Food Over 50: Current Series for Public Television
Mojave Productions’ most recent project, Food Over 50, is both a “How To” and “Why To” series for Public television stations nationwide. Food Over 50’s mission is to inform, instruct and entertain America’s late Gen-X, Boomer & Senior audiences with artistic and appetizing preparations of wide-ranging international recipes, all nutritionally enticing to the on-going health of anyone – at any age – concerned with health issues such as high cholesterol, hypertension, elevated A1C or digestive issues.
According to The Center For Disease Control over 21 million Americans suffer from diabetes. Most of them are 50+.
As to high blood pressure, The American Heart Association and C.D.C. concur that 70 million Americans suffer from hypertension. That’s 1 in every 3 adults, and the highest percentages are age 50 and up! Factoring in clinically high cholesterol statistics, over 110 million Americans – one third of the population – are at risk of serious, life threatening health complications. And most of them are over 50! However, a vast majority of these people can correct their health issues with simple and satisfying changes to their cooking and eating habits. This is why Food Over 50 is more than topical; it’s vital!
So, what’s on Food Over 50’s menu? From Chinese to Moroccan, and Tex-Mex to Italian, most cultural diets contain fatty, salty, carb-rich foods as well as lean, healthy fare. Food Over 50 selects only the best of the healthiest and tastiest from world cuisine. Grilling, searing and steaming techniques outweigh deep fat frying and butter basting. For instance, how about savory roast lamb with minted chimichurri, easy ratatouille and whole wheat couscous? Or, what about a simple yet impressive herb-roasted Poulet Jardin? A low sodium stir-fry Orange Chicken? Beach-Grilled Lobster? And for Sweet Things, what could be better than a Mediterranean-style Sweet/Savory Desert Platter or Fresh Berries with Bourbon & Date Chantilly Cream?
Season 1 Episodes of Food Over 50
Food Over 50’s production center is the scenic Mojave Desert, adjoining the resort city of Palm Springs and nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Cooking segments will take place mostly in the Food Over 50 kitchen sets. However, brief Earn What You Eat fitness teasers, run split-screen against the ending credits, will be remotely shot in picturesque Mojave settings. Our host also has a quaint seaside cottage in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, where select seafood recipes are shot. This is not so much to introduce foreign destinations to Food Over 50; we are a food show, not a travel show. However, through David, Food Over 50 viewers find the bountiful North Atlantic available to them, plus gorgeous cookery settings. Public Television audiences are mad about anything British, so why not take advantage? After all, whoever heard of a desert clambake?
Second Helpings
Food Over 50 also provides viewers with their own personal nutritionist. During each episode, registered dietitian Elizabeth Kelsey joins host David Jackson to critique recipes from a health perspective and emphasize the importance of cooking fresh foodstuffs in our Second Helpings segment. David’s own nutritional health concerns put viewers squarely in his shoes as he asks the dietary questions that they themselves would want to ask.
Finally, despite Food Over 50’s seemingly age exclusive title, audience expectations are limitless. Current food culture is huge. Cooking shows are rife. Testing Food Over 50 with prospective Gen-X and Gen-Y viewers, most are not deterred by the title. Healthy cooking and eating has no real age limit. The 20, 30 and 40-somethings expressed interest in the series not only out of concern for their parents or grandparents health, but because they too will be over 50 someday.