What basic household item could possibly prevent 100,000 cases of heart disease, 8,000 strokes and 26,000 deaths? Food. Or really, lack thereof. Fit University, meet Jamie Oliver.
You may know him as the UK Chef,
restaurant owner,
A photo posted by Jamie Oliver on
recipe developer,
successful author,
A video posted by Jamie Oliver on
and TV personality,
A photo posted by Jamie Oliver on
but how can this man help reduce childhood obesity?
A photo posted by Jamie Oliver on
Known for his 2010 TV Show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, where Oliver travelled across America revealing the hefty problems with our food industry, Oliver took his leverage back to his native country (I guess he needed a break from America, I get it, Jamie) and fought to apply a sugar tax on sugary beverages. He won.
Starting in 2018, Oliver would change the future of one of the least healthy countries in Europe. Here’s a breakdown of his plan:
A sugary drinks tax won’t work on its own! Here are the 6 things I’d like to see. 42haDxsynn
RT— Jamie Oliver
- A tax of 20 pences (30 US cents) per liter of sugary drink (this could include soft drinks, or even certain smoothies), to discourage consumers from purchasing the sugary drink.
- The taxes yield up to 1 billion pounds (just under $1.5 billion, casual) to be recycled back into the community by funding programs aiming to decrease obesity.
- A visual of the number of teaspoons of sugar in the drink will be displayed on its packaging. Traditionally sugar content is given in grams, which is harder for the average consumer to conceptualize than a teaspoon. It’s all about awareness!
- Traffic light labeling with be enforced. Basically, red means bad and green means go. And yellow means “slow down and think twice”.
- Food education will become a priority in schools. This education involves students and parents; not only will students learn to cook and learn about nutrition, (i.e., where food comes from and how it affects your body), but in addition he parents will learn how to pack their kids a healthy school lunch. (Finally)
- Products with high fat, sugar, or salt (“HFSS”) will not be marketed around school campuses. HFSS products sold in supermarkets will be strongly discouraged by the government.
- Advertising for junk HFSS foods will not appear on TV before 9 pm. When children watch TV, they are no longer exposed to the tempting and convincing messages in junk food advertising.
- Companies that fail to follow these new laws will be punished.
So yes, world; it’s that simple. If Jamie Oliver can do it for England, why can’t we do it here in America too?
And you can help! How? Simply making micro-changes to your daily life and influencing your loved ones to make small changes to live a healthy lifestyle can make such a difference.
Here are a couple of changes you can make, inspired by Jamie Oliver himself:
- Reduce your soda consumption. I can’t stress this enough! Consuming soda (pop, coke, what have you) on a regular basis can increase risk of obesity, diabetes, cavities, and so many other health problems. If you regularly consume soda, try slowly decreasing the amount you drink. For instance, if you drink a soda with every meal, try limiting it to one meal a day. Then one meal every 3 days, then one meal a week to one meal a month, and so on. Little changes can lead to big differences!
- Carry a water bottle. Ok so you’ve reduced your soda consumption, but that doesn’t mean your need for fluids decreases as well. Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. That way instead of being tempted to buy a soda, just take a drink from your water bottle instead! Bonus: you’re helping the environment as well as your bank account… and who doesn’t like saving money?
- Try seltzer or flavored water. While these drinks aren’t as great as water, they could serve as a great, non-sugar-loaded, naturally flavored alternative to sugary or diet sodas!
Let us know what you think, and tag us in your movement for a healthy lifestyle on Instagram @gofitu and use the hashtag #fituniversity!