Parenting insight and advice seems so much more reliable when it comes from another parent who's been there. Especially one who's been parenting a large family and already juggling all that life brings to the table. Robyn O'Brien is a mother of four from Texas who learned to manage her children's food allergies and learned a volume of information to share with other parents in the process.When I read The Unhealthy Truth, I felt affirmed that it's my job to be cautious about what my kids eat. O'Brien dealt with some specific food allergies in each of her children and explains how she was dismayed that some common foods could possibly be making them sick. She used her background as a business analyst to uncover reasons for concern about altered food supplies, genetically modified foods, and lack of public oversight in the United States. She details why, for instance, today's corn products that show up in most processed foods aren't anything like what our grandparents would have eaten. She also references scientific concerns about additives like preservatives and artificial colors in our children's foods. The information she shares is valuable whether you're dealing with a full-blown food allergy, some food and chemical sensitivities like we've had in our family, or just everyday life.
Of course, O'Brien cooperated with the pediatricians and sought medical care for the allergies, as we all would. However, she shows the value of being an attentive, informed parent who can observe and log changes and eliminate questionable foods at home. While her book paints a rather dark picture of our nation's overall food supply, she encourages parents about the changes we can make for the better. She admits that being the busy mother with a large family meant she was accustomed to using lots of processed foods, even at home. From that place, she made slow changes to things like whole grains and organic fruits and vegetables. She even share specific meal and snack plans for busy families.
O'Brien's passion for helping families cope with allergies and their causes led to Allergy Kids, a nonprofit that offers parents education and support. Allergy Kids is aiming to fund a study of the allergic potential of genetically modified corn. I look forward to hearing more about how Allergy Kids and O'Brien are encouraging families to live the healthiest lives possible.