80 Easy Ways You Can Join the Food Revolution

Posted by Site Administrator in Features Apr 25th, 2010

If you've been paying attention the past few weeks, surely you've noticed that people are getting excited about the food revolution. The concept of cooking and eating healthy food is not new, but it's recently enjoyed a revival of interest thanks to TV, blogs, and news reports. If you're interested in becoming a part of this movement toward better food and health, here's how you can get involved.

Being Healthy

The revolution is happening in your home. Follow these tips to be healthy, happy, and revolutionary in your own kitchen.

1. Calculate your BMI: Find out your healthy weight with the body mass index.
2. Determine how many calories you need: Find out how many calories you need to function each day.
3. Find exercise that works for you: Exercise 30 minutes at least 4 times a week for health benefits.
4. Cook one meal from scratch: Start out this week by cooking just one meal from scratch to see how easy it is.
5. Track your food: Stay accountable by writing down everything you eat.

Nutrition & Food Choice

Follow these tips for better nutrition and higher quality food.

6. Don't be afraid of fats: You need fat from foods to function correctly, so focus on healthy fats.
7. Take food to work: Get up early, make a lunch, and eat healthy food at work.
8. Eat in moderation: Be careful not to overdo it on anything you eat.
9. Use a seasonal calendar: Check out this calendar to learn about what food is currently in season.
10. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store: Most healthy eating ingredients are in the outer edges of the grocery store.
11. Use the meal wheel: Read about nutrition for each healthy kid's serving.
12. Stop drinking soda: Soda is toxic and unnecessary-cut it out of your diet immediately.
13. Avoid artificial: Eat real food that skips artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners.
14. Know the true cost of food: Off season foods were probably harvested by slave labor so that you can enjoy it.
15. Make calories count: Make sure every bite is as nutrition packed as possible.
16. Avoid added hormones or antibiotics: Read labels carefully to avoid hormones or antibiotics.
17. Stay away from refined sugar: Use honey, fruit, syrup or other unrefined alternatives.
18. Eat fish that is sustainably sourced: Choose to eat fish that's been caught responsibly.
19. Don't eat high fructose corn syrup: You'd be surprised where you can find high fructose corn syrup.
20. Eat slowly: Eat your food slowly to enjoy them and help control portions.
21. Eat healthier fats: Avoid hydrogenated and trans fats for olives, nuts, avocados, seeds, eggs, and fish.
22. Favor whole grains: Eat whole grains instead of white flour to get more fiber, protein, and essential vitamins.
23. Ask about mercury content: Know the mercury content of the fish you are eating.
24. Say no to GMO: Avoid genetically modified organisms in your food.
25. Eat a rainbow of fresh fruits: If you need a shortcut, choose frozen food.
26. Don't eat nitrates: Avoid nitrates and nitrites added to meats.
27. Choose healthier versions of your favorite foods: You don't have to get rid of pizza, steaks, or hamburgers-you just need a healthier way to eat them.
28. Stop eating packaged foods: Eat food that is as close to its natural state as possible.
29. Just don't buy junk food: Junk food is unhealthy and expensive-avoid it, you don't need it.
30. Drive past fast food restaurants: Just don't eat fast food.
31. Start your own garden: Eat food fresh from your backyard or window.
32. Shop outside of supermarkets: Think outside the box when it comes to food sourcing-try roadside stands, farmers markets, and places where you can pick your own food.
33. Always choose organic: Whenever possible, choose organic foods over traditional ones.
34. Go to a farm: Visit a farm to see where real food comes from.
35. Choose the right carbohydrates: Eat carbs that are slowly digested like whole grains, vegetables, and unprocessed grains.
36. Switch to water: Water is healthier, cheaper, and easy to bring everywhere.
37. Read food labels: Get the real story on what you're eating by checking out the label first.
38. Avoid excess alcohol: Drinking is bad for your body and your healthy food willpower.
39. Eat eggs for breakfast: Eggs are full of vitamins, protein, and cheap.
40. Take a multivitamin: Supplement your nutrition with the help of a daily multivitamin.

Teaching & Sharing

Here's how you can spread the word about the food revolution.

41. Sign Jamie Oliver's Petition: Let the world know you want a food revolution by signing Jamie Oliver's petition.
42. Start or join a community garden: Create a garden where you can plant, maintain, and share healthy food in your community.
43. Have a potluck: Turn others on to healthy food by serving something good and healthy.
44. Eat with others: Eating with other people offers social and emotional benefits.
45. Pass on your skills: If you know how to cook, be sure to teach your kids and their families.
46. Grow a lot of something and can it: Put your fresh food into preserves, and you can swap with others who can, too.
47. Plant food for the hungry: Help make sure that hungry people can eat healthy food, too, by planting food that you can donate.
48. Cook with friends: Get together with your friends to have fun cooking.
49. Tell friends: Pass the food revolution on to your friends and family.

Learning

Here you'll learn more about eating better and healthier.

50. Taste two new spices: Become friends with spices to learn how to incorporate them into your food.
51. Find out how to cook: If you don't know how to cook, learn now so that you can improve your nutrition.
52. Watch Jamie Oliver's TED talk: See Jamie Oliver's presentation to understand the philosophy of the food revolution.

Cooking

Take the food revolution into your kitchen with these tips for cooking.

53. Eat before you shop: When you go to the grocery store, eat so you won't be tempted by cravings.
54. Find healthy recipes: Jamie Oliver offers recipes that you can cook at home.
55. Plan your meals by the week: Find recipes you like and build a meal schedule around them.
56. Stock your pantry: Make sure you have a good supply of the essentials for your pantry to make healthy food.
57. Plan: Know what you're going to eat ahead of time, and purchase healthy frozen ingredients in case you're short on time.
58. Cook dinner at home: Eat dinner at home where you can control the ingredients and nutrition you are serving.
59. Have an emergency dinner ready to go: Always have a go-to meal that's at the ready in case you haven't made it to the store.
60. Get equipped: Be sure that you have the right items in your kitchen to be a good cook.

At School

You can make an impact on the food your kids are eating at school-follow these ideas.

61. Perform a wellness check: School districts are required to provide wellness policies-you can request a copy of these policies.
62. Share Jamie Oliver's School Charter: Find out how you can join forces with Jaimie Oliver to improve the quality of your child's food at school.
63. See what your school is doing: Check out this school lunch map to find out what your school is doing to improve lunch, and share what you know.
64. Send your kids to school with a bag lunch: Until school food improves, give your child healthy food from home for lunch.
65. Eat lunch at school: Go to your school and eat lunch to see what kids are really eating.
66. Share recipes with your school: Let your school's lunch ladies know that there are healthy options available that work.
67. Teach a cooking class: Volunteer to teach a cooking class to children.
68. Stay up to date on news: Check out school food news on this blog.
69. Help with a school garden: Help plant and maintain a garden at your school.

For Kids

Get your children involved! Here are a few ways kids can be a part of the food revolution.

70. Offer healthy snacks: You can fill nutrition gaps with healthy snacks.
71. Limit access to junk foods: Don't make junk foods accessible.
72. Encourage an 80/20 rule: If your kids are making good choices 80% of the time, they can indulge.
73. Avoid eating with the TV on: Eating while watching TV can cause overeating.
74. Teach kids about fresh fruits and vegetables: Make sure your kids know what fruits and vegetables look like in their natural form.
75. Provide healthy alternatives: Give your children healthy alternatives to junk food.
76. Show kids how to read food labels: Give your child the power to know what goes in their body by reading labels.
77. Encourage physical activity: Teach kids that staying active is an important part of health and, when necessary, weight loss.
78. Make your child sous chef: Involve your child in meal prep so they can take pride in what they are eating.
79. Model good nutrition: Show kids that nutrition is important to you by making healthy choices for yourself.
80. Learn on a farm: Take your child to a farm so that they can see how real, healthy food is made.