Did anyone see Jamie Oliver last night, taking over America? Man. Am I lovin’ THAT guy. OK, I know the show is very cleverly edited, to build suspense, and help Jamie’s Revolution develop in a more dramatic way. But let me tell you, there were honest parts of the show that resonated with me on such a deep level, that I just have to comment on them.

We all know that America is the most obese nation in the world. Fine. Americans like their American food. That’s not news. What knocked the wind out of me, though, was WHEN they like it. The middle class school that Jamie visited in Virginia, has not only a lunch program, but a BREAKFAST program as well. This essentially means that mommies are sending their kids to school in the morning without breakfast. And when the kids get there, guess what they were served? PIZZA and PINK MILK. For breakfast. And then highly processed chickeny type nugget things for lunch. And I am afraid to know what they are having for dinner.

Here’s the thing. I am not writing this to complain about the Standard American Diet. I am writing this to offer a humble solution. Jamie is trying to improve the lunches that the kids have when they get to school(and what an enormous undertaking, especially considering he seemed to be met with skepticism and resistance from the establishment, as expected). What I would like to see him change, though (and I am assuming he will tackle this at some point) is the education that the mommies of these already insulin resistant and overweight kids are receiving in relation to food. Any mother, who understands on a very deep level, the power of real, whole food, and how it honors her body and health, would NEVER send her children to school, unfed, with the choice only of prepackaged pizza as a means to start their day. Now, something could be said here for income level and choice limitations, but in this instance, on this program, the kids that Jamie spent his time with seemed to come from middle class families, who can afford to buy their own groceries. When he finally did meet with a mom, and her three obese children, she was beside herself with guilt and grief. As soon as Jamie explained about the profoundly disasterously effects of having deep fried doughnuts every day to her, she got it. Immediately. She even said she knew she was killing her kids. Wow. Then she buried her deep fryer in the back yard, with a prayer for better health for her and her family.

So where does change need to start, in relation to our health? I humbly suggest it begins among us, the tired, stressed out mommies of the world. We are clever, we are powerful, and we fiercely love our babies. We always, always want what is best for them. Like faithful little puppies, they trust US to make the choices for them. It broke my heart to watch their shiny little faces laugh and nod when Jamie asked them if they like to have pizza for breakfast. How would they know any different?

So guess what? What is best for our beautiful babies, happens to be what is best for us.

OUR lack of understanding about our health is directly related to our lack of respect for our bodies. If we felt like we were worth care and concern and healthful, vital food, then perhaps we would start to want to learn more about it. The nutrition information is out there- we all have computers. There are online courses to take, there are recipes to download, and there are even people like me out there- Nutritionists- willing to cook with you and to teach you what we know.

Ladies, it’s time to get back into the kitchen. It’s time to start to nourish our own bodies, to start feeling better, so we can nourish our kids. How has relying on a corrupt food system, a bunch of pyramids, charts and policies served our overweight nations? It hasn’t, and that is so obvious it hurts. It’s time to serve yourself. WE are where the food revolution needs to begin. Today.

A while ago, my heart broke.

Shortly after that, my big toe turned an eerie shade of purply black. It scared me so much that I actually went to a medical doctor. “My toe is black”, I said to him.

“I know the cure,” he said, “Keep your feet warm”.

That’s it? Really? My blood is not pumping and all he could say was “Keep your feet warm”? Hmph. I don’t know what I was expecting him to say, but I guess the lack of drama had me a little mystified. So I went and did what any one would do in this harrowing, numb toed situation. I went and bought socks. Not that I didn’t have socks, of course, but clearly they were not doing their job. So I bought warmer socks- diabetic socks, to be exact, and four pairs of big workin-man wool socks, too. For the next few days (I promise this engaging sock story is going somewhere) I took very good care of my feet. I soaked them and wrapped them in fuzzy things, and suffered through a few very hot nights in wool socks and flannel jammies, just to keep the blood, from that broken heart of mine, pumping and heading down towards my toes. And the blackness went away. And the socks- the big, blue wooly ones, have become part of a very important ritual for me now. They act as a symbol, and a reminder. They represent me, taking the time to take care of myself. Every morning, I warm up my feet, and put on my socks. And every night, after hard, busy days, I do the same. And every time I do, my socks remind me that the simple act of wrapping myself- my feet or my heart- in warmth and comfort and love- is important. That putting myself first, and not neglecting the importance of my basic needs like circulation and comfort and love, matters. So much. My feet are warm now, most days. And when they are not, I know I have lost sight of what is important. So I stop, put on my socks, and take better care to take care of me. The blood flows, and the heart heals. And I do, too.

So now that you are here, check out my friend Gigi Foodie’s blog (see the left side of this screen). She and I go back and forth- she loves food but struggles with her weight, I love food and want to help her. She’s really honest and funny and it’s totally worth a look. You might even learn something. Here is my latest comment to her last post:

Gigi honey. Bend your Elbows for goddess sake. You look like a plastic freakshow. No one wants to really be a Barbie- her boobs are size 44 DDD and her waist is 10″ or something unholy like that. Eat the darn brie. And the cake. But here’s the thing: start listening to your Inner Goddess- the one that KNOWS, deep in her heart, that three pieces of cake are going to send her pancreas running up and down the aisle like Marge Simpson on a jet plane (read: let me off! let me off! let me off!). Your Inner Goddess knows that a lovely, creamy wedge of brie may not be great for your hips, but it may just be what your soul needs. So eat it. And yes, then go for a walk. Why? Not because you need to counteract a certain amount of calories by walking a certain amount of steps, but because, again, that Goddess inside that respects you and loves you WANTS your body to walk, to swing your arms, to breathe fresh air, to detoxify a little. Joyful movement, all the time. Oh, and one more thing. There’s nothing wrong with loving your cake, I think I already said that. BUT. There is a chance that your body is overrun with bad bacteria that feed on sugar. This is very common, and very hard to control. You might consider a cleanse, if you are really finding that sugar obsession is totally taking over your life. NEVER cleanse without guidance from someone like me. There is a chance you can totally do it wrong.  Anyway it’s just a thought. Oh- and one more thing. Entertain the idea that perhaps you don’t know how amazing you could feel if you DIDN’T eat that kind of food every day- refined flour and sugar are energy sappers. Once you get off that stuff, and start to feel how REAL energy serves your body, you don’t have such a desire to have it all the time.

This is life, though, and this is Canada, and what would a Canadian girl do without her cheese? I myself just had some fresh chevre that was made by a chef friend of mine. It was so amazing I just about replaced my husband with it. But I didn’t feel the need to eat the whole shabang, because I knew that my gut would be unhappy with me after. Balance.

So eat your brie, once, this week. And eat your salmon (wild, pacific) more than once, if ya can. Fill up on veggies first, and go for a little walk after. A good start. Simple. xo