Squandrous

Jamie Oliver: Teach every child about food.

I’m fat.

Don’t worry, it’s okay. I’ve known about it for a while, so don’t be afraid of offending me.

I’m not going to blame genetics, or the glucocorticoids I’ve been on since my early childhood, or any external factors — the fact is that I’m severely overweight. I made bad decisions with regards to my lifestyle (particularly between the ages of 16 and 25) and because of those choices — what I ate, how I passed the time, my activity levels, etc. — I am now in a position where I could easily stand to lose 60lbs and still be a hefty individual.

In the past two or three years, I’ve started to make better decisions: I’m watching what I eat, I exercise regularly, I cook more than I eat out, and I am conscious of the effects that the things that I consume (food and otherwise) have on my body. Right now, my focus is not on losing weight, but getting into a regular healthy lifestyle — something that wasn’t a priority for me for almost a decade.

Maybe that’s why Jamie Oliver’s TED talk was so stirring. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference, but I can’t help but think that if I had a better education about food as a child, maybe I could have made some different choices when I left home at the age of sixteen, and those choices would would have had some impact on my health, now.

All that to say, watch this video. And help educate young people about food — about making good choices and being equipped to make those choices even when their situation may not be ideal or easy. I’ll do that whenever I can, while at the same time continuing to make good decisions for my own health — decisions I wish I had made earlier in life, but still see value in making now.