Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Jamie Oliver is trying again to show the american people the reason for obesity in this country and the poor quality of food served in schools and restaurants. Food, Inc brought to light many problems with the food industry, but Jamie is working hard to present even more concerns. It's appalling how little regard our government has for its citizens, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, when it comes to our food. Here is a link for a recap of the first episode of Jamie's new season: http://tinyurl.com/3bzanzv. It airs Tuesday evenings on ABC at 8/7 central. 

From an Industrial Educational Model to a Creative Model

I watch and listen as parents become more concerned with their children learning facts. Parents worry about teaching children at a very young age to read and learn math facts. Parents want to know how to teach logic while teachers try to reassure parents that children are hardwired to learn, but when Susie next door can rattle off her math facts, parents become nervous. With the focus on test scores, it's not surprising that parents are concerned, but learning facts earlier isn't what makes more creative and better performing students.

Recently, there was an article in Time Magazine (http://tinyurl.com/3qtswcx) about the Finnish model of school and the outstanding Program for International Student Assessment scores (PISA) they reap because of their model. The Finns are not big on testing so they were surprised by their results placing well above the U.S. who was mediocre. Today, I read another article in Newsweek (http://tinyurl.com/27krc5j) about the declining creativity scores in this country, and the way one school changed by moving to the project approach model. There’s a great book about the project approach Engaging Children’s Minds by Lilian G. Katz and Sylvia C. Chard, and it sounds very much like the Finnish model.

As long as we keep doing what we always done (and doing it more intensely), our schools will remain well below other countries. The U.S. has an industrial model where teachers deliver a prefabricated product. Our teachers are treated like pizza delivery folks, and then we do efficiency studies to see how well they delivered the pizza. It’s not the teacher’s fault. They spend years obtaining their education, but in Finland, only the best become teachers. Of 1,258 undergrads that applied, only 9.8% were accepted, and the teachers are the standard. Their teachers are better prepared than ours are, and then the Finns get out of the way. We have a lot to learn, but first, we have to acknowledge it in order to make meaningful change.

In This Corner an Orange; In This Corner Orange Juice

Whole fruit is a great low-calorie source of fiber and nutrients. A 165 gram (6 oz) orange has four grams of fiber and 81 calories. It has 163% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, and 14 grams of sugar.

Fruit juice is pulverized, pasteurized fruit with fiber removed. Some manufacturers add fiber back in. Fiber enhance juice has three grams of fiber and 120 calories per 8 oz. serving. It has 125% of the daily requirement of vitamin C which has been added back in because pasteurization destroys it, and it has 22 grams of sugar. If you squeeze your own juice, a serving will have no fiber, but it will contain 207% of RDA of vitamin C.   The orange is a lower-calorie, higher fiber option that is cheaper. The winner is – the orange.

Whole fruit is the best choice over fruit juice or other processed food products.

PFCs

Women with higher levels of certain chemicals used in many household products have lower levels of estrogen and are more likely to experience early menopause, a new study finds. Well, that certainly is a concern, but I've long worried about PFCs and their effects on children. While no mention of children is made in this study, common sense tells us that children are more affected by chemicals because of their rapid growth and because their brains are in a rapid state of change.PFCs have been linked to ADHD. While watching ABC News, it was mentioned that companies have until 2015 to remove this chemical from their products. Wow! We have given permission to big business to keep poisoning us for a few more years. Is Teflon really more important than our health?
Follow this link to view the article:
http://tinyurl.com/47yhl73

Sneaking in the Vegetables

Here's another puree to put more vegetables in your child's diet.

Green Puree

Use it in lasagna: Substitute 1/3 of the sauce with puree. Chili: Stir in 1/2 cup per batch.

2     cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
2     cups raw baby spinach
1     cup frozen peas

Stem broccoli and spinach in a steamer over 2 inches of water about 10 minutes or until very tender. Add peas for the last two minutes. Drain. Place in food processor with 2 Tbsp water. Puree until smooth.

Purple Puree

So often I hear parents worried that their child isn't eating enough vegetables. Here's one idea to help you out.

Purple Puree

Use it in Brownies: Substitute for half the oil the recipe calls for. Taco meat: Add 1/2 cup per pound of beef> Burgers: use 1/4 cup per pound of meat.

6     cups raw baby spinach
1     tsp lemon juice
3     cups fresh or frozen blueberries, slightly thawed

Puree all ingredients with 2 Tbsp water in a food processor until smooth. If necessary, add another 1 to 2 Tbsp water for a smoother consistency.

Saline-Milan Patch

We're in the news! http://tinyurl.com/459z5y2