1
00:00:00.291 --> 00:00:02.473
Should we abolish the kids' menu?
2
00:00:02.693 --> 00:00:03.634
Without a doubt, yes.
3
00:00:04.874 --> 00:00:07.616
The kids that I feed, they just seem very stable.
4
00:00:07.636 --> 00:00:09.418
They're not having like meltdowns.
5
00:00:09.438 --> 00:00:10.558
They're not depressed.
6
00:00:10.578 --> 00:00:13.781
You get one chance to grow your kids' brains and bodies.
7
00:00:14.081 --> 00:00:15.242
You don't really get a do-over.
8
00:00:15.643 --> 00:00:20.208
For most of human history, kids ate what the family ate.
9
00:00:20.588 --> 00:00:23.351
There wasn't a separate category called kid food.
10
00:00:23.712 --> 00:00:31.380
My guest today, Hilary Boynton, is a chef, author, GAP-certified coach, and founder of School of Lunch.
11
00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:35.204
Hilary, should we abolish the kids' menu today?
12
00:00:36.317 --> 00:00:38.879
I say without a doubt, yes.
13
00:00:39.739 --> 00:00:41.020
It's not necessary.
14
00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:47.404
We need to just normalize real food and what we're all eating is just what we're eating together.
15
00:00:47.424 --> 00:00:50.726
How did kid food become its own category, you think?
16
00:00:51.900 --> 00:01:02.629
I think really when like industrialization came in and more processed packaged foods and hyper palatable foods came in, kids started becoming and adults, but kids especially started becoming addicted to those.
17
00:01:02.649 --> 00:01:06.893
Their taste buds became hijacked and then it became a battle, right?
18
00:01:06.913 --> 00:01:08.154
Their microbiome shifted.
19
00:01:08.194 --> 00:01:09.815
They start to crave these foods.
20
00:01:10.396 --> 00:01:12.097
And then the parents end up in a battle.
21
00:01:12.517 --> 00:01:16.240
And now we've just like, you know, processed foods are everywhere.
22
00:01:16.501 --> 00:01:18.963
And so it's like now the kids are kind of running the show.
23
00:01:18.983 --> 00:01:19.083
Yeah.
24
00:01:19.718 --> 00:01:22.139
Yeah, well, you're testing a very different approach in school.
25
00:01:22.199 --> 00:01:28.003
So what happens when kids are simply served real food, even at school lunchtime?
26
00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:30.131
It's amazing.
27
00:01:30.151 --> 00:01:41.639
I mean, I say even to parents who have like the pickiest eaters, I'm like, just give me two weeks because it really, it does take a little bit of transition where you, you normalize this way of eating at the school where I cook.
28
00:01:41.699 --> 00:01:46.963
It's beautiful in the sense that from kindergarten through high school, everyone's eating together.
29
00:01:47.083 --> 00:01:49.625
All the staff is sitting down and eating with the kids as well.
30
00:01:49.665 --> 00:01:51.747
So it's like a way of life at the school.
31
00:01:51.827 --> 00:01:56.911
So there's no like, oh, well, this group is eating this and this group is eating that, or the teachers are in there.
32
00:01:57.391 --> 00:01:58.172
lounge eating.
33
00:01:58.192 --> 00:01:59.853
It's like everyone's participating.
34
00:01:59.913 --> 00:02:02.114
So they're all going through the line together.
35
00:02:02.314 --> 00:02:11.520
And when you kind of get down in the level of a little five-year-old and encourage them to try new things and they're watching their peers try new things, or you give them a little dab of
36
00:02:12.540 --> 00:02:16.442
A salad dressing to just dip their finger in and try and then their eyes light up.
37
00:02:16.502 --> 00:02:23.186
They actually like it or a little bit of sauerkraut or they watch their neighbor try it first and then they decide to try it.
38
00:02:23.246 --> 00:02:29.129
So it's like a little healthy peer pressure, but it's really the normalizing of like this is this is what we do every day.
39
00:02:29.449 --> 00:02:30.370
There's no other option.
40
00:02:30.610 --> 00:02:31.790
Everyone participates.
41
00:02:32.551 --> 00:02:39.935
And you find in two weeks the kids do get normalized to this different way of looking at food at school.
42
00:02:40.494 --> 00:02:40.714
Right.
43
00:02:40.774 --> 00:02:41.495
For the most part.
44
00:02:41.515 --> 00:02:43.956
I mean, every year there's a couple of kids.
45
00:02:43.976 --> 00:02:47.358
Like last year I had two kids that were just so picky.
46
00:02:47.378 --> 00:02:50.540
And we actually have at the end of the line, we always have something.
47
00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:53.982
So if they end up at the end of the line with nothing on their plate, I'm like, okay, come on back.
48
00:02:54.022 --> 00:02:55.442
Like we got to find something that you like.
49
00:02:55.462 --> 00:03:06.789
So we'll have salami or cheese or trail mix, something for them to, you know, have something in their belly and be satiated and know that we're like on their side and we want them to be happy and we're going to find something.
50
00:03:06.829 --> 00:03:07.389
That kind of like
51
00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:09.111
It bridges it for them.
52
00:03:09.131 --> 00:03:13.416
They know that it's not a battle, but it's just like we're here to support them.
53
00:03:13.536 --> 00:03:19.243
And then these two kids that came back this year were only in the second week of school and they both have like beautiful plates of food.
54
00:03:19.603 --> 00:03:22.106
I'm like, okay, transition to first grade.
55
00:03:23.007 --> 00:03:23.687
Wow.
56
00:03:23.948 --> 00:03:25.048
Yeah, it's amazing.
57
00:03:25.508 --> 00:03:33.432
And I've noticed like one of them was like coming to the line and like really angry, just like, I don't want to try anything and just really.
58
00:03:33.772 --> 00:03:37.454
And then we'd make him have something, you know, like you got to put something in your belly and keep it fun.
59
00:03:37.494 --> 00:03:39.175
And then he'd go off with whatever.
60
00:03:39.215 --> 00:03:40.736
And then he'd come racing back.
61
00:03:41.476 --> 00:03:42.236
four seconds.
62
00:03:42.717 --> 00:03:44.798
So it was more that he was like hangry.
63
00:03:45.118 --> 00:03:48.259
He just couldn't like handle his system at that point.
64
00:03:48.299 --> 00:03:55.703
So once he got some nourishment, he could like think straight and actually realize like, oh, okay, I do like this and I can eat and my friends are all eating.
65
00:03:55.743 --> 00:04:04.687
And so you just have to kind of get to know the kids and become their ally and their friend and make it a really joyful, fun experience.
66
00:04:05.380 --> 00:04:15.830
Do the parents kind of double down on the kids pickiness to say, you need to provide for my kids or do they support your process of like, just let us continue to expose it to them and eventually they'll come around.
67
00:04:16.425 --> 00:04:22.126
Yeah, no, they're really more in the supportive role of like, wow, you know, this is amazing.
68
00:04:22.206 --> 00:04:29.268
Usually it's like my kid is eating more at school than maybe they eat at home because they have a little more like, you know, pushback at home.
69
00:04:29.808 --> 00:04:31.528
But, you know, there's been different approaches.
70
00:04:31.588 --> 00:04:39.770
Mostly parents are like just overjoyed and so grateful that we're feeding their kids and educating the kids and encouraging the kids because they see the transition.
71
00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:42.631
We invite the parents in for lunch once a month.
72
00:04:42.691 --> 00:04:44.531
So the parents get to sit down with the child.
73
00:04:44.985 --> 00:04:47.167
So we get to kind of say like, okay, here's your chance.
74
00:04:47.187 --> 00:04:49.049
Like show your mom and dad what you're eating.
75
00:04:49.109 --> 00:04:51.211
And they're proud of their progress.
76
00:04:51.251 --> 00:04:53.232
And then the parents are encouraging them.
77
00:04:53.252 --> 00:04:56.856
So it becomes like a really nice united front for the child.
78
00:04:56.896 --> 00:05:04.603
I've had another parent who her child, I said, okay, just promise me like one every day you'll try something new.
79
00:05:04.703 --> 00:05:08.446
Just a little something, whether it's a dab of salad dressing or a piece of lettuce or a carrot or a...
80
00:05:08.806 --> 00:05:35.160
shepherd dab a shepherd's pie whatever it is and she's she would pack his lunch every day but he told his mom he said mom i promised chef hillary that i would try something new every day so he goes through the line with his lunch he tries something new but he always had that kind of um security blanket of like okay if i don't like it then i have my lunch and then he just slowly transitioned to eating school lunch is school of lunch proof that picky eaters are made not born
81
00:05:36.933 --> 00:05:37.433
I think so.
82
00:05:37.453 --> 00:05:43.555
I mean, I think actually, though, sometimes like with picky eaters, it depends on the state of their microbiome, too, right?
83
00:05:43.575 --> 00:05:48.677
Like if they're all out of whack there, those bad bugs are kind of running the show, right?
84
00:05:48.697 --> 00:05:49.998
It's that gut-brain connection.
85
00:05:50.558 --> 00:05:55.700
So if they're way out of whack, then they just crave like white flour, white sugar.
86
00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.261
It's about rebalancing their microbiomes.
87
00:05:58.381 --> 00:06:00.942
So that's why like it's so fun to see them.
88
00:06:01.802 --> 00:06:09.270
taking, you know, sauerkraut and craving sauerkraut because that's like the good guys are starting to proliferate and they actually are starting to crave it.
89
00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:12.733
And that happens a lot with little kindergartners, which is so fun.
90
00:06:13.334 --> 00:06:25.106
For those that have never experienced school of lunch, what category of food, what are you serving that maybe the home cook or the parents listening can replicate in their own kitchens?
91
00:06:25.901 --> 00:06:35.488
Yeah, I mean, it really stems from my home and what I, you know, know to be nutrient dense and solid family meals and what kids like.
92
00:06:35.929 --> 00:06:39.792
I've never worked in a commercial kitchen or been to culinary school.
93
00:06:39.832 --> 00:06:44.756
So I sort of went off intuition, but it's all surrounded by, you know, protein is prominent.
94
00:06:44.916 --> 00:06:48.158
And first, because we want to make sure that kids get a proper amount of protein.
95
00:06:48.198 --> 00:06:48.799
So whether that's
96
00:06:49.719 --> 00:06:54.542
a bolognese sauce with ground beef and liver or sausage, ground sausage.
97
00:06:55.042 --> 00:06:57.163
We have roasted chicken.
98
00:06:57.183 --> 00:07:01.225
We slow roast meats from chuck roll to pork shoulder.
99
00:07:01.765 --> 00:07:03.366
So a good portion of meat.
100
00:07:03.726 --> 00:07:09.609
And then we just surround it with like really healthy vegetables and good fat and salad with great dressing and ferments.
101
00:07:10.029 --> 00:07:17.733
And then we have like little things that we fill in with, but like we might have like a quinoa salad or we'll have like chicken and rice or whatever.
102
00:07:18.653 --> 00:07:21.155
rice and beans and pulled pork.
103
00:07:21.315 --> 00:07:25.478
So it's, I mean, basically, like I could say, a meal might be pasta.
104
00:07:25.498 --> 00:07:27.199
Like Mondays, we kind of roll in with the pasta.
105
00:07:27.219 --> 00:07:30.761
We'll do a beautiful pasta bolognese, but we'll put ground beef with liver.
106
00:07:31.341 --> 00:07:36.625
And then we'll have like roasted broccoli with ghee and good salt.
107
00:07:36.745 --> 00:07:45.170
And then we always have crudités so the kids can have raw carrots and cucumbers or then a salad and salad dressings and stuff to put on top.
108
00:07:46.111 --> 00:07:50.633
And is the focus really just on it's all real food?
109
00:07:51.133 --> 00:07:52.474
Yeah, it's all real food.
110
00:07:52.514 --> 00:07:54.474
It's the best quality we can find.
111
00:07:54.494 --> 00:07:57.015
80, 85% is sourced locally.
112
00:07:57.035 --> 00:08:03.198
So we focus on farmers and connecting with our local food system and bringing that into the school.
113
00:08:03.378 --> 00:08:09.300
Every month at that parents at lunch, we try to highlight a specific farmer or food purveyor that comes to the school.
114
00:08:09.640 --> 00:08:10.881
We highlight their products.
115
00:08:11.461 --> 00:08:16.484
and introduce the parents to the people that are growing and raising their food or producing like, you know, real salt.
116
00:08:16.504 --> 00:08:18.506
We've had Redmond real salt come several times.
117
00:08:18.586 --> 00:08:28.392
So then the parents get informed about how important it is to support the local food system and how beautiful and delicious and easy and simple these foods are.
118
00:08:28.672 --> 00:08:32.635
They're just, they're so beautiful, but they're really just very basic and simple.
119
00:08:33.035 --> 00:08:35.317
Now, for those that don't know, it's a school of lunch.
120
00:08:35.877 --> 00:08:39.940
It's a program that you started, but this is a private school.
121
00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:40.540
Is that correct?
122
00:08:41.576 --> 00:08:41.816
Yeah.
123
00:08:42.336 --> 00:08:48.439
I imagine that's probably the biggest argument you get is like, oh, well, of course you could do this at a rich private school.
124
00:08:49.060 --> 00:08:56.003
Is this model truly sustainable in a public school where governments are funding?
125
00:08:56.756 --> 00:08:57.036
Yes.
126
00:08:57.257 --> 00:08:57.497
Yeah.
127
00:08:57.537 --> 00:09:03.422
I mean, I actually started out in the public school system back in Massachusetts, and then we ended up moving to California.
128
00:09:03.522 --> 00:09:10.769
And I got my foot in the door at this little private school, and I was like, I'm just going to show what's possible and then create the model.
129
00:09:11.049 --> 00:09:13.592
We're now in our 10th year of feeding the kids, so we know 100% it works.
130
00:09:14.973 --> 00:09:22.894
And our goal has been to go into a private school and show that this can be replicated as best as possible into a public school system.
131
00:09:22.954 --> 00:09:31.016
So we have worked across the last two, two and a half years with a school in Florida, a public charter school, where they're feeding 2,700 kids a day.
132
00:09:31.036 --> 00:09:37.997
And they found us like three years ago wanting the head of school is very enlightened and has this amazing school.
133
00:09:38.077 --> 00:09:42.418
And it's like 65 to 70 percent below the poverty line.
134
00:09:42.578 --> 00:09:44.378
Just very passionate about education.
135
00:09:44.837 --> 00:09:46.943
you know, providing the healthiest environment for these kids.
136
00:09:47.003 --> 00:09:49.931
And she reached out saying, we want to increase the nutrient density.
137
00:09:50.292 --> 00:09:51.696
And she came across School of Lunch.
138
00:09:52.140 --> 00:09:52.540
online.
139
00:09:52.560 --> 00:10:03.570
So the first step was they sent their food service director to come to our training academy, which is a five-night intensive where we train on these values and all these, how to make these nutrient-dense foods and source them.
140
00:10:04.430 --> 00:10:19.703
And then the next year we raised funds through the nonprofit to bring back 10 of their staff from the head of school to the assistant head of school, the chefs, the bakers, the cashiers, the dishwashers, like everybody who had a point of contact with the kids we wanted to bring in.
141
00:10:20.163 --> 00:10:22.664
to be trained so that, again, it's this united front.
142
00:10:22.784 --> 00:10:32.128
And we've worked across the last two years to really take our menus and put them into their public school, the National School Lunch Program.
143
00:10:32.168 --> 00:10:39.371
And so, of course, when the dietary guidelines changed and the pyramid flipped, that was huge because it aligned so much with our menus.
144
00:10:39.411 --> 00:10:44.833
Now, they didn't lift the saturated fat cap on the dietary guidelines, so we have to adjust the fat.
145
00:10:44.873 --> 00:10:46.834
We, at our private school, we're allowed to do
146
00:10:49.855 --> 00:10:55.276
So, but we've worked within their compliance tools to make sure that our menus can go in there.
147
00:10:55.296 --> 00:11:01.338
So this school is pushing the boundaries of what Secretary Kennedy and the new dietary guidelines are asking.
148
00:11:01.598 --> 00:11:03.698
This is going to take a while for the systems to upgrade.
149
00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:07.479
It's complicated with all the compliance, but they're doing it.
150
00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:14.601
So we're working really hard through our nonprofit to support this project so that we have the blueprint for a public school system that,
151
00:11:15.362 --> 00:11:18.806
to say to schools across the country, like, this is possible.
152
00:11:19.107 --> 00:11:20.308
It takes work for sure.
153
00:11:20.669 --> 00:11:21.910
But it's the culture change.
154
00:11:21.970 --> 00:11:22.891
It's the training.
155
00:11:23.412 --> 00:11:26.897
It's the education of the why we're doing this.
156
00:11:27.057 --> 00:11:27.718
It's the parents.
157
00:11:27.778 --> 00:11:28.419
It's the kids.
158
00:11:28.499 --> 00:11:29.280
It's the staff.
159
00:11:29.800 --> 00:11:30.421
It's the whole thing.
160
00:11:30.742 --> 00:11:33.205
But it's a beautiful process, and we just have to be in it.
161
00:11:33.862 --> 00:11:36.904
Alice Waters started this work in California so long ago.
162
00:11:36.944 --> 00:11:39.566
Like, it's amazing that we still haven't seen movement.
163
00:11:39.867 --> 00:11:41.868
What do you think is blocking this?
164
00:11:42.609 --> 00:11:43.570
Is it the food pyramid?
165
00:11:43.590 --> 00:11:49.234
Like, as you pointed out, the food pyramid, people don't realize this, but it's dictating policy left and right.
166
00:11:49.954 --> 00:11:56.099
So clearly, you couldn't have brought in this type of food when the pyramid was the other way.
167
00:11:56.239 --> 00:12:03.465
So is that the only piece that's restricting these kind of programs from entering the zygust or...
168
00:12:03.805 --> 00:12:05.406
Where are the limitations?
169
00:12:05.906 --> 00:12:07.386
It's so complicated now.
170
00:12:07.486 --> 00:12:11.568
I mean, yes, the food pyramid is that that shift is huge.
171
00:12:11.628 --> 00:12:18.691
That is like a big win for for schools, although the not lifting the saturated fat cap kind of handcuffed everybody right there.
172
00:12:18.811 --> 00:12:23.033
But there's also not a lot of scratch cook kitchens.
173
00:12:23.093 --> 00:12:23.353
Right.
174
00:12:23.393 --> 00:12:26.574
You know, so if you don't have a scratch cook kitchen, like when I was back in Massachusetts,
175
00:12:28.478 --> 00:12:33.382
almost 20 years ago, they built three brand new elementary schools and put in all reheating kitchens.
176
00:12:33.922 --> 00:12:41.228
You know, so the cost of like schools across the country having to transition back to scratch cook kitchens is a big deal.
177
00:12:41.308 --> 00:12:44.311
But that's what, you know, they're pushing for right now, which is exciting.
178
00:12:44.351 --> 00:12:45.632
It's going to take time again.
179
00:12:46.052 --> 00:12:47.693
But there are several factors.
180
00:12:47.713 --> 00:12:53.618
There's the contracts with the Cisco's of the world that are supplying all these kind of
181
00:12:54.178 --> 00:12:55.319
you know, process packaged foods.
182
00:12:55.539 --> 00:13:03.922
But at the same time, what we found in Florida is that we go right in and work with the Cisco's and start with nutrition equivalency.
183
00:13:04.282 --> 00:13:08.724
So like, let's just get the nutrition right and order from the same system.
184
00:13:08.764 --> 00:13:10.545
So we're not have to like shake up everything.
185
00:13:10.985 --> 00:13:17.708
And then you can work on like the next level, you know, of like sourcing it better or locally or organic.
186
00:13:18.148 --> 00:13:20.689
But you want to get that those macros right, right?
187
00:13:20.709 --> 00:13:22.730
You want to have those kids be satiated all day.
188
00:13:23.217 --> 00:13:25.559
But that's such an amazing point.
189
00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:31.885
And now that you say that, I'm like, oh my gosh, I remember that type of kitchen from my daughter's elementary school.
190
00:13:32.586 --> 00:13:35.448
Most of these school kitchens are just, you said, what is it called?
191
00:13:35.488 --> 00:13:35.869
Reheating?
192
00:13:35.909 --> 00:13:37.250
Reheating kitchens, yeah.
193
00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:37.711
Yeah.
194
00:13:37.931 --> 00:13:38.912
And I remember that.
195
00:13:39.032 --> 00:13:43.196
Everything that they cooked, or I can't even really say that word cooked.
196
00:13:43.336 --> 00:13:47.660
Everything they reheated, it was all frozen stuff that they reheated.
197
00:13:48.393 --> 00:13:52.314
My neighbor, she was in fourth grade last year, I think.
198
00:13:52.714 --> 00:13:56.036
She went undercover for me and brought home school lunch for a whole week.
199
00:13:56.556 --> 00:14:01.017
And James, it was so incredibly disheartening.
200
00:14:01.177 --> 00:14:03.018
It was just like, really, guys?
201
00:14:03.278 --> 00:14:07.960
I just think the adults are so disconnected and in a system that is working.
202
00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:12.341
I mean, it's not working because it's hurting our children, but it's working in a sense of efficiency.
203
00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:13.940
It's not real food.
204
00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:15.941
And it's all in plastic.
205
00:14:16.761 --> 00:14:18.461
The kids think it's disgusting.
206
00:14:19.221 --> 00:14:20.382
It's like there's no love.
207
00:14:20.542 --> 00:14:22.502
It's just we have to feed the kids.
208
00:14:22.842 --> 00:14:24.222
We have to comply with this, this, this.
209
00:14:24.302 --> 00:14:25.322
Everything's a checklist.
210
00:14:25.382 --> 00:14:27.663
It's not – there's no intuition.
211
00:14:27.803 --> 00:14:28.943
It's just like a system.
212
00:14:28.963 --> 00:14:36.265
So we have to kind of like break out of that and see more clearly of like, you know, people say, oh, it's so expensive and how can you do this?
213
00:14:36.305 --> 00:14:38.265
But it's like the cost is our children's health.
214
00:14:38.877 --> 00:14:41.378
So we have to figure it out, right?
215
00:14:41.418 --> 00:14:42.739
Like what we're doing isn't working.
216
00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:44.700
I have a gift for you.
217
00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:46.781
It's called the Freedom Meets Guide.
218
00:14:46.941 --> 00:14:54.365
And it's all about reclaiming your health, eating the most nutrient-dense traditional foods, bone broth, organ meats, raw milk, and more.
219
00:14:54.665 --> 00:14:58.967
See, these are the foods that built strong and resilient people for generations.
220
00:14:59.167 --> 00:15:01.949
And this guide will help bring them back into your life.
221
00:15:02.289 --> 00:15:08.332
Whether you're just starting out or you're deep into ancestral lifestyle, this is the roadmap.
222
00:15:08.492 --> 00:15:14.173
And all 24 pages of it are available for download for free via the link in the description.
223
00:15:14.313 --> 00:15:17.254
Look, start feeding your body what it really needs.
224
00:15:17.634 --> 00:15:18.354
You deserve it.
225
00:15:20.515 --> 00:15:22.475
What is the cost difference you find?
226
00:15:22.495 --> 00:15:27.977
Because you said you worked in the public school system in Massachusetts, and now you're working in the private where you're controlling the ingredients.
227
00:15:28.397 --> 00:15:32.818
Is it the discretion humongous or is it relatively in the ballpark?
228
00:15:33.235 --> 00:15:34.796
I mean, that's complicated as well.
229
00:15:34.856 --> 00:15:39.697
We spend a lot of money on labor because we want to we're making everything from scratch.
230
00:15:39.777 --> 00:15:45.139
But it's different from the reimbursements from the federal system.
231
00:15:45.619 --> 00:15:47.420
Some of the reimbursements include labor.
232
00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:48.140
Some of them don't.
233
00:15:48.180 --> 00:15:51.161
So some of them have more money to spend on food than others.
234
00:15:51.221 --> 00:15:56.803
So it's like, again, all depends on the school and how the school is prioritizing it.
235
00:15:56.843 --> 00:16:02.885
Because in Florida, you know, they're raising money for equipment to keep bumping up their scratch cooking abilities.
236
00:16:03.405 --> 00:16:09.367
So, you know, you can get creative on all sorts of levels to apply for grants.
237
00:16:09.387 --> 00:16:16.030
I mean, if it's a priority, I mean, Alice Waters told me I got to meet her last year or the year before and have dinner with her.
238
00:16:16.150 --> 00:16:21.292
And she said to me, and with an enlightened head of school, anything is possible.
239
00:16:21.952 --> 00:16:23.793
And I have found that to be so true.
240
00:16:24.313 --> 00:16:30.235
If you don't have an enlightened head of school, even at the wealthiest private school, it's just like not possible.
241
00:16:31.055 --> 00:16:31.616
They don't care.
242
00:16:31.856 --> 00:16:32.896
It's not a priority.
243
00:16:33.533 --> 00:16:36.995
That is so interesting because I have heard that as well with corporations.
244
00:16:37.075 --> 00:16:52.142
So for example, McDonald's, I don't know if they still do, but at one point they were focusing on humanely raised meat and they didn't have to, but it was because the CEO at the time it mattered to him.
245
00:16:52.822 --> 00:16:57.545
And so because a corporation like McDonald's cared about that during that period, it
246
00:16:58.548 --> 00:17:08.854
humanely treated meat, the entire industry switched and was basically trying to make sure that everything was labeled humanely treated just to get, you know, in the McDonald's zygus.
247
00:17:08.894 --> 00:17:17.639
So I know that a lot of parents rely on school lunches, the school lunch that the district provides because of cost.
248
00:17:18.379 --> 00:17:27.555
But for the parent that can afford to feed their kid lunches and they're in the public school system, do you just advise like bring your lunch, bring your food from home?
249
00:17:27.615 --> 00:17:29.519
Like don't even don't even go that route.
250
00:17:30.219 --> 00:17:30.499
Yeah.
251
00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:31.440
Actually, it's funny.
252
00:17:32.040 --> 00:17:40.626
Sally Fallon, the head of the Weston Price Foundation, probably 20 years ago, she came to Massachusetts and I was newly into my, I'm going to change school lunches.
253
00:17:41.286 --> 00:17:48.171
And I remember driving her to, she was going to go speak to a women's hockey team at the high school and I had her in the car, like by myself.
254
00:17:48.211 --> 00:17:51.553
And I was like, oh, and I was just like, you know, I really want to change school lunches.
255
00:17:51.653 --> 00:17:53.474
And I'm, you know, I'm on a mission.
256
00:17:53.534 --> 00:17:56.516
And she literally was just like, feed your children well.
257
00:17:57.177 --> 00:17:57.457
Like,
258
00:17:57.867 --> 00:18:00.630
Pack their lunches because it's such a beast.
259
00:18:00.670 --> 00:18:13.041
And so I think if you can take control of that situation and you have an option, you're going to have much better, you know, nutrition going into your kids if you pack it from home, hands down.
260
00:18:13.521 --> 00:18:18.403
You know, I mean, there's some parents who say like, oh, I let my kids eat it once a week or the kid wants to feel part of things.
261
00:18:18.483 --> 00:18:23.405
But overall, I would say there's not much nutrition in the food.
262
00:18:23.705 --> 00:18:28.947
So you're way better off packing it from home and you can do it quite affordably from home, too.
263
00:18:29.713 --> 00:18:37.280
So one of the struggles with making school lunches from home is the hot and cold thing.
264
00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:43.506
You know, like a lot of real food is hot because otherwise what's the cold lunch?
265
00:18:43.566 --> 00:18:45.808
It's a sandwich with processed meats.
266
00:18:46.108 --> 00:18:51.513
You can't really send them with sushi unless you're really like putting ice packs in it, right?
267
00:18:51.573 --> 00:18:55.297
So that limitation of like, they don't have a place to reheat things.
268
00:18:55.937 --> 00:19:00.460
Some kids are sensitive to like if something was hot and then it's cold, just the texture.
269
00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.142
So how does a parent solve those pieces?
270
00:19:04.163 --> 00:19:04.443
Yeah.
271
00:19:04.643 --> 00:19:08.046
Believe me, I'm sometimes like – I mean, I have five kids and they're all grown up now.
272
00:19:08.086 --> 00:19:13.330
But I was like I'd rather cook for 150 than make five school lunches.
273
00:19:13.970 --> 00:19:17.452
My husband would be like just send them all with the same thing and send them on their way.
274
00:19:17.472 --> 00:19:18.933
And I'm like it doesn't work that way.
275
00:19:19.014 --> 00:19:20.955
Like one likes this and one likes that.
276
00:19:20.975 --> 00:19:23.317
And then when it comes home uneaten, you're like –
277
00:19:24.137 --> 00:19:25.759
I get that whole battle.
278
00:19:26.620 --> 00:19:30.244
There are some great things now with like the little bento boxes.
279
00:19:30.304 --> 00:19:32.166
Everything has like coolers with it.
280
00:19:32.186 --> 00:19:34.108
You can have thermoses that keep things hot.
281
00:19:34.569 --> 00:19:36.831
So like leftovers are a good option.
282
00:19:37.192 --> 00:19:42.478
And it's interesting, like sometimes you find kids that are from other countries that are just so used to eating things.
283
00:19:42.998 --> 00:19:49.541
you know, regular food with their family, like the dinner becomes what they're taking for lunch the next day, and that's normalized.
284
00:19:49.881 --> 00:19:52.923
So if we can normalize that again, leftovers are a great option.
285
00:19:52.943 --> 00:19:57.145
I mean, there's certain things that kids don't mind eating cold, like... Salads.
286
00:19:58.030 --> 00:20:05.973
Well, salads and stuff, but even like sometimes like meatballs or things like that, you know, they're not like super opposed to it.
287
00:20:05.993 --> 00:20:07.153
It depends on the kid.
288
00:20:07.533 --> 00:20:15.896
But as long as you're getting good proteins and fats, like if you eat like cheese and we definitely want to keep it cold because it's like the cheese will start to melt and then it can be really gross.
289
00:20:15.956 --> 00:20:19.537
So keeping it and then they're running around with it, like shaking around everywhere in there.
290
00:20:19.597 --> 00:20:24.419
So, you know, in a perfect world, it would just be like delivered to their desk and.
291
00:20:25.219 --> 00:20:27.561
from the fridge, you know, that's not how it works.
292
00:20:27.942 --> 00:20:34.829
So you have to kind of do your best to get the system, like the little bento box with the cooler bag that goes around it.
293
00:20:34.889 --> 00:20:41.316
I mean, I had all the little kind of stand-up zipper cooler bag things and did the best I could.
294
00:20:41.576 --> 00:20:44.539
If a family changes only three things, where should they start?
295
00:20:46.256 --> 00:20:52.919
I would say start with finding one thing in your local food system, supporting one local farmer.
296
00:20:52.939 --> 00:20:58.322
If you can find eggs down the road or a local rancher, just scratch the surface.
297
00:20:58.342 --> 00:21:01.744
Like always say like there's good people doing great things everywhere.
298
00:21:01.824 --> 00:21:02.344
And the Weston A.
299
00:21:02.384 --> 00:21:11.889
Price Foundation is a great resource for that because they have chapter leaders all around the world that their like sole purpose is to connect you to your local food system.
300
00:21:11.969 --> 00:21:12.990
So if you go to the Weston A.
301
00:21:13.010 --> 00:21:13.750
Price Foundation,
302
00:21:13.890 --> 00:21:18.473
foundation website, look for a local chapter leader that's closest to you.
303
00:21:19.194 --> 00:21:20.535
Then you reach out to them.
304
00:21:20.575 --> 00:21:24.617
They'll tell you where to find the best meats, the best milk, the best eggs, all that stuff.
305
00:21:24.958 --> 00:21:25.818
Start with one thing.
306
00:21:25.858 --> 00:21:26.739
Start switching out.
307
00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:28.020
You can't do it all at once.
308
00:21:28.620 --> 00:21:32.443
Sitting down to family dinner, I think, is so important.
309
00:21:32.623 --> 00:21:35.725
One of the most important things is just a chance to decompress.
310
00:21:36.346 --> 00:21:39.749
to take time to check in with one another.
311
00:21:40.170 --> 00:21:46.937
And when your nervous system is calm and you're eating a decent meal together, like it's just so much happens at the dinner table, as you know.
312
00:21:47.257 --> 00:21:49.239
So I think that's also super important.
313
00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:52.963
And then I guess maybe going through the pantry and just saying like how much...
314
00:21:53.644 --> 00:21:55.446
processed packaged foods do I have?
315
00:21:55.466 --> 00:21:57.648
Let's start to read the labels of your condiments.
316
00:21:57.728 --> 00:22:01.232
And, you know, is there soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup?
317
00:22:01.252 --> 00:22:11.142
Can you get rid of the things that have the main offenders in them from the bad oils and the sugars and just different dyes and stuff like that?
318
00:22:11.162 --> 00:22:15.607
So the more you can start to eliminate the processed packaged things and go into the
319
00:22:16.928 --> 00:22:18.610
But again, do one thing at a time.
320
00:22:18.790 --> 00:22:24.455
You know, if you're a fully processed package family, I mean, some people are like that.
321
00:22:24.475 --> 00:22:26.156
They want to clear everything out and start fresh.
322
00:22:26.176 --> 00:22:26.757
And that's great.
323
00:22:26.817 --> 00:22:31.101
But if you're overwhelmed by the whole thing, just like start with where you can replace one thing.
324
00:22:32.292 --> 00:22:35.715
I want to tell you about our next sponsor, Pluck, and why it exists.
325
00:22:35.995 --> 00:22:38.758
So as a chef of 20 plus years, I've always been about taste.
326
00:22:38.978 --> 00:22:42.862
But it was becoming a father that made me really start to think about function.
327
00:22:43.042 --> 00:22:47.006
Because I want my kids to thrive, and I want to be around long enough to witness it.
328
00:22:47.266 --> 00:22:52.111
And it was when my daughter became ill, my wife and I, we struggled to get the right nutrients in her.
329
00:22:52.351 --> 00:22:53.492
It was a true wake-up call.
330
00:22:53.692 --> 00:22:55.874
That experience is why Pluck was created.
331
00:22:56.214 --> 00:23:03.480
So Pluck is a superfood seasoning made with 100% grass-fed beef organ meats blended with organic spices and herbs.
332
00:23:03.600 --> 00:23:05.742
The beautiful thing is it doesn't taste like organ meats.
333
00:23:05.982 --> 00:23:16.030
It just tastes like the seasoning you're already using, but better because when you add it, you're adding these bioavailable nutrients that your body can actually use.
334
00:23:16.410 --> 00:23:18.692
If you can salt it, you can pluck it.
335
00:23:19.053 --> 00:23:20.654
Learn more at eatpluck.com
336
00:23:23.496 --> 00:23:27.139
off your first order using code EA15.
337
00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:36.145
I think for anyone to go down a path, they have to know why, what's in it on the other side, right?
338
00:23:36.385 --> 00:23:40.288
And to me, it's the children's behavior when they start eating this way.
339
00:23:40.748 --> 00:23:46.652
What are you seeing when these kids come in eating something different or differently than what you serve?
340
00:23:46.752 --> 00:23:53.077
And then what are you seeing in their behavior after, I don't know, a year of eating school of lunch style food?
341
00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:55.361
I mean, I've said this many times.
342
00:23:55.381 --> 00:23:58.363
It's like the kids that I feed, they just seem very stable.
343
00:23:58.983 --> 00:24:00.544
They're not having like meltdowns.
344
00:24:00.564 --> 00:24:01.644
They're not depressed.
345
00:24:01.664 --> 00:24:07.468
They're like basically very joyful, energetic, yet calm when they need to be kids.
346
00:24:07.528 --> 00:24:09.429
I mean, part of that is we're a nature-based school too.
347
00:24:09.469 --> 00:24:10.229
So they're outside.
348
00:24:10.269 --> 00:24:11.110
We serve them outside.
349
00:24:11.130 --> 00:24:13.971
So they're like in nature a lot, which is so nice.
350
00:24:14.051 --> 00:24:15.652
But they're able to focus.
351
00:24:15.672 --> 00:24:19.574
Like the teachers give that feedback that they're more grounded, more focused.
352
00:24:19.954 --> 00:24:22.316
I just don't notice behavior problems.
353
00:24:22.816 --> 00:24:25.096
And like I said, that one kid, I mean, it was just like he was hangry.
354
00:24:25.197 --> 00:24:27.717
He was honestly like didn't know what was happening in his body.
355
00:24:28.017 --> 00:24:29.737
He was like, he was just starving.
356
00:24:30.198 --> 00:24:33.658
Once you satiate them, they have a steady stream of energy.
357
00:24:33.678 --> 00:24:35.079
And I always say this on podcast.
358
00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:43.660
The very first year we did the school lunch program, a sixth grader said to me like unprompted, I used to feel like this all day long, up and down, up and down.
359
00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:46.181
And now I just feel like this steady stream of energy.
360
00:24:46.561 --> 00:24:54.406
So kids don't necessarily know what's happening in their body or why it's happening, but they just, so we're gifting them this gift of what it feels like to feel good.
361
00:24:55.007 --> 00:25:02.952
So then like I've seen it with my own kids, they go off into the world, out to college and all of a sudden they're like, oh, like this food makes me feel horrible.
362
00:25:03.652 --> 00:25:07.375
So if they don't have, like most people don't know that what it feels like to feel good.
363
00:25:07.415 --> 00:25:08.596
Most adults don't even know.
364
00:25:08.696 --> 00:25:12.198
So when you give them that gift, they have something to return back to.
365
00:25:12.712 --> 00:25:20.695
And you mentioned that at the school, you emphasize the kids kind of tasting things, even on just a little taste to make sure.
366
00:25:20.735 --> 00:25:27.818
But do you find that when they're first getting used to this different way of eating at school that there's stress related to it?
367
00:25:30.002 --> 00:25:31.804
I mean, I don't push them that hard.
368
00:25:32.044 --> 00:25:34.767
So it's never becomes like a battle.
369
00:25:35.327 --> 00:25:36.949
If they're like, no, no, I really don't want to try it.
370
00:25:36.969 --> 00:25:38.370
I'm like, okay, you know, maybe tomorrow.
371
00:25:38.971 --> 00:25:44.596
So it's just about really making it not stressful and making it super fun.
372
00:25:45.096 --> 00:25:55.346
And they're like running up to the line and they trust us and we're all smiling at them and just encouraging them to, you know, they'll put like three, we'll have three different dressings and they'll put three different dots and they'll,
373
00:25:55.686 --> 00:26:12.444
swipe it and then they'll think about it and we'll be like i like this one and then you know then the kid behind them is watching that and so it's like it's just it's about taking the stress out of it um and just making it really joyful how long are the lunches at your school your current school
374
00:26:13.476 --> 00:26:19.138
We start at 1150 and the goal is to be done serving by 1230.
375
00:26:20.018 --> 00:26:25.220
And then they basically have until like almost one to be sitting down and eating.
376
00:26:25.360 --> 00:26:26.961
So that's a big contest, right?
377
00:26:26.981 --> 00:26:29.282
Because the public schools give you 25, 30 minutes.
378
00:26:31.268 --> 00:26:31.488
Yeah.
379
00:26:31.648 --> 00:26:34.309
And I have a friend who works in a public school.
380
00:26:36.190 --> 00:26:41.711
She's an assistant food service director, and they feed like 17,000 kids, not all at one school, but in the district.
381
00:26:41.751 --> 00:26:45.573
But she said they have three seconds per kid to get them through the line.
382
00:26:46.213 --> 00:26:51.274
So if you think about that, like I say to the school, they've even pushed, like, you guys, you got to get them through the line.
383
00:26:51.294 --> 00:26:51.915
You got to get them through.
384
00:26:51.935 --> 00:26:52.935
And I'm like, I need...
385
00:26:53.395 --> 00:26:57.696
to take my time with the littles, at least like the little kids are so important.
386
00:26:58.076 --> 00:27:09.560
Even if we've run over a little bit, because you don't want to make it stressful, because this is their first, you know, view of all of this, then you want to have that first experience be really great.
387
00:27:10.080 --> 00:27:14.422
And so sometimes we, you know, we've gotten like that you guys are taking too long.
388
00:27:15.042 --> 00:27:19.583
So, but it's just kind of like, well, this is really important for the success of the program.
389
00:27:21.044 --> 00:27:22.344
So we have, you know,
390
00:27:22.538 --> 00:27:27.162
If the lunch time frame doesn't change, how do you serve scratch food?
391
00:27:28.183 --> 00:27:28.843
You can do it.
392
00:27:29.003 --> 00:27:29.964
You got to get them through the line.
393
00:27:30.024 --> 00:27:33.707
Another thing I think that is so big is having the adults eat with the kids.
394
00:27:34.088 --> 00:27:39.392
Because I've seen it over and over again, like, you know, in the public school system, like we don't serve dessert.
395
00:27:39.432 --> 00:27:41.193
We don't serve fruit at our school.
396
00:27:42.314 --> 00:27:45.317
It may be like after lunch or for snack we'll do fruits.
397
00:27:45.357 --> 00:27:47.138
They have to serve fruit in public school.
398
00:27:47.158 --> 00:27:49.140
So often they'll put an apple at the end.
399
00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:52.361
So the little five-year-old sits down, starts with the apple.
400
00:27:52.561 --> 00:27:54.262
You know, they have like missing teeth.
401
00:27:54.282 --> 00:27:56.082
It takes them 30 minutes to eat an apple.
402
00:27:56.542 --> 00:27:58.943
And then they didn't have time to eat their food.
403
00:27:58.983 --> 00:28:02.104
So there has to be some education at the table as well.
404
00:28:02.124 --> 00:28:03.465
Like, okay, let's start with this.
405
00:28:03.985 --> 00:28:10.387
And then you get to have your apple or whatever it is because they're just, they're so slow and they're talking and they're, you know, it's just.
406
00:28:10.882 --> 00:28:11.843
It's so fast.
407
00:28:12.304 --> 00:28:21.477
So that if you have an adult there that can be the model and the encouragement for the child to make sure that they get that nourishment in them so that they can run around and play all day.
408
00:28:22.373 --> 00:28:23.233
learn, right?
409
00:28:23.373 --> 00:28:25.994
So it's a big culture shift.
410
00:28:26.034 --> 00:28:30.776
Like my son's lacrosse coach said a couple years ago, he said, culture precedes success.
411
00:28:31.296 --> 00:28:33.017
And I let this light bulb go off.
412
00:28:33.037 --> 00:28:38.819
And I was like, that is why we are successful because we have a kitchen culture where it's like, check your ego at the door.
413
00:28:38.899 --> 00:28:39.799
Mission is the boss.
414
00:28:39.819 --> 00:28:44.281
Like we're just about making the best foods we can for these kids and getting into them each day.
415
00:28:44.681 --> 00:28:48.282
And then there's a food culture at the school where this is valued.
416
00:28:48.802 --> 00:28:50.184
And everyone's participating.
417
00:28:50.484 --> 00:28:53.629
So that helps with the success of the whole program.
418
00:28:53.709 --> 00:28:59.737
So if you don't have people that are invested in changing the system and the why behind it,
419
00:29:00.298 --> 00:29:02.640
then it will take longer or it will be harder.
420
00:29:03.340 --> 00:29:08.243
But that's why everyone's kind of got to like for the future of our children, you know, humanity, basically.
421
00:29:08.343 --> 00:29:10.665
It's like, let's all get in this to win it, you know?
422
00:29:10.985 --> 00:29:13.347
That's a really cool novel idea.
423
00:29:13.407 --> 00:29:15.848
It's like have the adults eat with the kids.
424
00:29:15.909 --> 00:29:18.911
I mean, modeling in the home is key, as we know.
425
00:29:19.051 --> 00:29:20.732
So it's like, why would it stop at school?
426
00:29:21.252 --> 00:29:22.853
I've never heard it talked about like that.
427
00:29:22.893 --> 00:29:24.094
And I've also never seen it.
428
00:29:24.214 --> 00:29:24.554
I mean, yeah.
429
00:29:25.775 --> 00:29:35.148
All teachers are either off in their own world because they want a break, and then the people that are kind of guiding the cafeteria, that's not the time they eat because they're overseeing the kids.
430
00:29:35.600 --> 00:29:35.860
Yeah.
431
00:29:35.941 --> 00:29:39.905
I mean, it is hard because even our teachers, they don't get a break from the kids.
432
00:29:40.366 --> 00:29:44.090
Like their lunch break is kind of their break as well.
433
00:29:45.291 --> 00:29:49.436
But they are sitting with the kids, but they don't really want to always like manage everything.
434
00:29:49.496 --> 00:29:53.321
But again, these kids are pretty well behaved and they're pretty grounded.
435
00:29:53.381 --> 00:29:56.124
But you can imagine sitting down at a table with kids that are
436
00:29:58.228 --> 00:29:59.931
That would be stressful for the teacher.
437
00:29:59.951 --> 00:30:05.561
But again, the school in Florida, they have very clear rules that the kids all understand.
438
00:30:06.002 --> 00:30:08.928
It's a system that's in place for success.
439
00:30:09.287 --> 00:30:14.848
They have little kids that I forget what they call them, but they have their little sashes on that go around and clear the plates.
440
00:30:14.928 --> 00:30:17.349
And it's like an honor to have that job.
441
00:30:17.749 --> 00:30:20.450
So these kids are invested in the success of it as well.
442
00:30:20.590 --> 00:30:22.670
And they're excited to do their jobs.
443
00:30:22.730 --> 00:30:32.513
And again, an enlightened head of school who thinks about these, the systems and getting them in place for success then makes all the difference.
444
00:30:33.593 --> 00:30:34.093
Oh, I love that.
445
00:30:34.133 --> 00:30:38.514
What traditional food would you bring back to every child's diet if you could?
446
00:30:39.095 --> 00:30:41.556
I thought about this, Oregon meats for sure.
447
00:30:42.156 --> 00:30:43.697
And it's not just because I'm talking to you.
448
00:30:45.677 --> 00:30:52.880
Because it's like, you know, they've just been forgotten and dismissed and our ancestors knew how valuable they were.
449
00:30:53.140 --> 00:30:56.761
They really did and they were just incorporated and it was so normalized.
450
00:30:57.221 --> 00:31:02.663
And now it's so everyone is squeamish about it, but it's mostly the adults, right?
451
00:31:02.683 --> 00:31:08.205
If you start to, like my kids now, their favorite food is tongue, cow tongue.
452
00:31:08.866 --> 00:31:14.633
And when I first made it, like one of the farmers market guys was telling me like he grew up with it and he's like, it's the best.
453
00:31:14.673 --> 00:31:15.274
It's my favorite.
454
00:31:15.294 --> 00:31:16.115
I'm like, I'm going to make this.
455
00:31:16.495 --> 00:31:19.639
I went home and I was so freaked out by peeling a tongue that I was like, I'm doing this wrong.
456
00:31:19.659 --> 00:31:20.420
I don't know what I'm doing.
457
00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:21.301
And I like threw it away.
458
00:31:21.942 --> 00:31:25.267
And now I'm like, you know, 10 years later, it's their favorite food.
459
00:31:26.047 --> 00:31:32.732
And getting liver, my boys are like, mom, just put it into the bolognese or put it into the meat, the hamburgers or meatballs, whatever.
460
00:31:32.772 --> 00:31:37.095
My daughter is like jumping for joy when pate is served.
461
00:31:37.195 --> 00:31:38.816
My boys don't want pate as much.
462
00:31:38.836 --> 00:31:40.137
They'd rather have it mixed into something.
463
00:31:40.157 --> 00:31:42.179
But she's like, she'll eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
464
00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:43.560
She just loves liver.
465
00:31:44.200 --> 00:31:56.347
So, you know, it's like bringing back these forgotten foods that were so valued by our ancestors, I think, would make such a difference in the health and well-being, the mental health and physical health of our children.
466
00:31:56.968 --> 00:31:58.489
Did you see clear differences?
467
00:31:58.509 --> 00:32:03.091
Because obviously your earlier older kids didn't grow up eating this way, right?
468
00:32:03.352 --> 00:32:07.154
You probably learned how to cook this through their childhood, not before, right?
469
00:32:07.587 --> 00:32:09.048
I have triplets and then two more.
470
00:32:09.068 --> 00:32:10.808
I had like five under four.
471
00:32:10.908 --> 00:32:12.729
So my fourth baby had eggs in my head to toes.
472
00:32:12.749 --> 00:32:15.610
So that was like our, you know, the light bulb was like, okay.
473
00:32:15.971 --> 00:32:19.152
Like I put him on raw milk and cod liver oil and that was what healed.
474
00:32:19.612 --> 00:32:21.473
He healed like really quickly from that.
475
00:32:21.513 --> 00:32:22.893
And so that was my aha moment.
476
00:32:23.074 --> 00:32:25.835
So my triplets, I think were like, maybe they were four or five.
477
00:32:27.115 --> 00:32:34.641
And I started to wake up when they were babies, but it was more like organic processed foods and trying to make their own baby food, stuff like that.
478
00:32:34.661 --> 00:32:35.982
I was sort of in the weeds still.
479
00:32:36.162 --> 00:32:39.165
But they kind of all got it for most of their lives.
480
00:32:39.265 --> 00:32:42.908
I mean, my gosh, I wish I knew this stuff before I even thought of getting pregnant.
481
00:32:42.988 --> 00:32:44.629
And I had infertility for three years.
482
00:32:44.689 --> 00:32:47.811
So, you know, I was fat free back in the 90s.
483
00:32:47.831 --> 00:32:49.193
Like, I just wish I had known...
484
00:32:49.973 --> 00:32:51.534
all of this back then.
485
00:32:51.854 --> 00:32:54.435
But that's why we do these talks and talk about it.
486
00:32:54.495 --> 00:33:03.460
A woman from Ireland heard me on a podcast and she had said, I wish I had heard you 15 years earlier because she had the same exact story.
487
00:33:03.880 --> 00:33:12.384
So when we share our stories is when we help others who are ready for the information to see that there's a different path forward.
488
00:33:12.704 --> 00:33:18.787
So if we change the way one generation of children eats, what do you think changes in the next generation?
489
00:33:19.265 --> 00:33:27.889
We'd be spending so much less time in the doctor's offices and in hospitals and trying to figure out what's wrong with our kids or what's wrong with us.
490
00:33:28.569 --> 00:33:32.391
And it would be a much more joyful generation of people.
491
00:33:32.411 --> 00:33:41.575
I mean, like if you're truly nourished and you're giving birth to healthy next generation of kids, these kids are going to start out balanced and balanced.
492
00:33:42.535 --> 00:33:44.897
you know, with a chance to thrive.
493
00:33:44.937 --> 00:33:46.058
And then they're being fed well.
494
00:33:46.098 --> 00:33:52.703
Right now, these kids are starting out in the negative, basically, you know, trying to catch up and getting hammered from day one.
495
00:33:53.484 --> 00:33:57.107
So I think it will be just a much more joyful world.
496
00:33:57.868 --> 00:34:04.113
And we'd be able to spend the time doing the things that we love, instead of spending time trying to heal ourselves.
497
00:34:04.493 --> 00:34:13.525
What has to change for people to understand that you're either paying with the food you buy today or you're paying with hospital bills later, but you're going to pay either way.
498
00:34:13.545 --> 00:34:16.770
I mean, we had a whole big health journey with my family.
499
00:34:16.830 --> 00:34:21.937
And it's like once you lose your health, you spend all your time and all your money chasing health.
500
00:34:22.557 --> 00:34:30.342
And, you know, when you have a cancer diagnosis, you're against like life and death, you know, and then so you're like, oh, and then everyone has a solution for you.
501
00:34:30.682 --> 00:34:34.084
And there's all the holistic things you can do that are not covered by insurance.
502
00:34:34.124 --> 00:34:40.488
And then there's like, you know, the whole insurance battle that doesn't even cover half the stuff that you have to do to survive or you think you have to do.
503
00:34:40.568 --> 00:34:43.190
And so it's and then and then it's just like so stressful.
504
00:34:43.770 --> 00:34:52.075
So if you can just start to prioritize, again, making those small changes bit by bit so that your house becomes a real food situation.
505
00:34:52.215 --> 00:34:54.796
house and it doesn't have to be complicated.
506
00:34:54.856 --> 00:35:03.037
Like I used to interview elders from around the world and one of my French elders before she died, she said, Hillary, never forget simplicity is gourmet.
507
00:35:03.317 --> 00:35:07.778
And that's like our tagline on our shirts, everything, because it doesn't have to be complicated.
508
00:35:07.818 --> 00:35:10.199
Like we just overthink everything.
509
00:35:10.219 --> 00:35:13.000
But if you slow roast a pork shoulder and you
510
00:35:14.900 --> 00:35:20.144
you know, maybe some rice or potatoes and some broccoli and a salad or even just some broccoli.
511
00:35:20.464 --> 00:35:22.025
You can have meals for days, right?
512
00:35:22.045 --> 00:35:28.550
Like if you cook once, eat several times, it doesn't have to be super expensive and nothing has to be super fancy.
513
00:35:28.590 --> 00:35:30.951
It's like the important thing is getting in the nutrition.
514
00:35:31.672 --> 00:35:42.099
So again, if your kids have these expectations or you have this expectation that your dinner has to be like Instagram worthy or food, I mean, like the pictures that I take of my food, I'm always just like, this is so beautiful.
515
00:35:42.139 --> 00:35:42.800
And it's just like...
516
00:35:43.740 --> 00:35:48.863
eggs with like, you know, some carrots on the side and a little basil or whatever and sauerkraut.
517
00:35:49.023 --> 00:35:51.745
And it's just so beautiful, but it's like nothing complicated.
518
00:35:52.425 --> 00:35:55.067
So the cost thing, I think, again, is a mindset.
519
00:35:55.087 --> 00:35:57.028
Of course, there's all different levels of people
520
00:35:57.432 --> 00:36:01.215
you know, who are struggling to feed their families well and have access to healthy foods.
521
00:36:01.275 --> 00:36:18.329
But those of us who can, we need to fight for it so that everyone has access to good foods and that everyone understands the power of deep nutrition and that the kids that don't have access to it, that we're supporting them with nutrient-dense foods in school where they, you know, are being asked to sit and learn.
522
00:36:18.349 --> 00:36:22.512
And that's where we all work together to support everybody, right?
523
00:36:22.552 --> 00:36:25.075
But I think it's, again, it's almost like the enlightened head of school.
524
00:36:27.186 --> 00:36:31.408
That says this is really important to us and this is our top priority.
525
00:36:31.448 --> 00:36:41.391
So I'm going to cut whether it's one kid's activity or my trip to Starbucks every day or we're not going to go on an expensive family vacation.
526
00:36:41.431 --> 00:36:47.193
Like these things, you know, it's like you get one chance to grow your kids' brains and bodies.
527
00:36:47.493 --> 00:36:48.654
You don't really get a do-over.
528
00:36:49.334 --> 00:36:57.147
So you will be rewarded in the end with your time is spent with your kids and doing the things that you love.
529
00:36:57.768 --> 00:37:02.175
And it's like really painful to have a sick child and or a sick spouse.
530
00:37:02.295 --> 00:37:03.016
And so it's like.
531
00:37:04.092 --> 00:37:09.353
You know, I mean, I can't say it enough that it should be the number one priority.
532
00:37:09.673 --> 00:37:12.054
And then obviously try not to make it stressful.
533
00:37:12.094 --> 00:37:15.955
Just bring the joy with it and just do the best you can every day.
534
00:37:16.215 --> 00:37:17.035
You know, it's a lot.
535
00:37:17.135 --> 00:37:22.397
And also one tip I would say is that oftentimes feeding the family falls on the shoulder of one.
536
00:37:22.417 --> 00:37:26.398
It falls on the mom usually who's trying to sometimes we're working full time.
537
00:37:26.858 --> 00:37:29.039
We didn't learn how to cook growing up.
538
00:37:29.059 --> 00:37:29.959
So we're trying to figure it out.
539
00:37:29.979 --> 00:37:31.880
Then there's all this information everywhere.
540
00:37:32.360 --> 00:37:40.263
And so if we can make it a family affair where both parents are involved, like, you know, like, oh, I'm going to take a chuck roll out of the freezer.
541
00:37:40.303 --> 00:37:41.004
I'm going to salt it.
542
00:37:41.024 --> 00:37:47.726
And then if you could throw it in the oven and we'll cook it overnight, then we'll have dinner for two or three days or leftovers for the school lunches.
543
00:37:47.746 --> 00:37:49.267
Like there has to be communication.
544
00:37:49.287 --> 00:37:50.848
And that's what used to happen.
545
00:37:51.268 --> 00:37:53.589
It was like everybody had their roles as part of it.
546
00:37:53.609 --> 00:37:54.609
Get your kids together.
547
00:37:54.929 --> 00:38:04.712
helping with composting or doing dishes or setting the table or cracking eggs, whatever they can do to be involved with that nourishment of the family, I think makes all the difference.
548
00:38:05.512 --> 00:38:07.053
So you have a nonprofit.
549
00:38:07.173 --> 00:38:08.433
How can people listening?
550
00:38:08.733 --> 00:38:13.635
Well, I mentioned what is the nonprofit do, but then how can people support it?
551
00:38:14.697 --> 00:38:17.502
So the nonprofit is called Soul West Foundation.
552
00:38:17.582 --> 00:38:20.006
So School of Lunch is where we do consulting and training.
553
00:38:20.106 --> 00:38:23.391
So we are available to consult with public schools and private schools.
554
00:38:24.032 --> 00:38:27.398
And then the nonprofit Soul West Foundation has helped support
555
00:38:27.983 --> 00:38:29.324
like our program in Florida.
556
00:38:29.344 --> 00:38:37.213
So that's through private funding that we've been able to do a lot of work with training the Florida school and the culture change.
557
00:38:38.093 --> 00:38:43.939
And then as well, we've also had a lot of people sponsor people to be trained at our training academy.
558
00:38:44.220 --> 00:38:47.924
So a lot of people who want to get trained can't afford to come to the academy.
559
00:38:48.304 --> 00:38:50.066
And I always say like, I want those people who
560
00:38:50.687 --> 00:38:53.331
want to come desperately because those are the change makers.
561
00:38:53.351 --> 00:38:57.316
Those are people that are desperate for the information and they're going to go out and be the ripple.
562
00:38:57.397 --> 00:39:05.989
So the nonprofit funds all sorts of projects to help get real food, real nourishment into, you know, the next generation of kids to to our children.
563
00:39:06.029 --> 00:39:06.350
And so
564
00:39:06.790 --> 00:39:08.571
It's very important work.
565
00:39:08.591 --> 00:39:09.892
We're really mission driven.
566
00:39:10.593 --> 00:39:16.257
I've realized that after 10 years at School of Lunch, like it's not a moneymaker to be a lunch lady at my kid's school.
567
00:39:16.857 --> 00:39:19.119
But I just feel so passionate about it.
568
00:39:19.179 --> 00:39:20.519
And I know it's right.
569
00:39:20.680 --> 00:39:21.500
I know it's right.
570
00:39:21.560 --> 00:39:24.002
So it's exciting when you can have.
571
00:39:24.602 --> 00:39:31.206
different partnerships with people who believe in the same mission, who are, you know, have more disposable income and want to fund projects.
572
00:39:31.766 --> 00:39:36.888
We're coming out with toolkits for parents through the non-profit that will help a parent navigate.
573
00:39:37.249 --> 00:39:51.416
You know, if they're like, I want to change school lunches like I did so long ago, we don't want them spending two or three years, you know, banging their head against the wall and end up getting nowhere because that, again, is a time suck and it's stressful and it's frustrating and you don't end up with a, you know,
574
00:39:52.616 --> 00:39:53.577
you don't reach your goal.
575
00:39:53.697 --> 00:39:59.341
So how do they assess the situations properly to be most efficient and effective?
576
00:39:59.721 --> 00:40:08.107
And if you're if they don't have a scratch cook kitchen, or they don't have an enlightened head of school, you know, you might have to try a different way, or you might have to make your lunches for a while, whatever it is.
577
00:40:08.147 --> 00:40:11.229
So you have to know where to start, so that you can be effective.
578
00:40:11.569 --> 00:40:13.851
So we're coming out with toolkits for parents.
579
00:40:13.871 --> 00:40:15.172
And that's all through the nonprofit.
580
00:40:15.192 --> 00:40:17.173
So yeah, so please people check it out.
581
00:40:17.999 --> 00:40:19.620
Yeah, we'll put the link down in the show notes.
582
00:40:19.700 --> 00:40:23.123
And then School of Lunch is not just for people that run school programs.
583
00:40:23.143 --> 00:40:26.406
So what kind of people go through it and what do they leave with?
584
00:40:27.446 --> 00:40:31.910
Yeah, so I mean, I know that's one of the confusing things because people think it's just for school chefs.
585
00:40:31.930 --> 00:40:44.159
But we have people from 16 years old to 75 years old, like grandparents, young kids, a lot of young 20-somethings who know there's a better path forward and they're just craving the information.
586
00:40:45.100 --> 00:40:47.182
A lot of parents, people with sick kids,
587
00:40:48.113 --> 00:40:49.293
people who are sick themselves.
588
00:40:49.674 --> 00:40:50.694
We also have school chefs.
589
00:40:50.734 --> 00:40:52.054
We've had heads of school come.
590
00:40:52.495 --> 00:41:01.198
It's really for anybody who's interested in learning about traditional foods as medicine, really, I mean, as a way of living and eating and thriving free of disease.
591
00:41:01.238 --> 00:41:03.259
So we go through, it's a five night intensive.
592
00:41:03.739 --> 00:41:12.022
We go through from soaking and sprouting your nuts and seeds and grains and legumes to making 100% whole grain,
593
00:41:12.642 --> 00:41:22.844
locally grown, freshly milled sourdough bread, fermented vegetables, raw dairy, fermented raw dairy, meat stocks, bone broths, slow roasted meats, organ meats.
594
00:41:22.884 --> 00:41:32.167
We take people to the farmer's market, teach them how to interact with their local food system, how to ask the right questions, teach them about how to cook all those beautiful foods up and how simple it is.
595
00:41:32.507 --> 00:41:35.907
And then we have a whole lifestyle component where we have primal movement.
596
00:41:35.987 --> 00:41:38.548
So teaching people how our ancestors used to move.
597
00:41:38.568 --> 00:41:39.608
We didn't sit all day.
598
00:41:39.628 --> 00:41:40.689
We didn't stare at screens.
599
00:41:40.709 --> 00:41:41.869
We didn't wear shoes that were
600
00:41:42.609 --> 00:41:46.052
constricting our feet, getting up with the sunrise.
601
00:41:46.072 --> 00:41:46.993
We do sunrise walks.
602
00:41:47.013 --> 00:41:49.395
We do breath work, cold adaptation.
603
00:41:49.435 --> 00:41:51.838
So giving people tools to put in their toolkits.
604
00:41:52.538 --> 00:41:57.483
You know, like the breath is so important and it's something that's with us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, right?
605
00:41:57.503 --> 00:42:00.586
So stress is a huge factor in dis-ease.
606
00:42:00.706 --> 00:42:02.848
And so when you can return to your breath, it's like,
607
00:42:03.298 --> 00:42:05.922
such a tool to have in your toolkit.
608
00:42:05.942 --> 00:42:08.826
So people leave empowered and connected.
609
00:42:08.846 --> 00:42:10.668
They find their tribe.
610
00:42:10.969 --> 00:42:13.512
Like once you're in soul fam, you're in the soul fam for life, we say.
611
00:42:13.572 --> 00:42:16.436
So they leave feeling like they have the knowledge.
612
00:42:16.576 --> 00:42:18.399
They're going to go home and they're going to practice.
613
00:42:18.739 --> 00:42:19.060
You can't
614
00:42:19.740 --> 00:42:21.121
do everything again all at once.
615
00:42:21.161 --> 00:42:23.383
So you might start with making your own kefir.
616
00:42:23.423 --> 00:42:26.765
You might start with making a bone broth or finding your local eggs, like whatever it is.
617
00:42:26.805 --> 00:42:31.248
But then you're connected to a family of people who are all trying to do the same thing.
618
00:42:31.308 --> 00:42:34.891
And so people step into schools, their homes, churches.
619
00:42:35.871 --> 00:42:41.435
It's like get your home set first, get you and your home set, and then you ripple out into your community and do that.
620
00:42:41.895 --> 00:42:42.535
Do what you can.
621
00:42:42.736 --> 00:42:44.277
That is an incredible tool.
622
00:42:44.677 --> 00:42:55.924
I hope everyone listening takes that in, that this is not just a program around school lunches, that this is a lifestyle, life-changing program that anyone can use.
623
00:42:56.451 --> 00:42:57.372
It's so fun.
624
00:42:57.512 --> 00:42:58.833
It's like the best week.
625
00:42:59.314 --> 00:43:07.782
I mean, Chef, my partner, is always like every Sunday when it starts, he's just like, I'm never going to do this again because it's so much work to pull it up.
626
00:43:07.822 --> 00:43:10.605
And then by like every Thursday, he's like, when are we doing this again?
627
00:43:10.665 --> 00:43:13.607
You know, it's just like so it's so fun.
628
00:43:13.668 --> 00:43:15.389
Like everyone just loves it.
629
00:43:15.569 --> 00:43:15.730
And.
630
00:43:16.390 --> 00:43:23.032
And I just think people are craving the information and they're craving connection and they're craving that deep nourishment.
631
00:43:23.052 --> 00:43:35.075
And so even in five days, even the Florida people, all of them had light bulbs going off with just different health issues that were improved within just five days or five nights of being at the academy.
632
00:43:35.575 --> 00:43:36.415
Final question.
633
00:43:37.416 --> 00:43:42.057
If you could wave a magic wand, bring back one ancestral practice, what would it be and why?
634
00:43:43.333 --> 00:43:48.455
get outside and be in nature as much as possible and connect to the land.
635
00:43:49.275 --> 00:43:50.435
And, you know, we're part of it.
636
00:43:50.475 --> 00:43:51.356
We're not separate.
637
00:43:51.976 --> 00:43:53.777
And I say this at the training academy.
638
00:43:53.817 --> 00:43:59.639
Actually, it's the one thing that I want them to take away is that we are Mother Nature's miracle.
639
00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:09.802
And so we look at things in nature with awe and reverence of just like how miraculous, like a butterfly or a flower and its symmetry and the colors.
640
00:44:09.842 --> 00:44:10.882
It's so magical, right?
641
00:44:11.382 --> 00:44:12.663
But like if we could...
642
00:44:13.223 --> 00:44:38.159
flip the mirror on ourselves and see like unzip ourselves and see how miraculous we are and how every second of every day there are all these systems that are working tirelessly to keep us joyful and walking and talking and playing sports and being with our friends all the things and if we had that same reverence and respect for ourselves it would be a different world right so if we can get out in nature and see ourselves as part of it and not separate and
643
00:44:38.639 --> 00:44:42.722
And that there's this whole closed loop system like that is really powerful.
644
00:44:42.782 --> 00:44:43.022
Right.
645
00:44:43.042 --> 00:44:47.685
And so one day we will return to the earth and nourish the soil with with our bodies.
646
00:44:47.745 --> 00:44:50.746
And so it's it's all life and death.
647
00:44:50.866 --> 00:44:55.469
Everything is a part of this beautiful closed loop system, this cycle.
648
00:44:55.489 --> 00:45:06.556
So when you're in nature, you start to recognize that there's something so magnificent and so much larger than than us that we're a part of and that we get to be a part of.
649
00:45:06.936 --> 00:45:07.556
It's pretty cool.
650
00:45:07.917 --> 00:45:14.041
But when we're stuck inside on screens and in office buildings with all the lights, it's just like it's hard to connect.
651
00:45:14.161 --> 00:45:14.481
Right.
652
00:45:14.761 --> 00:45:16.142
We just become more disconnected.
653
00:45:16.162 --> 00:45:17.283
100 percent.
654
00:45:17.443 --> 00:45:19.584
Well, Hillary, thank you so much for your time.
655
00:45:19.604 --> 00:45:28.510
I always love seeing you, but it's so great to just get this concentrated amount of talking with you and just hearing deeper of your story and ideas.
656
00:45:29.150 --> 00:45:31.331
How can people join this program?
657
00:45:31.371 --> 00:45:32.132
Where can they find you?
658
00:45:33.138 --> 00:45:36.441
So I'm Chef Hilary Boynton on Instagram.
659
00:45:36.642 --> 00:45:38.083
I'm always on there doing fun things.
660
00:45:38.123 --> 00:45:40.345
Right now we're doing back to school program.
661
00:45:40.405 --> 00:45:45.870
I don't know when this will air, but it's really fun highlighting different people across the month of September.
662
00:45:46.491 --> 00:45:52.457
So Chef Hilary Boynton, then SchoolofLunch.com, and then Sol West Foundation is the nonprofit organization.
663
00:45:53.237 --> 00:45:54.819
and we're also on Facebook.
664
00:45:54.839 --> 00:46:01.284
We have a School of Lunch Facebook community now that we just started, so people don't have to be a graduate to join.
665
00:46:01.304 --> 00:46:05.347
We just want to bring people into the fold and expose more people to what we're doing.
666
00:46:05.487 --> 00:46:09.450
So, yeah, Instagram, website, nonprofit, Facebook.
667
00:46:09.980 --> 00:46:11.641
And I'm just, I just joined Substack.
668
00:46:11.901 --> 00:46:13.362
Yeah, it's called The Last Kitchen.
669
00:46:13.762 --> 00:46:24.029
Because when we were talking about it, Chuck and I were talking about it, it's just like we're holding on to these, like, these values that seem like nobody is really caring about anymore.
670
00:46:24.049 --> 00:46:26.390
And we're like, are we the last kitchen to be doing this?
671
00:46:26.870 --> 00:46:28.271
But we don't want it to be the last.
672
00:46:28.291 --> 00:46:30.853
We want to empower it to create thousands more.
673
00:46:30.913 --> 00:46:32.574
So I'm writing now more.
674
00:46:32.914 --> 00:46:35.296
And then I also have a cookbook called The Heal Your Gut Cookbook.
675
00:46:35.936 --> 00:46:37.137
So that's on Amazon.
676
00:46:37.157 --> 00:46:37.257
Yeah.
677
00:46:38.095 --> 00:46:41.017
Yeah, one of the earlier books talking about ancestral foods.
678
00:46:41.117 --> 00:46:43.019
So yes, way to go.
679
00:46:43.479 --> 00:46:44.080
Thank you again.
680
00:46:44.300 --> 00:46:45.421
Thank you so much for your time.
681
00:46:45.701 --> 00:46:47.202
Thanks for sharing your gifts.
682
00:46:47.863 --> 00:46:50.605
And thank you all for joining us on this journey.
683
00:46:50.965 --> 00:46:54.568
As usual, stay curious and be well.
684
00:46:55.069 --> 00:46:55.929
Treat yourself well.
685
00:46:55.969 --> 00:46:56.750
Treat others well.
686
00:46:57.531 --> 00:46:58.371
And we'll see you next time.
687
00:46:59.272 --> 00:47:02.694
Thank you so much for joining me on Everyday Ancestral.
688
00:47:03.515 --> 00:47:07.737
If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe so you don't miss the next one.
689
00:47:08.117 --> 00:47:13.040
You can find the show notes, links, and resources mentioned at eatpluck.com.
690
00:47:13.080 --> 00:47:18.184
That's E-A-T-P-L-U-C-K dot com.
691
00:47:18.924 --> 00:47:23.787
And hey, if you know someone who'd get something out of this, share it with them too.
692
00:47:24.287 --> 00:47:28.350
Stay curious, live well, and keep it ancestral.
693
00:47:28.370 --> 00:47:28.710
Thank you.