Jamie's Food Revolution - important ideas for people whose dogs eat better than they do!

Like everyone out there, I have researched the best foods for my dogs, and I make sure they are physically and mentally challenged and in shape. I remember my mother saying to me "your dogs eat better than you do..." It WAS true! The more I focus on diet and exercise, the more I realize I had no idea what was in the foods I was eating - trans fat, sugar, etc etc...horrible. Easy, good, horrible junk.

I am getting so passionate about this, I feel like an evangelist! I have a way to go still, but have been losing weight steadily for a couple of years. I started out with Weight Watchers, then Jenny Craig. Great programs I guess, and got me on my way. But now I am realizing we just need to be educated about what to eat and to get moving. Jorge Cruise has nailed it by identifying how much hidden sugar is in our food. That's where Jamie Oliver comes in - COOK IT YOURSELF - AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN IT!

This video is a must - see speech by Jamie Oliver as he accepts a TED award for ideas worth sharing.




Jamie's Wish (from the video):

"I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity."

I feel more inspired to carry on with my progress by watching Jamie on his mission than by any weight-loss commercial on TV because this is real life. He is not selling a product or program - I sense that this is a heartfelt and sincere vision that has filled him with great passion. He has come a long way from the young kid touted as the Naked Chef, and I think he is going to continue to be recognized as a someone who motivates very positive change, especially today as we need to focus on our finite resources, local food, going back to basics and improved health around the World. As he says in this video - if America can do it, others will follow. Canadians - take note!

You will see a part of his show Jamie's Food Revolution in this video - where young school children can't identify basic vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes. As Jamie says, if they don't know what it is, they won't eat it.

I am lucky because my mother and my grandmothers were all excellent cooks, who had gardens and who cooked food they grew. My Estonian Grandma had the most fantastic vegetable garden in her backyard right near downtown. What an inspiration she is to me these days as I think about the stuff she grew in her little backyard. This summer, I am going to create a vegetable patch in the front yard of my little church house. I am researching plans for raised beds right now.

Part of the issue today is one of time. We are all short on time, and need to prioritize in order to fit in work, chores, our hobbies of dog training, plus taking care of ourselves and eating right. As you know, I was recently in San Francisco at a writer's conference and this was addressed. If you want to write a book, you need to fit THAT in too and it is not easy!

I am reading the book The Art of Extreme Self Care by Cheryl Richardson. In this book she gives a practical program for how to 'stand up for your life' by taking care of yourself and making yourself a priority. Too many of us put ourselves last.

In past entries, I have talked about how different theories come together to impact my tracking-training. In this entry, I am very excited as I can start to see how the big picture is coming together so that I can make the time for my own care, care of my dogs, and the things that are important in my life.

Real changes are going on here!