1000 Recovering Picky Eaters Needed

Dear Readers,
1000 Recovering Picky Eaters Needed. If you're an eater, you qualify! If there's a food out there you don't like, you qualify! Keep reading to find out how three minutes of your time ( plus some food experimentation and mind bending) can help me do my part in the Food Revolution.

I've been working on a video to send to Jamie Oliver's food revolution all weekend. One of the 4 questions I have to answer in the video is "How has Jamie's work inspired you?"

In episode 4 Jamie bet the local radio DJ that he could get 1000 people in his Kitchen to take a cooking class over the next 5 days. If Jamie won, the DJ would agree to start supporting Jamie in the Food Revolution. He said it wasn't really about hitting the number, but if you don't think big, you can't accomplish big things.

That got me thinking. What is the biggest obstacle in the way of people choosing healthy food? Taste preference. I don't know anyone that doesn't want better health through food. But do you eat food you don't like? Didn't think so. So how do you develop a taste for food you don't like?

What really big lofty goal could I set? Long time followers will remember my Recovering Picky Eater Challenge from last year. At the time I got 9 people to join the challenge (and bribed them with a chance to win a basket full of goodies). This time I'm setting my sights higher and there's no bribe. The reward for taking the challenge will come in the form of better health, and in the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from inspiring someone you care about to eat more healthy food.

How Has Jamie's Work Inspired Me?
I pledge to find 1,000 people who are willing to take the Recovering Picky Eater Challenge in the next 30 days. I know. It's a daunting task. That's 991 more people than I got to enter the challenge last time. No. Big. Sweat. This blog is such a tiny tiny spot in the blogosphere and I'm no celebrity. But I do have the a couple advantages: 25 more days and the world's english speaking population with web access. Jamie was limited to local participants and 5 days. I'm scared. I hate putting myself out there. What if I post this and promote it, and no one signs up? Or what if I do get a wide audience for this challenge, but few are moved to action because I'm not the best writer? That's how Jamie inspired me. He's inspired me to think big, and act big even when I feel small and imperfect. There's no reason why I should succeed in this challenge. I know I have a good idea, and can help people improve their health, but I'm less confident I can spread the word outside of my blog audience!

What is a Recovering Picky Eater?
A Recovering Picky Eater is someone who has a defined list of things they don't like to eat and is in the process of whittling that list down. The list doesn't necessarily have to be a long list, in fact those folks who like every vegetable except raw tomatoes can take this challenge too (yes, I'm talking to YOU). The idea of the challenge is to break down the mindset that there are foods out there you won't eat because you don't like them. During the challenge you'll be experimenting with new recipes, cooking methods and flavor combinations that allow you to tolerate (and maybe even like!) a food you've avoided all your life. You don't have to be a cook to take this challenge. You just have to be an eater. You are an eater, aren't you?

What If I do Learn to Like Tomatoes? Why Does it Matter?
It matters because it changes your whole mindset about food. Food becomes something you can learn to like, versus something you inherently like or don't like. Once you know that "learning to like a new food" is a skill you possess, better health is available to you. All the sudden you're not limited by focusing your meals around foods you love. You have the capability to enjoy the veggie tray before indulging in the chip bowl. You have the capability to enjoy vegetable soup before cutting into your steak. Once you can balance the foods you love with the healthy food your body needs to prevent disease, maintain organ and brain function and maintain weight, your energy level rises and you just start feeling better about accomplishing whatever is on your plate.

It matters because you'll be making the life of your home's cook easier, by eating up and complaining less. It becomes easier to stay home and eat, versus give in and head to a restaurant. You save money. You get healthy.

It matters because you'll be leading the way for your loved ones to follow suit. They'll see the power you had over that formerly icky food and want in on the new mind-set. Not only will you be improving your health and wellness, you'll become an active participant in the food revolution. If you have kids, one of the best gifts you can give them is the skill to eat wholesome food.

We all need to do our part to change the sad state the standard american diet is in. This is your chance. Your chance to do your part. Learn to like a new food. Improve your health. Inspire others. Teach a kid a life skill they need.

How Do I Sign Up For the Recovering Picky Eater Challenge?
See the "Take Action" box on the right hand navigation button? You want to head over there and click on it, but not so fast! I want to set you up for mindset change success. (You won't be able to edit your letter if you sign the petition from the widget. You can edit it when you leave my site and sign the petition with this link. Either way, through the widget or through the link to change.org, please take 3 minutes to sign!)

1. Change Your Mind. You create your thoughts. Stop thinking, "I don't like X" and start thinking "I will find a way to like X." Pick one food you're going to learn to like.
   
2. Link it to your Life. Find it on this list of healthy foods, and read about what it does for your body. If you can't find your food on that list, google "your hated food" and "health benefits." When you taste it, picture it benefiting your body. Visualize it converting food into energy, neutralizing free radicals, increasing your bone density, adding fiber to your colon, helping you sleep, relieving inflammation, lowering your blood sugar, blood pressure or weight, etc. Don't fixate on what it tastes like or qualities about it that make you want to gag.
3. Practice. Think of a couple ways you could sample that new food. Think of different methods: roasted, boiled, pan-fried, raw. Not a cook? Look for it on menus, and order it in a dish. Try it paired with other strong flavors on ingredients. I was not a fan of nuts until I tried them with dried fruit and a wee bit of chocolate.
   
4. Commit. Now, click here to sign the petition. You'll be one more towards my goal and signing up will trigger a letter to Jamie Oliver letting him know you're improving your health by becoming a recovering picky eater. Edit your letter and fill in what food you'll be learning to like. Look for the {food item} brackets and modify your text. I don't get credit for your participation if you don't sign the petition!
   
5. Stick Around. Leave a comment here on this post, or send me an email, jenna@foodwithkidappeal.com In the next 30 days I'll be posting articles every Monday to see how challengers are doing. Sign up for email subscriptions so you don't miss a post. It helps to be with like-minded souls when creating new habits.
   

Are you a blogger? Do you want to share your pledge to become a recovering picky eater with your readers? I'll be starting a Recovering Picky Eater Mr Linky post so you can link you up your stories and inspire your readers to join the Food Revolution. Stay tuned.

Want to help? Send the URL for this blog post to 5 friends via email, or post a link on your Facebook page. Many thanks, happy eating and good health!