The future of health for children

food choices & feeding parenting

About a month ago I said 'yes' to a terrifying opportunity.

Was I ready to distill my message down to 5 minutes and stand on stage with a mic and lights and all the things in front of 500 of the top health influencers to paint for them my vision of the future of health for children? Ummm.... ok! Sure I was! 

But in truth, massive doubt in my ability to pull it off was flooding my body.

Could I really do this?
Was I going to do it right?
Was it going to have the impact I wanted?
Were people going to think I was a crazy idiot?

I used lots of meditation, essential oils and nutritional supplements to calm my nervous system (these strategies work! I'm telling you!)... and I did it (video posted below).

But here's why I'm writing about this experience.....

Doubt in your ability to make new food and lifestyle choices in your family might be keeping you stuck. But our kids are our future and we are the CEOs of their health.

Supporting their health is one of the things we signed up for when we had them (maybe without knowing it). And now we're being challenged to step into this job with confidence.

We all have doubt when it comes to new things. Of course we do! It's a new thing.

You might doubt that you can get your kids on-side,

You might doubt your skills in the kitchen,

You might doubt your ability to confidently explain why you're doing this,

You might doubt that food should be the thing to focus on now or that there is actually a connection between food and the symptoms you're seeing,

You might doubt that you have enough money or time to make different choices...

You doubt because new things force us to expand into new territory.

You might make all the excuses in the world so you don't have to make changes to your child's diet or lifestyle, but let me offer some advice about growing into your role of CEO...

Becoming CEO requires that you commit to the cause, even if you don't completely understand all the moving parts of it yet,

Becoming CEO requires that you curate a team of people you trust to help you,

Becoming CEO requires that you recognize you are not in this alone,

Becoming CEO requires identifying the gaps in your own knowledge and skills and finding ways to fill those gaps,

Becoming CEO requires long hours of work and organization,

Most important.... becoming CEO requires that you have a vision and that you hold on to that vision.

Protecting and nourishing our kids is our responsibility but it has become exhausting work for you and I as parents because as a culture we have lost respect for and understanding of our children and their experience.

Amidst the chaos and the busy-ness, attending to their basic needs has become hard work and there is too often a gap between what they are getting and what they are needing.

And you need to know... it's not your fault this is happening! The gap between what we need and what we are able to give has widened quickly, without us even noticing it!

The good news is that we are now seeing the gap and are able to articulate and describe it. We're able to close this gap as more and more doctors, therapists, nutritionists, teachers and parents start recognizing it.

And it can all be wrapped up in one word: our kids need nourishment.

Giving them Space is nourishing
Strengthening their Connection is nourishing
Giving them Food is nourishing
Making sure they have Sleep is nourishing
Making sure they get outside and moving is nourishing

I created The Raising Resilience Community, and I'm collaborating with other health professionals to make things easier for you, because we can't raise healthy, resilient kids on our own. The forces against health and resilience are too strong and we can't expect to swim  against them if we don't hang on to each other to create a stronger force.

So let's do this together. Our kids are worth it. Have no doubt.

 

 

About Jess Sherman, FDN-P, M.Ed, R.H.N

Jess is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and a trauma-sensitive Family Health Educator specializing in brain health & resilience for kids. She is also a teacher, with a Master's degree in education. Her Calm & Clear Kids introductory course, her Amino Acids (with kids!) Quickstart program, and her signature Resilience Roadmap,  along with her book Raising Resilience, have helped families in at least 44 countries improve the lives of their children with learning differences, anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorders and reduce their reliance on medication. She is the 2019 recipient of the CSNNAA award for Clinical Excellence for her work with families, and she continues to bring an understanding of the 5 Core Needs For Resilient Health to the mainstream conversation about children’s mental health, learning, and overall resilience through her blog, courses, workshops and as a contributor to print and online magazines. 

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The content on this website and in the guides and courses offered here is meant to provide information so that parents can make informed decisions and discuss these issue with their health care teams. It is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or individualized care.