Finding healthy balance

There are two new television shows I find myself watching if I happen to catch them: Jamie’s School Lunch Project and
Honey, We’re Killing the Kids.

Jamie’s School Lunch Project is a reality program centered around Chef Jamie Oliver’s attempt to bring nutritious, economical lunch food to cafeterias across London schools in order to help develop healthier eating patterns in kids so they can be stronger and smarter in the long term. It’s interesting to see how difficult it is for the kids to accept healthier food versus the faster, fattier, and tastier food they’re accustomed to eating. Issues that also factor in are how to make healthy lunches at affordable costs for the schools and how peer pressure and fear of change affect kids.

Honey, We’re Killing the Kids is somewhat similar but centers around the parents cooking/eating patterns and how it is taking a toll on their children and could take a larger toll if they continue these habits later in life. A nutrition expert is brought in for three weeks and each week the program tackles a new family and different set of rules for the family to follow on their road to healthier eating and lifestyle goals.

Now, I realize I’m not a parent yet but I was actually 50 pounds overweight almost three years ago. I can’t blame my parents, though, because I was the kid at school with the bag of carrots and apples while other kids enjoyed cookies. I gained the weight on my own but I’m drawn to these two programs because I understand how difficult change can be and how important it is to be healthy. (I’m happy to report that diet, exercise and patience really do work to drop pounds.)

I’ve also noticed a trend of expanding waistlines in Swedes during recent visits to Sweden. When I was younger, McDonald’s did not exist in the town my mormor (grandmother) lived and most people were in good shape thanks to an active lifestyle that includes walking and biking. Later, as a teenager, I noticed a larger influx of chips, soda and one McDonald’s (that has since become two) but to be fair, there are plenty of regular/traditional foods in Sweden loaded with tasty fat. Then, two years ago, it was striking how many people appeared more unhealthy and less active. It’s not something I was trying to find or notice, it simply was what it was. From the perspective of someone who sees change more readily than a person living full-time in Sweden, I can’t help but think that easier access to cheap, fatty foods – and other modern changes – play a role.

Then again, perhaps I don’t see the changes that happen here in the U.S. because I’m too close to the situation. We’ll see about that when I return from an upcoming trip to Sweden but in the meantime, I’m enjoying (and recommending) these shows and keeping a few notes in mind for the future.

Sign of the times

Tall, leafy trees line my neighborhood streets where new two-story townhouses have popped up amid older one-story homes and my reasonably priced apartment complex. I enjoy the blend of older couples, young families, and single folks from all corners of the world that live in the area. It’s a diverse, friendly location that I take pleasure in calling home.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned the price of one of the cookie-cutter townhouses going up for sale a block away: $915,000. You have got to be kidding me. These homes were marketed for “affordable single-family living” when they first started selling the models – how on earth does the average single-family afford such a small space for that outrageous price?

I had stopped in to explore the open house with a friend while walking to a nearby coffee shop. We did the full tour of the 1,500 square foot home. There is no backyard, just the garage and the only selling point (for me) was the large kitchen. It’s a three-bedroom home and the two smaller rooms, on display as children’s rooms, were barely large enough for a toddler to play in. There was little storage space and the only bit of green grass was a patch in the front “yard” by the main entrance – not enough to bother purchasing a lawn mower which must be why someone is hired to cut ALL the lawns.

There is one thing I suddenly realized after leaving the open house: I’ve never seen or heard children playing in front or around any of these homes. There are kids at my apartment complex and kids that I’ve said hello to while jogging in the neighborhood, but never at these homes. Perhaps those who buy the new townhouses understand shortly thereafter that there is no money left for kids.... which would explain why the "affordable single-family living" signs disappeared.