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5 Ways to Celebrate Food Revolution Day

Food Rev Day May 20 2016

Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Day 2016

Globally, 41 million kids under the age of five are overweight, and another 159 million kids are malnourished. Something has to change. For over 15 years, culinary hero and food activist Chef Jamie Oliver has been campaigning for better food and health with a goal to improve global child health.

May 20th marks the third annual Food Revolution Day. The Food Revolution is an ongoing global campaign to improve child health by inspiring positive, meaningful change in the way our kids access, consume and understand food. And it all starts with good, fresh, real food.

Here are five simple things you can do today to build a healthy and happy generation for tomorrow:

1. Cook together! Chef and TV personality Guy Fieri says it best, “Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment and creativity.” Cooking is a life skill.

2. Explore with food. Talk to the farmers at the local farmers’ market. Take the kids grocery shopping to see the variety of produce available all year long. Grow your own veggies. Plan a family outing at a pick-your-own berry or apple farm. Spend a day at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Watch cooking shows together (MasterChef Junior, anyone?)!

3. Make a family cookbook. Go online, look at recipe apps, dust off your cookbooks and magazines. Try new foods and flavours. Put your favourites into a family cookbook – what a perfect holiday gift for friends and family!

4. Sign the Ontario Home Economics Association petition which urges the government of Ontario to make at least one food and nutrition course compulsory in high school. In Japan, cooking classes are mandatory in grades 5 to 12 – and could it be a coincidence that the Japanese have one of the lowest rates of obesity?

5. Sign up for Jamie’s Food Revolution.
Starting at 10 am BST (UK time) or 5 am EST on Friday, May 20, watch live videos on Jamie’s Facebook page where you’ll see him dishing up advice and starring in cooking videos.

Happy Food Revolution Day!


Today marks the third annual Food Revolution Day. This year’s focus is on inspiring kids to get excited about food and cooking from scratch.

As a chef’s daughter, I saw firsthand how much my dad loved to cook from scratch. I’d walk with him to the grocery store every week, and he’d teach me how to pick out the sweetest oranges, the freshest fish, and the leanest cuts of meat. Today in his mid-70’s, Dad still walks to the grocery store, almost daily now, to find the perfect ingredients for a delicious homemade dinner.

Learning about food and how to cook from scratch is an essential life skill for everyone. With my mom and dietitian hats on, I half-jokingly tell my kids that they can only leave home once they’re able to plan and cook at least five meals from scratch all on their own. This includes making a grocery list and shopping for all of the ingredients too.

So in honour of Food Revolution Day, the kids and I are making some of our favourite recipes – chicken fajitas, bean salad, sushi and smoothies. What’s your favourite recipe to make with the kids?

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