School of Lunch - Joyfully Disrupting the Trend of Chronic Illness in this next generation of kids

School of Lunch - Joyfully Disrupting the Trend of Chronic Illness in this next generation of kids

Today's Valuable Free Resources/Links:

·        FREE resource to help you get healthier school lunches - https://www.schooloflunch.com/TrainingAcademy

Summary

In this episode, I introduce you to Hilary Boynton.

Hilary is an author and the founder of School of Lunch, a training academy and culinary consulting company. Hilary, a mother of 5, underwent a transformative experience years ago. Where modern pharmacology failed her family, she was able to heal chronic disease through the power of food and nutrition. Hilary then set out to reawaken culture to the value of preparing and cooking through the framework of ancestral techniques and practices anchored in the observations of Dr. Weston A. Price.

Hilary documented her journey through the GAPS protocol in her first publication, The Heal Your Gut Cookbook, creating a well referenced companion of recipes and strategies, vital to this category. Hilary then put her ancestral framework of cooking into practice as Head of Nutritional Services at The Manzanita School, a private, nature-based school in Topanga, California. After overhauling the lunch and snack programs, she expanded to share her proven kitchen model with other schools and individuals around the country through the company, School of Lunch. Modeling scratch-cooking, nutrient density, savory menus and strong connections with local food systems, the School of Lunch -Training Academy hosts culinary intensives and retreats, aimed at schools, chefs and individuals seeking to emulate Hilary’s well tested framework and values.

A self-proclaimed “Lunch Leader,“ Hilary is dedicated to building a tribe of leaders to catalyze a cultural shift, with its focus on the future generations - our children. She is a steward of ancestral culinary practices and firm proponent of the overarching belief that food is medicine. Her work is both noble and critical in the face of a civilization overwhelmed by deficient diet trends, nutritional misinformation and she seeks to joyfully disrupt the trend of chronic illness in our children.

Today she speaks about:

Disrupting school lunches with ancestral culinary practices. (0:00)

School lunches and a mother's efforts to improve them. (3:48)

Women's health and wellness programs in schools. (5:27)

Improving school lunches and addressing chronic illnesses. (6:51)

Join me for this episode of Mommy Heal Thyself to learn how to joyfully disrupt school lunches.

Transcript
(Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)

Intro  0:00 

Welcome to Mommy Heal Thyself.  We featured guests that provide you with the tools, resources and strategies you need to say no to a life of pain and suffering all forms of preventable disease, toxic drugs and unnecessary surgeries. We hope to inspire you to boldly reclaim your ability to heal, and to serve ones to love.

Dr Michelle Gamble  0:00 

Welcome once again everyone to another episode of mommy heal thyself. We are here today with Hilary Boynton. He is the author and founder of school of lunch, a training academy and culinary consulting company company, Hillary, a mother of five. I can relate. I can relate um trade underwent a transplant a transformative experience years ago, where modern pharmacology failed her family, she was able to heal chronic disease through the power of food and nutrition. Hillary then set out to reawaken culture to the value of preparing and cooking within the framework of ancestral techniques and practices, anchored with the observations of Dr. Weston Price, and we are familiar with Dr. Price right ladies. Now, Hillary documented her journey through gaps protocol. In her first publication, the heal your gut cookbook, creating a well reference companion of recipes and strategies vital to this category. Hillary then put her ancestral framework of cooking into practice as head of nutritional services at Manzanita school, a private nature based school in Topanga, California. After overhauling the lunch and snack programs, she expanded to share her proven kitchen model with other schools and individuals around the country through the company School of lunch, modeling scratch kitchen, nutrient density, savory mammoth menus, strong connections with local food systems, the School of lunch training academy hosts culinary intensives and retreats aimed at schools, chefs and individuals seeking to emulate Hillary's well tested framework and values. A self proclaimed lunch leader, Hillary is dedicated to building a tribe of leaders to catalyze the cultural shift. With the focus on future generations, our children. She is a steward of ancestral culinary practices, and a firm proponent of overarching belief that food is medicine. Her work is both noble and critical in the face of civilization, overwhelmed by deficient diet trends, nutritional misinformation, and she seeks to joyfully disrupt the trend of chronic illness with our children. Wow, thank you so much, Hillary, for joining us today.

Hilary Boynton  2:35 

Thank you so much for having me. Pleasure.

Dr Michelle Gamble  2:37 

You know, we just a little couple of weeks ago, we were in the podcast with Zen Honeycutt. And she pretty much scared the bejesus out of us about school lunches with all the phenomenal testing that moms across America is doing. I mean, in reality, it's not that startling for most of us, but to have that confirmed with the actual scientific data with testing. It puts you in that point where you cannot deny that truth any longer. And that is why it was so critical for me to have you join our ladies today. Wow. The first thing I want to ask you is how did you get into this space of even thinking that you could disrupt school lunches? You know, a lot of us think, you know, that's what the county does. That's what the state does. It's supposed to be nutritionally viable, and what can I as one little mom do to change the lunches for my child?

Hilary Boynton  3:48 

Well, it started back when I lived in Massachusetts, I'm in California now and my kids were in public school, and I did try back then. And that was actually how I got introduced to the Weston Price Foundation, a woman who was helping me taught me about the foundation which was life changing really, really seriously. That was the moment where my life changed and and I worked really hard for many years in Massachusetts and didn't get very far. And it was a real frustrating time period when I was trying to change the lunches and through our health journey, we moved to California and we actually found this little nature based school that the lunches are really what sold me Of course it was beautiful in a nature but the chef when we met her they had just started they were only about 30 Kids his tiny little school and she said that they can cut their own fish that day and cooked it up and she really wanted to roast the whole goat and I was like this this is the school this is my lady like we've got to go and then as the school grew it was too much for her to handle and they outsource the food and that went a little bit more towards standard American diet not as bad as like public school lunches but you know more the white flour and just pretty standard. And, and I was like, you know with nature and I I stepped in as a snack coordinator, the head of school and just kept saying this doesn't jive for me at all. And, and he gave me the job of the snack coordinator and the I could do a one lunch for the whole school once a month. And then I was a consultant to lunch lady. And so I stepped in as a snack. And that was overwhelming to me, because at that point is 125 snacks a day, and I've only ever cooked for my family of seven. And so but then I just you know, kind of quickly outshine the lunch program. And by halfway through the year ended up taking over the lunch program. And I just knew like, if I didn't step in that I just didn't know where the answers would come right. It's just, I felt this pull to just do it. So now, when women come

Dr Michelle Gamble  5:46 

to school have lunch, what are some of the things that they're dealing with? Or grappling with? Why have they made that journey to work with you? Yeah,

Hilary Boynton  5:59 

there's, there's a lot of different reasons we have a broad range of, of experience and ages and sexes, you know, it's got, we had an 18 year old young man come last year who was overweight and trying to take control this house. And then we have professional chefs, school chefs. And then we have young 20 Somethings, females who are looking for a better way forward, they see that you know, other peers are sick, or they might be struggling with something, they just know that there's a better way forward. A lot of moms who are frustrated with the school lunch program and want to help support the system and step in and be that kind of cheerleader, supportive role. And then of course, school lunches, but yet people are usually frustrated with the system or frustrated in their with their own health really in need to find some a roadmap back to back to taking control down health. Yeah. So what is what is one of the most common

Dr Michelle Gamble  6:53 

mistakes that you see that people are making in this particular journey?

Speaker 3  7:02 

I think people are looking for a quick fix often

Hilary Boynton  7:06 

on a fad or something that will just, you know, it's it's unfortunate, but you can't like I was just say with disease that it didn't happen overnight, it's not going to kill you overnight, and you're not going to fix it overnight. Right? So we have to be patient and understand that we're in a process, you know, we, unfortunately, are in this time period where what used to be common knowledge and passed down from generation to generation is really on the brink of extinction. And so we have to be gentle with ourselves and that we're we're relearning what was once common. And we have to step into that work, I say we've got to become the ancestors in training. So we can pass it down once again to the generations to come. And but I think people are so busy that they really just want the two week answer or the pill or you know, and so really realizing that it's a lifestyle shift, there is no magic bullet, and it's mind body spirit. And then when you get sick, it's really a gift to kind of come at it from all different angles, I say such physical, emotional and spiritual. And you really have to hit it from really to look at, you know, how you've been living? And what are the traumas just, you know, kind of kind of peel back the layers of the onion, and it can be overwhelming and daunting. But just being loving yourself through the process, I think is a real important thing. And to realize that it's a process. And it's such a joyful reclaiming of your health on every level, if you can just be patient with yourself. Now going to the zone

Dr Michelle Gamble  8:36 

of school lunches, what are some suggestions that you would have for a mom who is concerned about the lunches that her child is eating in school?

Hilary Boynton  8:50 

I think the first step is really, you know, approaching Well, if you can get a group of like minded moms, you know, there's power numbers for sure. And approaching the head of school and not not coming in like a bull in a china shop. I think that was my mistake back when I was trying to first change the school lunches and like, we really have to understand that we're where we are, and you have to meet people where they are and really talk rationally through the process again, of how it's not going to change overnight, especially in the public school system is really kind of like a well oiled machine. Right. And you have there's so many layers that need to be kind of approached and dealt with and different levels and so but starting those conversations, and then giving examples, like what we're doing at the Manzanita school, you know, I was like, I'm just gonna get my foot in the door here at this small little swan. I'm gonna show what's possible, and then hopefully that little ripple effect will start and, you know, it's not it's not necessarily like every putt was four is not going to look like demands in neither school I have way more leeway and flexibility at this private school private schools. You know, they can step into the work a little more easily. But I think it's appealing to the heartspace to the people that are in charge, like look at how sick our children are, and what are we really doing. And let's sit down and come to the table together and try and, you know, strategize and, like come up with a solution because what we're doing is not working and we can close our eyes and put the blinders on but we already have upwards of 60% of our kids with a chronic illness. So you know, we have to just start to really pull it apart and work together right? It can't be again, like you're doing it wrong, and we have to change this because then people just, they're so they're already overwhelmed with work and in everything. And so I think The school lunches can, you know, they're like it's working. And I only have a handful of parents who are complaining, so we can just keep them happy over there. And then let's just keep doing what's working so and we need people at the higher levels to really start to change policy and and look at it especially I mean, we all have to kind of come to the table and work together. Now, one of the things you mentioned was that as we go through this process

Dr Michelle Gamble  11:08 

of, I guess, negotiating with the officials at the school that we can mention some of those beautiful outcomes at a place like the Manzanita school. Tell us a little bit more about what were some of the differences and changes that you saw occur as you started to implement this new program and what was the program?

Hilary Boynton  11:34 

Yeah, well, so our program really is based on the principles of the Weston Price Foundation. So the core principles are a nutrient dense diet, where we're building brands I say, and we're getting as much nutrition into kids as we can. Every single day. We have their stomachs for six hours a day. So you have a kid from kindergarten to 12th grade, that opportunity to change, the trajectory of their health is massive and just shift

Closing: Thank you for tuning in for this episode of Mommy Heal Thyself, if you liked what we're doing here, please share subscribe, like us and leave a comment. Your feedback is very much appreciated.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai