‘We can change our kids’ futures’

With a little imagination you can show your children that there’s more to food than crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks, says Jamie Oliver

I hate to say it, but those of us in the Western world are making ‘food’ a dirty word. We’re turning the incredible, diverse, vibrant and exciting world of food into a killer by eating too much of the wrong stuff in far larger quantities than is sensible. Obesity rates in Britain are soaring and because of that we’re seeing all the horrible things that go hand-in-hand with it: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, cancers… It’s serious stuff.

In my job, I see a lot of statistics and talk to a lot of people in the food industry and the medical profession, as well as anti-obesity campaigners. These knowledgeable people all agree that something radical has to be done to stop the problem before the National Health Service reaches breaking point. What really upsets me is that more and more of the people being seen in hospitals for weight problems are children. If we’re being brutally honest with ourselves (and quite frankly we need to be), we have to face up to a few simple facts: these kids aren’t cooking for themselves; they’re not paying for all the junk piled in the shopping trolley; and they’re most certainly not organising those weekend takeaways – adults are. By far, the biggest enemy to a child’s health is an open and constantly accessible snack drawer. This causes more problems then you could dream of. Please, if you’ve got an open one… lock it up!

I don’t know what the answers are; I wish I did. No one parent does, but, like so many other problems, I believe a great place to start tackling childhood obesity is in the home. Because of my School Dinners campaign, I get asked for advice about kids and food all the time. One thing I can say wholeheartedly is that doing little things often is far better than trying to do big things once in a while.

People tend to think I’m bringing up my own kids on a strict diet of home-grown cabbages and carrots. I can assure you that isn’t the case. I grew up loving chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks as much as the next kid, but I also loved my pastas, salads and fresh fruit. The great thing about food is that there’s a place for all of these things – we just need to rediscover our common sense and realise that it’s all about balance and knowledge.

Getting children involved in cooking is, for me, the Holy Grail. When adults make the effort to get kids involved in cooking, they are sharp, interested and they get it. I’ve always found shopping for food a great place to start. Never mind if they whine for the sugary snacks – ask them to search out the best bits of veg for you, look for the ripest fruit or help you pick out some tasty cheese. Once you’re home, let them pod the peas, pick the herbs or wash the veg. While the dinner is cooking, tell them what’s going on in the pan; let them taste stuff and tell you if it needs salt, pepper, drizzles of this or squeezes of that. The sense of ownership they’ll start feeling over the food they eat, not to mention the cooking skills they’ll absorb along the way, will (hopefully) be the beginning of a normal, healthy relationship with food.

If they’ve made a salad, but then decide to kick off at the table and won’t try it, that’s fine. After they’ve made it a few times and it’s sitting in the middle of the table looking all fresh and beautiful, their curiosity will eventually win out and they’ll want a taste… and that will be their choice. All you can do as a parent is keep opening up the world of food to them, and hope that one informed choice will lead to thousands more in their life – and help make that life a long, happy and healthy one.

Words: Jamie Oliver