Team FNV

On March 7th I watched the livestream of the TEDx Manhattan "Changing the Way We Eat" event. There were so many incredible speakers, I wish I was able to attend. I learned so many new things, was inspired by chefs, activists, and foodies, and my tummy started to rumble half-way through.

Although there were tons of outstanding ideas shared, one new campaign that really excited me was one that Deb Eschmeyer, White House Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy,  announced. It is called "Team FNV" and it is an ad campaign to promote fruits and vegetables because, "marketing works: celebrity-laden ads, billboards, you name it, they work." 

Here is a scary statistic: 98% of food related ads that children view (3,920 per year) are for products high in fat, sugar, sodium. If you think about it, there are no commercials for watermelon, or celery, or any fruits and vegetables. Just sugar cereal, sugary yogurt, and of course fast food. You'd think that advertising healthy foods isn't necessary, that people have enough common sense to consume what is obviously better for their bodies, but the stats state otherwise, and as obesity rates climb, it becomes apparent that if advertising is playing a role, it needs to be used for good, not evil. 

Would you buy more carrots if TSwifty endorsed them? I think yes

I first heard the idea of promoting healthier eating to kids from one of my favorite movies, Fed Up. Producers Laurie David and Katie Couric proposed an ad campaign targeting kids, but instead of promoting sugary, fattening fast food, they would advertise fruits and vegetables. I loved this idea, and found it to be a great way to get more kids to eat their fruits and veggies, so when I found out that it was becoming a reality, I was ecstatic!

I would give kudos to Hidden Valley Ranch because they have been promoting vegetable eating to kids for years, except that they're owned by the same company that makes Clorox, their dressing contains 15 total grams of fat, and they are not promoting veggies as much as their product. 


But anyway, back to Team FNV. They have already recruited an all-star cast of celebrities (sorry, no Taylor Swift yet) and have started to release video promos, but their real launch is yet to come. Even so, support this movement! Check out their awesome website and this great video!

More yummy things coming your way!
Gourmanda

FED UP!

On July 2nd I went to go see a new film with my family. This film is called Fed Up and it is an eye-opening, jaw-dropping movie that everyone needs to see. The film was produced by Laurie David and former news anchor Katie Couric and directed by Stephanie Soechtig.

Fed Up follows four different teenagers struggling with obesity who share their experiences. Ms. Couric, the narrator, then explains the science behind the growing epidemic and why it is worsening everyday. Many credible experts such as Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, and Bill Clinton speak on different points throughout the movie as the point are illustrated using simple graphics and video clips.

"'Fed Up' is probably the most important movie to be made since 'An Inconvenient Truth,'to which it’s related in a couple of ways," said Mark Bittman in his article about the film (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/opinion/bittman-an-inconvenient-truth-about-our-food.html?referrer=&_r=0). "One of its producers is Laurie David, who also produced “An Inconvenient Truth.” Climate change, diet and agriculture are inexorably intertwined; we can’t tackle climate change without changing industrial agriculture, and we can’t change industrial agriculture without tackling diet."

What I learned from the movie is this: Sugar is the root problem of the obesity epidemic in our country and if we don't do something about it now, the majority of the population of America will have food-related diseases (diabetes, heart disease) in the near future.

The movie drew an interesting parallel by comparing the Sugar Industry to the tobacco industry. Thank goodness I am not old enough to have grown up with cigarette/cigar/chewing tobacco advertisements on TV and billboards without the Surgeon General's warning, but many people did live through this time. We need to urge those people to implement the successful strategies used to win against the tobacco industry on the big sugar companies such as Coca Cola, Kelloggs, McDonalds, and Pepsi. Today kids are unarmed in facing the commercials that bombard them with sickly-sweet messages. Sugar cereals, Go-gurt (I used to like that stuff, but now that I think about it, I was squeezing sugary goop out of a tube and into my body,  BLECH!), McDonalds, Chuckie Cheese's, and many, many more.

So how do I get started? How can I improve my eating habits without sacrificing some of my favorite foods? One easy way for you and your family to embrace healthy eating and eliminate sugar and processed chemicals from your diet is to purchase Laurie David's new cookbook The Family Cooks. It contains lots of delicious healthy recipes for every meal, beautiful pictures, and helpful shopping and eating tips. I have already made five recipes from the book and I bought it three days ago!

I will be posting a lot about this movie so stay tuned because this is an issue that desperately needs our (and our government's) attention and support.

MUCH MUCH MORE!
Gourmanda :)

P.S. Did you notice the clever title "Fed Up" contains many different meanings?