Jamie Oliver’s Health Revolution

Popular British chef Jamie Oliver had led his own kitchen, and all of Britain in fact, through a health revolution. Jamie not only promotes healthy eating throughout the country,but has actually turned over a new leaf both in his own and his family’s diet. The chef tells how he sleeps 10 hours a night, does not drink alcohol during the week and regularly consumes seaweed, nuts and herbs. Regarding seaweed, he explains that in the past he thought that seaweed was an ancient food, that people once ate because that was all there was in the U.K- an island surrounded by sea. He later, however, discovered the nutritional benefits of seaweed, and he now sees it as the most nutritious of all greens, and consumes it regularly.

The leading chef argues that we as parents, are responsible for educating our children about healthy eating. This is the reason why for years now he has promoted a healthy nutrition program for schoolchildren in England. In his opinion it is important to increase the nutritional values labelling on food, in order to encourage good choices, reduce junk food and increase consumption of healthy foods. In order to improve children’s diets, he recommends adding as many herbs as possible, to reduce the need for sale, to increase how much water they drink and to avoid sugary drinks.

In Everyday Superfood, “the book he published in 2015”, Jamie explains that he suggests a broad variety of fruits and vegetables daily. In his trips around the world, the popular chef hunted down 14 nutritionally -rich foods, from a range of cultures, which he named “superfood”. The final list included: eggs, goat milk (goat cheese feta), fish, sweet potatoes, green leaves and herbs, tofu, nuts, black beans, fresh fruit, chili, wild rice, garlic and seaweed. The chef added that what all the people he met who lived active, long lives, had in common, was that they all ate breakfast.

POKE BOWL RECIPE

(Based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver)

Based on fish, seaweed and coconut milk, the poke recipe is based on a dish originating in Hawaii.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup cucumber
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 5 tsps mirin
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 1 lemon or lime
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 500 gr sushi rice
• 160 ml coconut milk
• 1 bunch chopped seaweed leaves
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tins tuna in water
• 2 onions
• 2 tsps sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Dice the cucumber finely and marinate in a bit or salt in a colander in the sink for ten minutes. Squeeze out any liquid, add the rice vinegar and 2 tsps of mirin and mix.
2. Add 2 tsps of lemon juice, the soy sauce and sesame oil.
3. Cook the rice according to instructions on the package and then place in the bowl. Add the coconut milk and the remaining mirin and mix well. Add the chopped seaweed (you can lightly saute them if you wish, after squeezing out liquid and drying them).
4. Drain the tuna, cut up the avocado and chop the onion.
5. Divide the rice among the bowls and on top of each add tuna, avocado and the pickled cucumber. Sprinkle the seaweed and sesame seeds and add the chopped cilantro on top.