Let’s be
honest about something: I’m not a perfect parent of my two shiny monkeys, and
the biggest hurdle in our jungle is health and nutrition. We like to eat, and we like to eat stuff that tastes good.
Both parents were raised in traditional households where we ate brisket and
meatloaf, mashed potatoes and heaping plates of French fries, amazing desserts…
and never read a label until our early adulthood. No one preached to us about
the consequences of our eating habits (“Clean your plate!”) or the dangers of
chemicals in our food… it just didn’t happen.
After
meeting the amazing Robyn O’Brien, author of “The Unhealthy Truth” and mom of
four kids and expert on food allergies and our country’s unhealthy food supply,
I realized my apathy was learned and inherited, but I could turn it around for
my kids… as you know, one a picky traditional eater, the other a
broccoli-munching, kimchi tasting adventurous eater. Luckily, they did not
develop food allergies but they also did not develop knowledge about the
relationship between how big money manipulates our food supply - from
agrichemical big business tactics to marketing messages. Nope, never told them
much except for watch the calories and fat.
To all
parents: wake up. Ding ding! Baby steps….read Robyn’s book.
Shiny new
facts I learned, and from her book:
- The “4-A Disorders” (autism, ADHD, asthma and allergies) have all increased dramatically in the last two decades – our shiny monkey generation. Approximately 30 million kids (one-third of our kids) are affected by the 4As. Epidemic.
- Autism has increased 1500% in the last two decades. Where are the 30-something autistic adults? There simply aren’t as many.
- One in 11 kids struggle with asthma, one in four suffer with food allergies.
- We can make a difference, and can do it in a gradual, healthy way.
At the delicious lunch
at Evoo in Cambridge sponsored by Stonyfield (and beautifully managed by the
good folks at 360 PR – woot!), I sat with bloggers smarter than I on this
topic. The awesome Jen from Pondering Jane, for example. Love her style, and dig that she's raising her kids in a genuine, honest, healthy environment... mindfulness amidst the typical family craziness. What a concept.
Back to Robyn...
Back to Robyn...
When Robyn's youngest child showed an allergic reaction to something she ate, Robyn
didn't give up and mope... she buckled in and went back to her Wall Street roots - did the hard research about the food
industry and started asking tough questions. Kind of an Erin Brockovich type - savvy, gutsy, but with her wits about her and research behind her. You gotta read the book to learn about her journey, but think about this: Why do our kids have more food allergies
than we do, and our parents did? Why are some food products only sold in America, and not allowed to be consumed in other countries? Why does big business seem to be taking precedent over our kids' health?
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