Women: Lead the Health Movement!
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Women need to be seen as leaders in the home with respect and power—we control the fuel (food), so we control the machine. But this feeling of appreciation has to start at home, in you. Too often, it is easy for people to write off the many services women provide because we ourselves do not value our time or effort—it might have something to do with old-school ideals of femininity that are still lurking in our collective subconscious—but the time has come where we no longer need to be self-deprecating on this issue. If anything, our unwillingness to accept responsibility for the leadership role we play in the home inhibits our ability to take full action.
So brush off that battle gear and lay it aside for just one second. Recognize that in order to care for others, you need to take care of yourself—this is not selfish or a weakness. Take time to care for yourself—physically, mentally and emotionally—and you will be better able to devote the other 95 percent of your energy to making sure everyone else is running smoothly too.
We have one day a year (and it's coming up!) where we honor mothers in particular, but I'd like all women to become a part of a movement where we honor ourselves daily. As corny as that sounds (and believe me, I am no feminist or self-love proselytizer), everyone should have the opportunity to value and feel valued for all that they contribute, and that is exactly what we are deprived of when we fail to see the immense power that lies with us each time we do something as simple as prepare a family meal.
Once you start giving yourself credit and allowing others to appreciate you, you will find new resolve to take pride in the work that you do. My hope is that this pride will drive better, more informed decision-making. You truly are the driving force behind the food revolution that every citizen of this country (and this planet) so desperately needs. You are the ones in the supermarket every day, voting with your pocketbooks, determining the future of our personal and planet health. That is no small task.
I want you to practice something: The next time you are tempted just to pop a meal in the microwave and call it a day, see if you can envision every step of the process that went into creating that neatly packaged meal-in-a-box.
How to get the whole family involved
So brush off that battle gear and lay it aside for just one second. Recognize that in order to care for others, you need to take care of yourself—this is not selfish or a weakness. Take time to care for yourself—physically, mentally and emotionally—and you will be better able to devote the other 95 percent of your energy to making sure everyone else is running smoothly too.
We have one day a year (and it's coming up!) where we honor mothers in particular, but I'd like all women to become a part of a movement where we honor ourselves daily. As corny as that sounds (and believe me, I am no feminist or self-love proselytizer), everyone should have the opportunity to value and feel valued for all that they contribute, and that is exactly what we are deprived of when we fail to see the immense power that lies with us each time we do something as simple as prepare a family meal.
Once you start giving yourself credit and allowing others to appreciate you, you will find new resolve to take pride in the work that you do. My hope is that this pride will drive better, more informed decision-making. You truly are the driving force behind the food revolution that every citizen of this country (and this planet) so desperately needs. You are the ones in the supermarket every day, voting with your pocketbooks, determining the future of our personal and planet health. That is no small task.
I want you to practice something: The next time you are tempted just to pop a meal in the microwave and call it a day, see if you can envision every step of the process that went into creating that neatly packaged meal-in-a-box.
How to get the whole family involved
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