Valentine's Day...With A Cherry On Top

Want to send a little foodie love for Valentine's Day?  Check out these kitschy food-focused love notes from Kate Spade New York's BMine Gallery.

My personal Valentine's Day present came a bit early.  I had the amazing opportunity to attend the TEDx Manhattan event "Changing the Way We Eat" this past Saturday.

An entire day moderated by Laurie David and filled with inspiring ideas and foodie and sustainable agriculture innovators.  Among the most intriguing among them - Elizabeth Meltz, who's leading the charge to make all of Mario Batali's restaurants green and sustainable, and Dr. William Li, who's leading up some pretty incredible research on foods that actually protect against and even prevent cancer before it starts.  I'll be doing a whole write up on Li's research and his Eat to Defeat Cancer campaign later this month on Culinate.com.  Stay tuned and happy Valentine's Day! 

What You NEED to Watch Now - Jamie Oliver's TED Speech

My fave British superstar chef and anti-obesity campaigner, Jamie Oliver is at it again, snagging the 2010 TED award (TED is a non-profit devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading") for his work in Huntington, WV around obesity and his fight to getting better food into schools, lowering rates of childhood and adult obesity, changing the way our food system works and getting both kids and adults back into the kitchen--cooking real, fresh food easily and accessibly. FYI, we spend $150 billion a year on obesity-related illnesses...that's insane when you consider that changing how we eat is something so tangible, we've got all the right tools, but aren't putting them into play!

His acceptance speech at the TED awards is an absolute must-watch. His take-away wish from the event is a poignant one:

"I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight against obesity."

Watch it, yes - listen and watch the entire 21 minute speech. Consider 3 small things you can do to progress Jamie's wish. Maybe it's cooking more at home, ditching the frozen dinners you rely on too frequently or the artificial sweeteners you use for your morning coffee. Maybe it's finding a way to help further Michelle Obama's efforts to combat childhood obesity from the White House or simply taking your child (or yourself) on a field trip to your local farmers market or getting them involved in the cooking and grocery shopping process at home.

And if you're looking for more ideas on healthier eating and how to turn the tables on obesity in the U.S., check out Jamie's upcoming series on ABC (debuting March 26 9-10pm EST) which highlights his work done in WVa.

As TED writes, "he makes an all-out assault on our ignorance around food". And I'm a huge supporter. Thanks Jamie and a big congrats. Cheers to better eating!

You can sign Jamie's Food Revolution Petition for healthier food here and can check out his TED speech below.