kids (once a week–it doesn’t have to be every day!) or even just involved them in the weekly shopping and made them a part of meal preparation in some way, that would go a long way to getting kids thinking about their food and where it comes from and how to cook healthy dishes.
In your experience, what’s the best way to get kids interested in preparing their own healthy food?
Start by choosing to prepare some of their favourite meals with them. Pizza, spaghetti bolognese, burgers, chicken wings, oven baked “fries” –all of these are dishes kids will want to eat but sometimes the store or restaurant versions are not exactly healthy–full of ingredients we can’t even pronounce and often high in fat and sodium content. Showing kids that making their favourite dishes is easy and fun while taking the opportunity to show them ways to make them healthier (check out this healthy mac and cheese–a perennial favourite!) is a great way to get them interested in food preparation.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far since becoming a Food Revolution Day Ambassador?
As a Food Revolution Ambassador, our job is to obviously organize events promoting getting people back in the kitchen and cooking real food, but we’re also there to help support and encourage others who wish to take part. A challenge I have found over the past three years is that people think that unless they do something “big,” it doesn’t count. This is where people are wrong. Jamie’s idea behind the Food Revolution was not about making huge changes on one day of the year only–it’s about small changes often. People feel that unless they have a massive number of people involved in some kind of activity, it’s not worth doing. I say, “Wrong!” A small event can still get people thinking and talking and even if one person who participates in a small event shares that knowledge with one other person, they are still “passing it on” à la Jamie Oliver.
What is your advice to parents who may work long hours and not have time to commit to sit-down meals at home? How can they go about encouraging their kids to make healthful food choices, particularly on a limited income?
I say definitely start small. Get the kids involved in meal planning–figure out the stuff that they like to eat then make a time even just once a week (or every two weeks) and get them in the kitchen with you helping prepare the meal. Use your grocery store or market visits to educate and inform about healthier choices (read labels!) and ask them to help plan your meals with you. Even if they choose items like mac and cheese, pizza and chicken fingers, there are so many ways you can make these healthier than store-bought versions and in the end, if you cook from scratch it might even end up cheaper than if you buy pre-packaged foods. Maybe one day do the math with your kids to see what works out cheaper–store-bought or homemade for one of their favourite dishes.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your after-school cooking club thus far?
Well, of course I love working with the boys in a different context than the classroom. I teach French, which is not exactly everyone’s favourite subject, so to be able to connect with the boys through an activity I am passionate about is priceless. Having a relationship with them outside the classroom walls is definitely useful for better in-class relationships. For them, it’s great to see me as a “real person” with interests other than just teaching French! It’s been great hearing how kids have become less picky because of all the new foods they have been exposed to in my club, too. Lastly, we’ve had some amazing opportunities–from cooking in the kitchens at Luma restaurant to being on Breakfast Television. Fun and learning going hand-in-hand? It doesn’t get much better than that!
What is your go-to meal to make with kids in order to get them interested in cooking?
Pizza. Definitely. Make Jamie Oliver’s “cheat’s pizza” (no resting time for the dough) and I guarantee you kids will be much more likely to eat their veggies if they are on top of a pizza! That will get them interested in perhaps learning how to make the real thing. And of course, it’s easy to make a pizza healthier than takeout options. It’s the perfect “in” to getting kids interested in cooking!
Show your support by visiting foodrevolutionday.com.
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