The Food Fight Against Poor Nutrition Continues on Jamie Oliver's Big Rig

Dr Jack Mandel joins NAC students aboard Jamie Oliver's Big RigThe revolution continues. The “Food Revolution,” that is. Nicholas Academic Centers’ students continue the march to conquer bad eating habits, learn nutritional cooking tips, and adapt a healthier lifestyle, all thanks to the classes taught aboard Jamie Oliver’s Big Rig, a mobile cooking and nutrition school funded by the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation and The California Endowment.

Continuing where the second class left off, Food Revolution chef, Henry Perez, moved from sugar and sodium to fats and hydrogenated oils, like those found in commonly used products like Crisco. After studying McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish meal, which contained high amounts of sugar and hydrogenated oils, despite its reputation as a healthier choice on McDonalds’ menu, Chef Henry offered a healthy alternative: A “Shake-and-Bake” tilapia fish filet and a “Caesar-on-the-Lighter-Side” salad, each made using Jamie Oliver’s unique recipes. Combining these two recipes, NAC students made tasty fish sandwiches, a quick and fun meal that even NAC student, Chelsea Hernandez, who claims to not like fish, was able to enjoy.

NAC Co-Founder, Ret. Judge Jack Mandel, joined NAC students for the fourth class in the series, which focused on grains. When asked, most of the students were able to name a couple sources of grains, like bread and rice, but Food Revolution chef, Henry Perez, introduced a few more, including whole grain cous cous, cereals, pretzels, pasta, and tortillas. NAC students learned the difference between whole grains, which aid in reducing heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol, and “refined” grains, which lose many of their nutrients in the refining process. Students then prepared a “Vegetarian Chili,” Jamie Oliver style.