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Robyn O'Brien

About Robyn O'Brien

Robyn O’Brien is the co-founder of rePlant Capital, an impact investment firm, deploying integrated capital from soil to shelf in order to build soil health and financial resiliency for farmers. She is also the founder of Do Good, a strategic advisory firm, and the AllergyKids Foundation. Random House published Robyn’s book, The Unhealthy Truth, in 2009, and her TEDx talks have been translated into dozens of languages and viewed by millions around the world.

Posts by Robyn O'Brien:

sugarload

“Can’t candy coat this…this is simply f*cked up”

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Guest Article by the founder of Pangea Organics, Joshua Onysko.

“Something to chew on when you think about health care….” is how the post began from the founder of Pangea Organics, Joshua Onysko. He’s a friend who has been advocating for and designing healthy products his entire life. As I read on, I realized his words had to be shared. So here is the post:

“Kellogg’s spent $32 million last year in advertising Pop Tarts alone. Coca-Cola spent $269 million advertising its flagship product (Coca-Cola). Pepsi spent $150 million just to advertise the brightly colored sugar-water that is Gatorade. It’s the sugar water for people who do sports. These are numbers that Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health, highlighted in a lecture at New York University on Thursday night. “Think about what that money could do for education, for social welfare,” Nestle implored. “But that money is spent getting people to buy sugar.”

Americans spend roughly $3 trillion on healthcare annually, about 40% of that spending is used to treat illnesses related to sugar consumption, I’ll do some math for you…that’s over $3k a person a year to treat sugar issues. That’s just sugar.

Less than one half of one percent of all agricultural subsidies went to production of fruits and vegetables in 2017.

Despite the fact that fruits and vegetables are the only foods that experts encourage us to eat with abandon, all fruits, vegetables, and nuts are considered “specialty crops” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Less than 5% of land planted with food goes to growing fruits and vegetables. More than 50 percent goes to growing soybeans and corn, to feed animals and refine into sugar.

Can’t candy coat this…this is simply f*cked up.

Last year over $72 billion was spent on ADHD drugs. Do you see where I’m heading? If I was a parent I would be burning sugar fields in protest. Taking ADHD drugs and consuming sugar is like taking the poison an the antidote in the same pill.

So that’s sugar. Americans also spend a cool $100 billion on tobacco, the industry spends $8.5 billion on advertising and up until a few years ago we were actually subsidizing tobacco farmers. What does all this puffing cost tax payers? We spend $300 billion a year treating tobacco related illness. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Drug and alcohol addiction costs Americans a cool Trillion dollars a year. We could give every person over 18 a check for $4000. The alcohol industry spends $2 billion a year in advertising. Cheers!

In short 72% of our annual healthcare spending is spent treating poor lifestyle choices. Let that sink in.

Our nation has so many systemic issues, so so many. Our political system has mastered the art of distracting and dividing us from the real issues. We need to realize that we can only get from where we are now, to where we need to be by working together and educating ourselves on real issues we are facing every day.

Shall we?

Feel free to share.”

Please do.

resilience

7 Tips for Building Resilience In Our Families

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Headlines have been incredibly hard lately. It can feel like we are in a perpetual state of trauma—from hurricanes to shootings, tragic news stories continue to hit. It impacts all of us, and it also impacts our kids.

Three of my four children are in high school this year. They see the news, the sensational and shocking headlines, firsthand, too, when they log on to their computers or phone for school, work or play.

Yesterday, they came home talking about the mass shootings in Las Vegas, having discussed it both in their classrooms and with their friends.

So what’s a parent to do during times like these?

I asked myself that many times yesterday, wishing there was some kind of book or guide. It is a different childhood then the one we knew. Gone are the days when parents would turn off the 10 o’clock news when kids walked into their bedrooms. There isn’t a ‘how-to,’ so here is a list of 7 things I have learned to do to build resilience when times are hard.

  1. Put on your oxygen mask first. When we fly, the flight attendants tell us to put on our oxygen masks first, before helping others or assisting a child.  This is so important as parents. Make time to breathe. You don’t have to have an immediate response to everything all at once. Give yourself permission to pause.
  2. Breathe. The kids know that when they start to stress, and I can see their chests heaving with short breaths, I will tell them to take a deep breath all the way down to their toes. We breathe in together down to our toes, then we breathe it all out, blowing out any of the jumpy, nervous, sad energy. We usually repeat it about four times. It slows your breathing down, and I have found it helps the kids so much.
  3. Food Matters. Sugar jacks us up, and it spins us out. It takes us way up, then brings us crashing down. And while it may seem like a fix during times like these (I did for years), the lows take you lower. So do what you can to make sure that you eat healthy fats, protein and get fruits and veggies into you. So many of us want to dive into the ice cream. That won’t fix anything and make you feel awful later. Think about how you will feel AFTER you eat certain foods. Keep that vision.
  4. Dump the devices. When I am very overwhelmed, I get outside. I run, hike, something outside, to remind myself that despite how horrific a headline or day might be, the world keeps revolving around its axis, the sun shines and plants grow. Sometimes, that simple rhythm is all you need to be reminded to breathe.
  5. Exercise. It doesn’t have to be a cross fit program, a hard core yoga class or anything that structured. Sometimes, it is walking around the block. Move your body to clear your head.
  6. Supplement Support: My go to advisor on this is Dr. Frank Lipman, my podcast partner, Ashley Koff, MD, and our pediatrician. Build a dream team. Vitamin D, magnesium, turmeric, krill oil and organic greens are my go-to. I throw them into a smoothie in the morning to ensure that I get them in, like brushing my teeth to start my day.  Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin. My friends over at Garden of Life offer it in so many forms. Magnesium is great for anxiety, stress, digestion, and more. My friends at Natural Vitality are the pros. And the greens, well, Garden of Life has those, too, in just about every form and flavor.
  7. Music. For as long as I can remember, there has been a soundtrack associated with different stages and occasions in my life. Those melodies are still food for the soul.

Our kids need us to protect them, but they also need to learn resilience, too. When we model resilience during hard times, we are reminding them that feelings are as valid as their strength and ability to deal with them.

They are inheriting a world that they didn’t create. The headlines remind us of that every day. We can serve as reminders that we have the opportunity to pivot, to take our stories back, to create a brighter tomorrow.

Because while we can’t change the beginning of our stories, we can definitely change the end.

cleaner weiner

A Stroke of Genius and Lessons Learned on the Hot Dog Line

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Today, I watched a man take the stage to celebrate his company’s 30th birthday. He was fierce, a #FoodRebel from the start. He wasn’t good at obeying authority, he said. Thank goodness.

His wife and all of us looked on, as he spoke about his mission, what he was grateful for and what he feared.

He suffered a stroke a few years ago that took away his ability to multi-task. When asked in the hospital which number was bigger, 6 or 7, he was unable to say.

With that one stroke and no one to follow in his footsteps as CEO and with two very close friends and board members at his side, he decided to sell the company. He would not have done it otherwise, that was clear. And he stepped off of the stage into the arms of his wife and the company he brought to life.

As the day continued, some of us took the stage to speak about the changes needed in our food system, the fact that a growing number of American families are buying organic (over 80%), that a growing number of families also have an incredible juggling act when it comes to budgeting epinephrine, insulin pumps and other meds required to keep our loved ones alive.

The opportunities in front of us to fix this are enormous.

Less than 1% of our farmland is organic, and that works for just about no one. Companies like Stonyfield, Annie’s, Nature’s Path and others have been creating and selling organic products for over three decades. But now companies like Kroger, Costco Wal-Mart and others are creating and selling them, too.

And the supply chain is not robust enough to support it.

Kashi launched a certified transitional program to address it, offering a way to enlist consumers’ help to convert America’s farmland. Patagonia and Dr Bronner’s are tackling it through the launch of the Regenerative Organic Certification framework. Other groups have been fighting for decades, some just starting. The truth is that we need all hands on deck. Thankfully, more are joining.

As Stephen McDonnell stepped off of the stage at Applegate, I had the chance to speak with several of their employees—some like Stu had been there since 1999, others left Hershey’s, and others had wives and little ones at home cheering them on. All knew that it is in our hands to build a smarter food system. It is up to us to change it.

And throughout the day, we were reminded over and over again that courage is contagious.

As these acquisitions occur, from Hormel Foods acquiring Applegate for over $700 millions, to General Mills acquiring Annie’s for over $800 million, to those that preceded them, like Danone and Stonyfield, it is clear that these big food companies are finally buying into the organic movement and industry in a serious way.  It’s personal and professional. It is the sector of the food industry that is growing, it is also the products that so many of their own families are buying.

None of us are unscathed when it comes to conditions and diseases like cancer, food allergies, autism, diabetes, heart disease and more.  We are all reading labels a bit more closely. These conditions have tucked themselves into families around the country and into the C suites across the industry.

None of us are unscathed.

And as we were rapping up, a man named Tom from Hormel Foods took the stage.

He said: “The Applegate acquisition was transformational for Hormel Foods.”

His words hit like an anchor. The room was quiet, and the impact of Applegate’s vision and the compass was clear.

Applegate showed us what is possible even when it seemed impossible.

Flying home, I thought about the lessons shared that were unspoken, the ones offered without saying a word:

Live fiercely. Don’t waste a minute. Say yes to love, to travel, to challenges, to friends.

Show the world what is possible.

And love without hesitation. It always comes back to that.

Thank you, Applegate, for your 30 year commitment to cleaning up the meat in our country. And thank you to Hormel Foods for listening. The food system we’ve inherited from the 20th century doesn’t work for 21st century families. We need all hands on deck.

Kick Your Sugar Addiction

Addicted to Sugar? 6 Suggestions to Blast Cravings

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Sugar cravings are a beast, and my dear friend, Dr. Frank Lipman, has some wicked smart advice for tackling them. Make sure to read the article all the way through, as his strategies are sound and smart. As most of you know, sugar is highly addictive and can wreak havoc on everything from your waistline to your complexion. Please read and share this insightful article from Dr. Lipman and his team at Be Well

Have you ever noticed how when you’re short on sleep, stressed-out, or exhausted, you tend to crave carbs? Especially the crappy, nutrient-free variety that, under normal circumstances, you could easily resist?

Turns out that when it comes to cravings, your gut plays a far bigger role than previously thought and sheer willpower will not be enough to defeat them. So, how to loosen their steely grip and slay cravings for good? Here’s where to start:

CAVING IN TO CRAVINGS ISN’T A FAILURE OF WILLPOWER

Cravings are probably one of the most common barriers to maintaining a healthy weight and/or dropping extra pounds. They’re also adept at sabotaging your diet, so when you give in to them, poor choices and pangs of guilt are almost inevitable. But where do those craving come from? Why is it so hard to physically resist their siren call even though in our heads, we know better? Turns out, your brain isn’t solely driving your cravings. New research has shown that those thousands of bacterial strains—good, bad, or indifferent—that live in your gut are influencing your behavior. Some of them are driving cravings as an evolutionary survival mechanism, so you’d be wise to pay a lot more attention to the fuel you’re filling up on.

SIDESTEP THE CRAVINGS CREATORS

Inside your intestines, you’ve got trillions of bacteria—collectively known as the microbiome—that are sending messages to the brain. When you give them the wrong foods (like sugar and processed foods), the bacteria wind up sending unhealthy messages to your brain instead of healthy ones. However, when you eat a fiber-and-nutrient-dense food like broccoli, the bacteria feast on the fiber, digest it, and release a gas that goes right up to your brain (with help from the vagus nerve), essentially telling it that it’s been well-fed—no need for the cheesecake! So, simply put, if you avoid foods that generate the cravings messages, you’ll stop cravings before they start.

YOUR BELLY’S CHATTING WITH YOUR BRAIN

According to a recent study by the University of Glasgow and Imperial College of London, the foods you eat impact both the microbiome and your brain. This means that what you feed your belly bacteria matters even more than previously thought because it influences cravings, not to mention mood and emotions. It all starts with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the chemicals that are made in the colon when you eat certain foods, particularly fiber (which, by the way, your helpful, or “good” gut bacteria, thrive on). Those SCFAs in your gut then send signals to your brain, and depending on what you’ve eaten, SCFAs activate feelings of satiety or trigger cravings.

In the study, when shown images of high-calorie foods, participants who ate foods that produced SCFAs showed a reduced area of activity in the reward centers of their brain—in other words, less craving. What’s more, participants also ate 10 percent less food, adding credence to the idea that SCFAs can play a role in supporting weight-control efforts.

DIG IN TO THE CRAVINGS KILLERS

So, to help kill cravings, you’ll need to feed your gut bacteria more of the foods that trigger SCFA production. Which foods will do the trick? You can start with an L-Glutamine supplement, which can help your cravings for carbohydrates. Also eat lots of fiber-rich prebiotic foods – your body can’t digest the fiber on its own, but your good gut bacteria loves to feast on it. These prebiotics break down into substances that help keep your body healthy, in balance, and less prone to cravings and blood-sugar crashes. Those prebiotic edibles are easy-to-find, everyday staples  like asparagus, artichokes, beans, broccoli, dandelion greens, garlic, jicama, leeks, and onions. To enjoy their crave-taming effects, shoot for one or two servings a day.

C’MON, GET HAPPY

Fiber goes beyond just curbing cravings: It can help boost your mood. It’s important to realize that all of the brain neurochemicals, particularly serotonin and dopamine, are actually made in your gut. In fact, most of your serotonin—aka your body’s naturally occurring “feel-good” chemical—is made in the gut, not your brain. So again, getting more fiber into your gut has a profound positive effect on mood and emotional health. In other words, when you’re eating well and feeling good, cravings have considerably less power (or may not come up at all), versus when you’re eating poorly and producing few, if any, feel-good chemicals.

MANAGE YOUR MICROBIOME

Tired of cravings conning you into making lousy food choices? Then push back and show ’em who’s boss. Follow this crave-curbing road map and before you know it, you’ll be on easy street —and you may even drop a few pounds to boot:

  • Get into fiber—ideally, at least 30 grams a day, but if you’ve not been eating much fiber, integrate it into your diet slowly to give your body time to adjust.
  • Spread it out throughout the day—shooting for roughly 10 grams of fiber per meal is an easy way to get you to think about where to sneak more fiber into your daily diet.
  • Pile on fiber-rich prebiotics—foods like asparagus, artichokes, beans, broccoli, dandelion greens, garlic, jicama, leeks, and onions will curb cravings. Low-fiber foods will have the opposite effect.
  • Hang onto your stalks and stems—never cut them off! Think of them as the ultimate fiber-loaded treat for your good bacteria, so let the bugs feast, as frequently as possible!
  • Take a probiotic—a good quality probiotic can help restore and sustain the beneficial gut flora that keeps your microbiome healthy and in balance.
  • Balance meals and snacks—every time you eat, make sure there’s a balance of fiber, protein, and good fat on your plate to fill you up, give your gut bacteria plenty of fiber to feed on, prevent cravings, and keep blood sugar stable.
  • Hold the sugar—when you stop eating sugar-packed foods, cravings retreat, so ditch processed foods and baked goods, which are loaded with sugar—and devoid of the fiber your microbiome needs to prevent cravings.
  • Cast a wide culinary net—don’t get stuck in a rut eating the same healthy foods all the time. A more diverse, nutrient- and fiber-rich diet will give your microbiome more healthy material to work with, which in turn will tamp down cravings and help keep immunity strong.
  • Remember who’s boss—yes, the bacteria in your gut are manipulating cravings, mood, and emotional health, but ultimately you are in charge of how you feed them. My recommendation? Take care of your bacteria with nutrient- and fiber-dense foods at every meal—and they’ll take care of you.
calmpopsicles

A Supplement for Kids When Things Get Stressful

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When I saw this article from my friends at Natural Vitality, it really rang true. Our pediatrician first turned us on to magnesium, and now our entire family takes it.  So take a peak at this article from my partner, and please share with those you love.

To help counteract the stress of daily life, we need healthy magnesium levels to balance out the calcium in our bodies. While calcium makes muscles contract, magnesium lets them relax. This interplay is what allows us to combat not only stress but also muscle cramping, fatigue, constipation, insomnia, anxiety and depression.

Unfortunately, about 80 percent of people don’t get enough magnesium through diet alone. That’s why many adults use magnesium supplementation to restore balance. But what about kids? Between academic, social and other pressures, kids are no strangers to stress—and many of them struggle with stress-induced sleep as well as digestive and emotional disorders.

“Magnesium promotes muscle relaxation; so it can help kids relax so that they calm down and fall asleep more easily,” says Tamara Evans, ND, a naturopathic physician in Maui, Hawaii. “It can also help with constipation and muscle cramps. Kids who deal with these things may do better with a more equal magnesium–calcium ratio.”

How Much?

The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) establishes dosage recommendations for supplements. Here are its upper intake levels—the maximum recommended dosage—for supplemental magnesium in kids:

1–3 years: 65 mg
4–8 years: 110 mg
9–18 years: 350 mg

The FNB has no established dosage recommendations for magnesium supplements in children under 12 months; so you’ll want to work extra closely with a doctor before giving magnesium to an infant. And remember: if you decide to give your child supplemental magnesium, it needs to be balanced with calcium.

“Magnesium can be safely supplemented in kids at a 1:2 ratio with calcium—for example, 125 mg of magnesium and 250 mg of calcium,” says Evans.

Diet is another important factor to consider when deciding how much magnesium to give your kids.

“When thinking about magnesium dosage, you’ll want to consider your child’s diet first,” Evans points out. “If they have a lot of dairy in their diet, they’re probably getting quite a bit of calcium; so the 1:2 ratio should be adjusted accordingly.

“As is true of any supplement, we certainly don’t want to give kids too much magnesium,” says Evans. “If you’re unsure about the proper dosage, talk with your child’s doctor. They can consider the child’s weight and dietary needs before making a recommendation.”

What Form?

Oxide. Citrate. Malate. Glycinate. Chelate. The list goes on. Magnesium supplements come in a variety of forms. They also come in different formats—pills, drinkable powders and creams.

“Many forms of magnesium are appropriate for kids, but I typically recommend magnesium citrate,” Evans says. “It is cost-effective and more easily absorbed than many other forms.”

Kids Natural Calm Multi is made with magnesium citrate.

“Any type of delivery system is fine, whether it’s capsules or powders or creams,” says Evans, “as long as parents are aware of the dosage.”

RXBar Beware

Does the RX Bar Require an RX for Epinephrine?

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Last night, friends at GMO Inside shared a new campaign that they are launching, targeting the makers of RX Bars.

I told them I wasn’t surprised. When I was walking the floor at an industry show known as Expo East a year or two ago, their booth impressed me with its complete lack of passion and lack of knowledge about the product, its supply chain and the industry.

Food is a hot space right now, and there are a lot of opportunists jumping into the industry. Many lack the deep knowledge required to create safe products and a strong supply chain, and many are looking to make a quick buck. It reminds me of the tech bubble in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

So when a campaign launched this week, calling out the makers of RX Bars, I responded, “Not surprised.” I wasn’t.

You can’t fake food. You can’t fake passion.

But about an hour later, I received the following email. Our work is always to protect those with life-threatening food allergies.

Please read.

RX:Bar snack = RX for an Epipen

My daughter who has no previous history of food allergies went into anaphylaxis after eating an RX:BAR.

She now has an RX for an epi pen after a snack that brands itself as a clean snack. The cruel irony of it all is we know the dangers of conventionally grown foods.

We run a small farm in the Finger Lakes, we have dedicated our lives to growing pure, chemical free, gmo free foods for our community.

I invest countless hours into purchasing, cooking, processing and serving homemade food.

I am the queen of organic tailgating, I’ve almost always got something I made to eat in our car cooler. Our family, like many farm families scrambles like hell to keep up in summer and actually cook the foods we bring to NY tables.

August was insanely busy on the farm, I got caught up in a town run much longer than expected since there are always labor issues in this intense time.

My kids were super hungry during this unplanned and longer than expected trip, so I agreed that they could have an RX:Bar while we were in the Vitamin Shop getting some refills for our homeopathy kit.

I’d seen the product so many times, I read the ingredients; again, and said “okay.”

We have no food allergies, there was no obvious junk in there.

Hours later I was speeding to the emergency room.

It is because of your work that I instantly recognized the signs. We have no history of food allergies, you were my introduction to the seriousness of the situation.

I began following you to be a better friend, business owner and to make my kids safe classmates.

Your words always hit home, and I can’t thank you enough. I knew to act because of you, I knew what I was seeing and I knew to leave the farm immediately because of your tireless work.

So please share this post until we can better understand what is in these bars and hear from others who may have experienced an allergic reaction.

Please note: we asked the mother who sent us this if she had her child tested for food allergies.  She responded, “We had her tested for all the individual ingredients, she does not react. It’s something in the the bar itself.”

Until we know more, we will continue to ask this question: Are we allergic to food or to what’s been done to it?

And what has been done to the ingredients in this product?

liberty

A Plea to Campbell’s to Step Down From the Manufacturing Council

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UPDATE: Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell’s, resigned from the President’s Manufacturing Council on the morning of August 16, 2017. Shortly after the resignation of other CEOs (9 in total), the council was disbanded.

With the utmost respect for the incredible leadership role they have taken in the food industry, this is a plea for Campbell’s to step down from the President’s Manufacturing Council.

I realize that this may be viewed as a political statement, but I truly believe that it goes beyond that.  As someone who was raised in a Republican family, whose grandfather fought the Nazi invasion in World War II and whose parents met in Vietnam during the war, I write it with the deepest sincerity.

Campbell’s landed in hot soup this week with a statement that their CEO would remain on the President’s Manufacturing Council. It surprised many, as the company has been a leader and champion for change over the last year.

But due to horrific circumstances over the last week, three CEOs quit the council due to purpose and principles. As a fourth CEO quit today, calls for Campbell’s to #quitthecouncil have intensified, especially in light of the fact the only CEO called out for quitting was the CEO of Merck, an African-American.

Campbell’s issued a statement this morning, and not surprisingly, social media threw up when the company stated that it would remain on the Council.

Two other CEOs resigned earlier this year, due to principles around issues relevant to consumers and their industry (Elon Musk and Robert Iger).

While four more CEOs resigned due to principles, Campbell’s chose to stay on the team.

The irony is that the same reasons that Campbells gave when they announced that they were pulling out of the Grocery Manufactures Association are the ones that were missing from their statement today.

When Campbell’s announced that they would leave the Grocery Manufacturers Association in July of this year, many defended the company’s decision to leave based on the statement they issued which highlighted “purpose and principles.” As noted in July across social media,

  • Speaking at the annual investor day at the company’s Camden, New Jersey headquarters, Campbell’s CEO said the food manufacturer’s decision to leave was “not a financial decision” but one that was driven by the company’s “purpose and … principles” of being forthcoming with consumers — especially millennials — who are interested in knowing where their food comes from and how it’s raised.
  • “As we continue to evolve as a purpose-driven company, many of our beliefs have diverged from the rest of the food industry and from our trade association,” she told the audience. “We had the experience of finding ourselves at odds with some of the positions.”

Which is why it is increasingly difficult for consumers to swallow today’s news.

Is not the same thing true here? To leave the group based on “purpose and principals” because their values no longer align?

Because if it isn’t, Campbell’s stand to lose more than face and a social media uprising.

Right now, the allergic reaction occurring across social media is intensifying. #quitthecouncil is the hashtag that consumers have taken up to reach business leaders, along with others, specifically targeting Campbell’s. We have seen this type of reaction across social media many times before (one only has to think back to United Airlines). The company runs the risk of alienating not only their soup can holders, but also shareholders, spoon holders and stakeholders and in their own words, “especially millenials.”

There is no room for hatred or bigotry in our country or in our food system.

The ability to recruit the best and the brightest to help rebuild this industry is not just a financial decision for millenials. MBAs look to leader’s values, principles and purpose when weighing a career decision.

Campbell’s has been an incredible leader over the last few years inside of the food industry.

Consumers and business leaders around the country are now urging Campbell’s to remove themselves from this council, as Campbell’s did from the GMA, as a “purpose-driven company” based on “principles.”

I am one of them.

When the history books are written, it will be crystal clear who took a stand against bigotry and hate. There is no nuance here, no tightrope to walk.

Bigotry and hatred are toxic ingredients in any system, especially our food system, which is so dependent on our nation’s diversity from farmland to fork.

I understand that so many factors must be weighed. Campbell’s brand is iconic, but what is happening on social media is truly an allergic reaction to its current position.  I hate seeing this, knowing how much courage it has taken to lead over the last year.. 
 
There are so many of us standing by, to help Campbell’s continue to lead, to shape and influence policy in the years to come.   As we have seen over the last several years, that change and leadership has come from the marketplace not DC.  Policy will always follow the money. 
The question in front of the brand today, in light of horrific circumstances is: When the history books are written, will Campbell’s stand with those who #quitthecouncil due to principle? Because there is only one torch to be carried for our country.

 

OUTofoffice

10 Travel Tips to Keep You Healthy This Summer!

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The summertime can be busy with travel, family visiting or running back and forth between activities. I travel a lot for work, too, and want to make it all work on the home front and on the road!

A lot of you have asked, so I thought I’d share my ‘secrets’ for staying healthy on the road, especially when a lot of us have kids in tow.

Here are some travel tips to get you through the end of the summer!

  1. Hydrate. I can not emphasize this enough. Being dehydrated impacts everything, from your digestion to the look of your skin to your mood. Start pounding water the night before you leave and pack a water bottle for each one of you that is traveling. Our kids hook them onto their back packs.  I’ve carried one from my dear friends The Butler Bros across continents. Don’t leave home without one.
  2. Refill Your Water Bottle in Hotel Gyms. I can not remember who told me this back in the day, but I love this tip. You always get fresh, filtered water from a dispenser in a hotel gym. Most gyms offer this, so reload and refill!
  3. Pack easy to carry, easy to eat snacks. Some of my favorites are Health Warrior and Taste of Nature certified organic bars (truly the best!), dried fruits and lately, the grab-bags of flavored chickpeas (I love them!). For the kids, they will pack a Bobo’s Oat Bars, Clif’s Z Bars, squeezable applesauce or some oranges.
  4. Bring magnesium. Seriously. It’s the magic mineral that helps with stress, bloating and digestion. Travel can lead to all three! Sitting immobile for long periods of time, at the airport, on a plane, in a car, can back things up! Not to mention, that more often than not, food choices on the go are less than stellar. Magnesium helps with all of it. I love Natural Vitality’s travel packs.
  5. Pack wipes. Things get messy, whether you have toddlers or teens. Accidents happen, and you’ll be glad to have some wipes on hand for when they do. Whether it’s a drink spilling in the car or something getting tossed on the plane, wipes are a handy resource for controlling the fallout!
  6. Grab-bag your greens. It’s impossible to know what food or food like items you are going to find when traveling, which airports carry healthy food and where you can find good food when pinched for time. There are so many companies filling in this space, from Garden of Life to Vega. Grab a few of their single serves and throw them in your bag. When you are short on greens, they come in handy, and that fiber and nutrition help keep things running smoothly.
  7. Bring running shoes. You can lace them up any where any time. If you suddenly find yourself with some monstrous travel delay, you can walk. If you are visiting family and just need a breather, you can lace them up and get outside. It is one of the first things to go in my bag every trip.
  8. Remember medication. For some it may be the Epipens and Benadryl, for others diabetes meds, for others, blood thinnners for heart conditions. Make a note, especially when traveling with children on airplanes. It’s impossible to know what conditions you may face.
  9. Keep your hands clean and away from your face. Think about how many people go through the airport and onto planes every hour of every day. Bring along a hand sanitizer, wipes or just get yourself to the closest bathroom and wash your hands. A little prevention can go a long way to keeping you healthy all summer.
  10. Pack a lid. I always keep a hat in my bag for shade from the summer heat. In the winter, it’s equally as important for staying warm, on planes or wherever you land. More often than not, one of the kids ends up snagging mine to keep the sun out of her eyes or to stay warm! It’s an easy thing to toss into your carry-on or suitcase.

Have fun!

Naturepedic_EOS_Organic_Mattress

EOS Classic Mattress

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Have you ever bought a mattress, only to change your mind after sleeping on it? I honestly never thought about it. I gave so much thought to the food in our kitchen, but was always rather mindless about this purchase.

That is until I met the founder of Naturepedic.

Did you know? We spend 30% of our lives in bed and on our mattresses. Think about it. 8 hours a day. Day after day, year after year. It’s an intimate relationship!

At Naturepedic, they get it. They want you sleeping on the safest ingredients possible, so they built their beds that way.

They believe your bedroom should be the showroom. Well…..I’m not quite there yet! I love the privacy for our bedroom. It feels like it could be tucked away in a private cottage at the beach! Which was intentional, as it is super personal and our oasis from the craziness of having four kids!

But man, does Naturepedic get it. And they have choices!

We checked out their showroom in Denver. I took our littlest with us, and she was in heaven. The first thing you will notice is how good their 
showroom smells. Their products are made with organic cotton and wool. The mattresses are not made with ingredients you can’t pronounce, they are not coated with chemicals or doused in ingredients that could combust at any moment that you may have never thought about.  They are made in Ohio in a factory that I’ve had the luck of visiting, by people and a family who cares.  The founder started the company after the birth of his first grandchild.

When you walk into a store, you will quickly realize that there are a lot of choices, and with their layer swap program, you can swap out any 3″ comfort layer within 90 days. Even after 90 days, you can still order new layers and change the support or comfort of your mattress without having to replace the entire mattress. In other words, you get to custom create your bed and mattress.

How do I know?  We did it. My youngest and I went into their Denver showroom. We had no idea what we were doing. Seriously, I can’t remember the last time we bought a mattress. And with custom bedding, enabling you to choose what you want on each side of your mattress (!), I was so grateful for their help. We chose the EOS Classic. With their 12″ profile, the EOS organic mattress can transform from an extra-firm all the way to a plush—on either side. So if you want one thing and your spouse wants another, they’ve got you covered.

It consists of a 3″ top comfort layer and an 8″ bottom support layer – all wrapped up in our signature EOS organic mattress encasement for premium quality and performance plus a finish that screams luxury!

If you’re not sure what to choose (I honestly had no idea, I knew I just didn’t want something too soft and squishy!), you can try one! You can always swap out your comfort layer(s) for free within 90 days and only pay for shipping (details). For those with latex sensitivities, you can build your dream organic mattress by substituting latex for microcoils.  And that is truly awesome, as I have a sister with a latex allergy, and she would need to do just this.

I had never given any thought to all of these pieces.  Unlike memory foam and some latex mattresses, the EOS helps you avoid harmful chemicals and unnecessary additives so you can “breathe easy.” Improve your indoor air quality and reduce your chemical exposure by eiminating these chemicals in the first place. The EOS has been thoroughly tested for chemical emissions and helps promote a cleaner, more chemical-free sleep environment. They’ve won and been awarded many times over.

On top of that (or inside of it!), Naturepedic uses only U.S. grown and certified organic cotton as filling for its mattresses and buys directly from USDA certified sources. Organic cotton is the purest form of cotton and a healthier alternative to synthetic fabrics and foams. This increases purity, organic reliability and support for U.S. farmers.

GMAban

Courage, Campbell’s and Comfort Zones

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About seven years ago, I was invited to a think tank meeting in DC. The organizer was trying to fix the food system. He had a strong network, a strong reputation for negotiation and knew a lot of the stakeholders in the food industry.

Several attendees were from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and they decided that I shouldn’t be there.

So I was uninvited.

I pushed the organizer, promising that I would listen and that he didn’t have to worry. He hesitantly agreed.

I paid my own way.

I walked into the first day of the meeting. Someone from the industry said, “Robyn, we finally meet” in the most condescending voice possible.

I thought, “What the hell am I doing here? Why did I leave my family at home for this?”

And I spent two days listening and quietly speaking with attendees in the hallways.

On the first day, someone from the Food Marketing Institute pulled me aside and shared that she had cancer. She asked about food. Someone from Safeway’s leadership team had a child with autism.

But it was a senior executive from Campbell’s that made that meeting worth the trip. He was respectful. He was willing to sit at the table and have the hard conversations, despite the fact that we didn’t see eye to eye on everything. We stayed in touch ever since.

So when Campbell’s announced that they supported mandatory GMO labeling last year, he was the first person that I emailed. He was also the first that I emailed when I saw Campbell’s announcement that they are leaving the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

It takes courage to create change.

It is those quiet conversations, out in the hallways or at the end of a day, when no one else was listening, that proved that there was more that unites us than divides us in this work. Whether at that DC meeting or when the CEO of Nestle’s Frozen Food division called and said, “You can say things that I can’t say.” It is the candid and shared concerns, especially as they relate to the health of our families, that give so many hope that we can fix this.

We have our work cut out for us. Less than 1% of our farmland is organic here in the U.S. while Germany just announced a record that 7.5% of their farmland is now organic. We are late to this game on the global playing field and don’t have a supply chain to keep up with demand. Other countries are benefiting from our inaction.

There is a deep and real need to move beyond commodity-based agriculture if we are going to fix our food system, farm economy and the health of our families. There are new regulatory needs in light of the growing demand for organic and the skyrocketing rates of food allergies, diabetes and cancer in America.

And there are consumers who are serving as a compass, telling the industry exactly what they must do to meet the needs of all stakeholders and shareholders and ensure profitability.

Some companies like Campbell’s are listening. Some like Kashi are working to transition farmers to organic, while other processed food companies are so entrenched in a 20th century way of thinking that all you can do is to get out of their way as they take themselves out.

When Campbell’s announced in 2016 that they were breaking with the Grocery Manufacturers Association and going with mandatory GMO labeling, other companies quickly followed. Why? The Grocery Manufacturers Association no longer served the needs of its members. It spent millions telling consumers that their concerns were not valid, that thei voice had no merit, that the customer was not right. And the Grocery Manufacturers Association was wrong. Consumers, driven by growing concerns for the health of their families, are driving a massive change in the food industry.

And just as Campbell’s led and others followed in 2016, it will be interesting to see who moves next here, too.

Change does not happen in our comfort zones, and change at its core can seem hypocritical. But if you want change to happen, you have to lean into it and into any fear or butterflies. A friend once shared that those butterflies are your internal applause cheering you on.

It’s a good thing to remember as we rethink food for the 21st century. Less than 1% of our farmland is organic. Not a single food company in the United States benefits from that, not one. The economics don’t work.

Now more than ever, it’s time to build out a supply chain that allows American food companies to compete in the 21st century and meet the changing needs of 21st century families.

Let’s lean into it, dump the junk, and cheer it on.

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