Jamie Oliver, British-born chef cum reality television star, has taken to main street USA to tell Americans they are too fat, which is somewhat ironic, given the UK is one of the few countries that can match our collective girth thigh for thigh.  He’s set his sights on Huntington, West Virginia, the least healthy community in the union, and his message is simple: we are feeding our kids to death.  And it’s hard to argue his point, when he shows us young kids suffering with “adult” diseases like heart disease and diabetes or reviews the weekly diet of an obese mom and her three obese kids.

The sad (or frustrating or maddening…your pick) thing is his message isn’t new or something we all don’t already know.  We have spent the last 30 years literally eating ourselves to death and in doing so, created the first generation of kids whose life expectancy is shorter than their parents. 

Oliver’s putting his cooking skill where his mouth is, working with the local schools to improve lunch menus, building basic nutrition into curriculums and spreading the gospel throughout the community…all under the spotlight of a reality television series.  While cynics may question his motivation, there’s no denying the problem is real and the need is great.  So what if it takes a cockney voice to alert us to our problem?  I say jolly good show, old chap!  With any luck, Oliver’s efforts will give a new generation cause to appreciate “When I’m 64”.

Click here for more in formation on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (February 2010)

Country Choice Organic FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal makes it easy for kids to eat a heart warming breakfast every morning by making whole grain, high fiber cereal taste delicious to the pickiest of children.   “At Country Choice Organic, we constantly review our products to find ways to improve our nutrition profile”, says Sharon Herzog, Research and Development Director at Country Choice Organic. “Reducing the sugar in FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal is a perfect example of tweaking a formula to improve nutrition while still delivering the great taste kids want at breakfast.” 

Country Choice Organic FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal is made with whole grain organic oats and fortified with calcium and iron, and available in kid-friendly flavors including, Chocolate Chip/Cinnamon Toast and Caramel Apple/Berry Blast Variety Packs. Found in organic food aisles nationwide, each package contains eight servings for a suggested retail price of $4.29. Every serving is a good source of fiber, protein and iron and contains no trans fat.   Find more information at www.countrychoiceorganic.com

Our parent company, Grain Millers, the largest miller of organic grain in North America, shares this concern and has developed a novel way to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and help the local community.  In partnership with the local school district and private enterprise, Grain Millers donates oat hulls to heat a middle school in St. Ansgar, IA., home of one of Grain Millers largest oat mills. 

This is the first school in Iowa to be heated with biomass energy, which replaces the natural gas previously used to fuel the school’s boilers.  “We use biomass in our facilities to replace fossil fuel consumption with renewable energy sources,” says Steve Eilertson, Grain Miller president.  “Extending the opportunity to our local community partners lets us broaden our impact.”

So next time you sit down to a hot bowl of Country Choice Organic oatmeal, your breakfast might be fueling more than you. It might be sustainably heating a classroom in Iowa, which is a warm thought to start the day. 

Read more about heating St. Ansgar Middle School here.

Whether eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack, oatmeal provides a warming, nutritious meal for everyone…male or female, children and adults alike.  Everyday, millions of Americans start their day with some variety of oats: creamy instant oatmeal, traditional old fashioned oats, nutty steel cut oats.  There are even “on the run” options for those who prefer their oats to go.

 You can check out other super foods at Health magazine.  Then download a money saving coupon for Country Choice Organic Oats to help you keep your New Year resolutions.

It is thought that over 100 million Americans set New Year’s resolutions.  Sadly, most are abandoned by February, victims of weighty aspirations.  Too many resolutions focus on improbable dreams of “losing this” or “quitting that”, instead of smaller, easier-to-keep lifestyle changes that might actually survive Ground Hogs Day.

Recent research into longevity has uncovered simple things everyone can do to live longer, better:

• Switch to 10” plates and skinny glasses
• Put healthy options in plain view and hide the junk food…even in the refrigerator
• Stop eating when you are 80% full
• Avoid mindless munching by turning off the TV when eating
• Take a short walk after dinner

These incremental changes are relatively painless and can have a profound effect on our wellbeing.  However, they won’t become habit overnight.  It actually takes five weeks of practice to make a new behavior a habit.  So resolve today to eat better in 2010.  Just make you’re still practicing until the next national food holiday…Super Bowl Sunday!

1. it was their idea,
2. they planned far enough ahead to allow for the dough to chill,
3. they cleaned up everything (almost).

Achieving this milestone was appreciated almost as much as the first time we left them without a sitter.

Food experiences abound during the holidays.  In my family, Christmas brought a mix of old world Italian traditions and Midwest sensibilities…tortellini and broth chased with Tom & Jerry’s.  The actual menu was less important than reserving a place at the table for traditional holiday fare: JoAnn’s trifle, Ginny’s caramel corn, Norma’s turtles.  I once carried a marzipan fish across eight time zones to deliver a holiday tradition from my Italian aunts to their brother in Minnesota.  It was worth the Interpol APB to see my father’s face when that “fish” showed up on Christmas Eve.   

 Today, however, too many of our food traditions have gone the way of the Tofurky (really…tofu “turkey”), pushed aside by a new tradition of acquiring “must have” toys from China.  These new traditions are available at big box stores that lure shoppers to the glow of $400 flat screen TVs and then offer a complete holiday meal as a $20 impulse item. 

I submit that we should not allow retailers’ deference for high-margin electronics to interfere with our ability to bake real memories for our friends and family.  My wish this year is for everyone to spill some flour making a holiday food tradition.  Nothing fancy or expensive.  In fact, the best traditions are made from scratch.  Bake some tonight. 

 Merry Christmas!

 Nana’s Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Blue Zones were identified by a team of researchers funded by National Geographic and AARP.  To date, five geographically disperse zones have been identified (with more expeditions planned).  The common building blocks for longevity include: having the right outlook, moving naturally, being part of a tribe and eating wisely.  If these seem obvious, it’s because they are.  And except for, “wear clean drawers in case you get hit by a bus”, it’s the same advice you likely heard from your mom.

More interesting is how the “Blue Zoners” are applying their learning closer to home.  They recently conducted a Vitality Project in Albert Lea, MN, where local residents were encouraged to make small, manageable changes to their lives…kids walked to school, people planted gardens, neighbors volunteered, side salads appeared on fast food menus.  The net result?  Increased longevity, reduced health care costs, increased productivity, and more bliss (although work continues on modeling the relationship between reduced happy meal consumption and bliss).

Obviously, we don’t need to relocate to be “in the zone”.  There are small changes we can make that will have a big impact on our quality of life…now and in the future.  It starts with being more deliberate about what we eat, how we move and with who we connect.  If the research is correct, the changes will help us live better, longer and we can look forward to the day when “zones” exist only where living a long, rich life is not the norm. 

You can get more information on living better, longer at www.bluezones.com.

Notables^® by Mission Nutrition, creates a grab ‘n go breakfast that kids eat at their desk.  There are NO TABLES involved (get it?).  Each Notables breakfast, when paired with milk, exceeds the minimum federal School Breakfast Program nutrition requirements by pairing shelf-stable whole grain foods and fruit products in a fun bag. 

They are committed to offering only the highest quality foods in a convenient, kid-friendly manner…which is where we come in.  Notables is currently using specially formulated Oatmeal on the Run bars in two of their bags, meaning kids get all the nutrition of a bowl of instant oatmeal right at their desks.

Our teams are busy looking for other healthy ways for kids to eat and will update you with our progress.  In the meantime, make sure your kids start their day with a notable breakfast…no matter where they eat.

You’ll find more information at http://www.notables.com.