Gotta love Jamie!

When I first moved to this little town, one of the first major culture shocks I experienced was the problems with obesity. I'm not saying Canada doesn't have its own issues with obesity, but I was somewhat shocked by just how large some people were. It made me sad. I don't know what the actual causes for an individual's obesity but I can only imagine how hard it is to live with the health (and not to mention the emotional) ramifications of it.

The first time I went into a fast food restaurant, I ordered the same thing I would have in Canada - chili, medium fries and a medium diet coke. I didn't exactly get what I had expected. What ended up in front of me was, from my experience, a large fries and large diet coke.

One day I was craving crap food and so I went to the grocery and bought some battered fish, pockets with pizza ingredients inside and a few other things. I was shocked at how little money I spent to buy these items.

Between these two experiences, it was starting to make sense why there is such an issue with obesity. When you don't make a lot of money, buying these types of foods at the prices that they are can lead you to believe you're getting more food than you would otherwise.

I've fallen in love a wee bit with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I can not get through an episode without crying. I see a man who is desperately trying to help people be healthier with simple changes that will have drastic effects on their lives. It breaks my heart to see a 17 year old girl tell people that the doctors have given 5-7 years because of her poor liver health. What Jamie Oliver is doing is crazy and yes, it can come across as 'that brit who is trying to tell us how to live our lives', but in the end I personally see someone who cares so deeply about the people of Huntington, WV. I really hope that the Revolution will take and help the community to become healthier.