Jamie Oliver is a British chef whose mission is to promote eating whole and fresh foods. He is particularly interested in the food education of the American public. This TED Talk sent a profound message to the American people. Americans are unhealthy, the food consumption is overloaded with junk and they are burdening the health system with problems related to obesity. In my reflection, I aim to discuss the points that Jamie has presented and link them to my personal inquiry project as well as the concept of self-regulation and learning.
In his talk, Jamie presents the fact that people are shaped by what they learn at home, school and in the main stream. If children are not shown healthy examples of what proper balanced food culture looks like, then their basic knowledge of "food" is limited. The "power of food has a primal place in our homes" (Oliver, J., 2010). We live around our meals. Socialization happens around the kitchen table. I make it a priority to involve my son in the meal preparation. I am convinced that I must set an example for him and that his knowledge of food needs to come from home. In terms of SRL, a child needs a starting point and I feel that by providing an environment that is conducive to healthy conscious food options, I am fostering the development of a well-informed young man who will begin to have the metacognition of what healthy eating looks like and he will hopefully carry this throughout his life.
Jamie continues to discuss the fact that our Main Street culture has a strong, almost gravitational influence on our food choices. If the availability of fast foods and heavily processed options infiltrate our supermarket shelves, and make themselves available at every street corner, then the convenience that this provides a fast paced public is almost too difficult to overlook. Resorting to convenience is something I am guilty of. In fact, the small "high" that I get when I go through a drive-through is addictive. I feel it the most with my morning cup of coffee. My double double from McDonald's has been part of my morning routine for 6 years. I started drinking coffee when I turned 30, and I have incorporated it into my morning rush. Now that I am living a healthier life style, I have kicked the urge to go through the drive through for food items, but I am still running for my coffee. That cup in my hand is a fashion accessory, a part of my work uniform, and as I pass my colleagues in the halls, often a slight tip of the coffee cup in an air like an air-cheers is what indicates my belonging to this societal group of fast food coffee. However, just like the home aspect of food, I can control this part of my life.
The final part of the major players in the food triangle is the School. The issues here are two-fold, kids are not being fed healthy options and they are not being taught about food. Since kids spend a large amount of their lives in the school system, and since school should be a place where safe and fair knowledge is acquired, it is vital that the system provide students with healthy food choices and provide them with a proper education about food. I know there has been a shift in the positive direction regarding the food that is offered in Canadian cafeterias in the last 2 decades ,and this is good news. When I was in high school, my cafeteria sold only fast food products and it was late in my senior year that I started to gain weight. Although I packed a healthy lunch from home, my friends did not, and they ate the food from the cafeteria which meant that I did as well.
As a science teacher, the teaching about food is part of my curriculum however I take it a step further and I have this course to thank for it. Just recently, I had students complete a project on their own food awareness, which was an activity that culminated our unit on the digestive system and nutrition. They had to analyze and reflect on the changes to the New Canadian Food Guide by using their knowledge of science learned in the course. Furthermore, they had to reflect on their current nutritional intake and come up with a day's worth of meals that would satisfy nutritional requirements for their gender, age and activity level (something the new guide has omitted). This activity played into what SRL is all about: taking a moment to understand current situations, creating a plan to potentially improve upon a current situation and reflect on the outcome of the process. Therefore, as an educator, I feel I am dutifully providing students with a well-rounded food education, and I am modelling how to take care of one's health. Students have noticed my progress as I began to lose weight in March of 2018. I will continue this process, however long it takes, to reach my ultimate goal.
To summarize, Jamie Oliver has provided us with the realization that SRL needs to be explicitly taught in a food culture. If kids are not taught a positive message about food, then how can we possibly expect them to know a problem even exists? Just like many aspects of a child's upbringing, this education about food should start at home, if it does not, then I do believe it is partially society's responsibility to share in this education. Since this education of food is so wrapped up in the commercial and industrial moneymaking side of the food industry, the chances of being swallowed up in the main stream is high. However, when one is equipped with the self-regulatory skills to navigate these factors, then success is possible. Understanding the importance of Jamie's message resonates deeply not only because I am a person that is dealing with a weight issue, but because I am a mom; I am a good mom, and I want what is best for my son. My health matters and setting a good example for him matters.
Jamie Oliver's SRL Goal:
References:
Oliver, J., (February, 2010). TED Talk: Teach every child about food. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver#t-1287904