Wendy Campbell

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by an amazing speaker who has made informing people about nutrition her life's mission (thank you Bree!). It is difficult to describe in words the energy and enthusiasm Wendy Campbell (a member of the Juice Plus--the whole food supplement we all take here--company) brought to the room when she started talking about how we need to change the way we eat to lead long, healthy lives. I will try to convey some of her message here...

First of all, Wendy's passion for nutrition was infectious! She brought the energy about this topic that I feel inside and only wish I could transfer to you. After many of her statements about changing the way we think about food, I wanted to shout "AMEN!" She presented so much information and research basically backing up the fact that we need to eat more fruits and veggies and whole grains if we want to change the way we feel. I can't possibly relate all the information she presented but the message was: Change the way you eat to change your life!

Two of the many things she focused on stuck with me after the talk. One was what I call "no shame/no blame." Early on, she spoke a lot about the epidemic of obesity in our country but she was quick to point out that people should not feel shame about their current state of health. This is SO important! If you are ashamed of where your body is right now, you cannot make positive changes. The "no blame" part had to do with not pointing fingers at people. For example, we shouldn't continuously lash out against McDonald's or Monsanto or Agribusiness. We also can't judge the people who are sitting in the drive-thru line at Wendy's because it is the only thing they can afford or have time for. These ideas were so empowering to me. When we get past shame/blame, we can feel empowered to make the best choices for us with the information we have.

The other thing that stuck with me was when Wendy Campbell spoke about making these better choices for our children. I feel like this topic of nutrition has become more important to me since Christopher was born. I know he's not always going to eat wholesome food or make the best nutritional choices all the time. However, if I can arm him with a good base of fruits, veggies, and whole grains now and model good nutrition at an early age, he will most likely come back to that way of eating throughout his life. Wendy focused on the fact that there are so many diseases in children now that did not exist (or were only present in adults) until recently. This is a sad, sad fact and one that we must be proactive about! She feels (as I have for a while) that these diseases are due in large part to the sugary, processed, "nutrient-less" food available to children today.

I am so happy that I attended this event and it really reinvigorated my passion for sharing the information I've learned about nutrition with you. Happy weekend and eat your veggies!!!