Sometimes looking in the mirror is the hardest thing to do, but it is also the first step to making significant and lasting changes.

That self-reflection is exactly how the reality TV show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” should be considered for Huntington, W. Va., and the entire region.

The British chef spent significant time in the city filming the show that was designed to teach good eating habits and, perhaps most importantly, change the trend of serving processed foods in area schools.

The filming of the show, which aired about two weeks ago, rubbed many people the wrong way.

But Oliver didn’t just throw a dart at a map and decide to come to the Tri-State. An Associated Press report in 2008 used CDC statistics to designate that the Huntington metropolitan area — which includes five counties in West Virginia, southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky — was the unhealthiest region in America.

While you can make a case that this was sensationalized, overblown and even flawed in its analysis, the reality is that our entire region could do more when it comes to eating right and exercising.

Oliver’s show shined the light on this in Huntington and offered some alternatives including opening a kitchen that can train citizens on healthier ways to cook and also providing better food for the children in the schools.

We applaud Cabell Huntington Hospital for its generous donations to make this possible.

But this is only the first step.

The show and the changes are only temporary unless we all find a way to sustain and spread them to the entire region.

That would be the true revolution and one that could be nearly as important as the one that started our nation.