Lunch with Stonyfield Farm and Robyn O'Brien

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon at Fork in Philadelphia hosted by Stonyfield Farm. The special guest and speaker was Robyn O'Brien, a mother, an author, and a clean eating activist. O'Brien, a former food industry analyst is using her experiences, both personal and professional, to uncover how eating has become a risk to our health.

O'Brien spoke for about an hour, and I was mesmerized for the entire presentation. She spoke from the heart and with great conviction. She was never condescending and presented her facts in an informative manner. She was standing directly in front of where I was seated. At one point during an emotionally charged part of her presentation, I noticed that she had goose bumps on her arms. Yes, even after all of her speaking engagements, she is still reduced to goose bumps when she speaks of the dangers of our everyday foods.

Here is a mother, like you and I. A mother who painstakingly watched her daughter suffer through an allergic reaction. A reaction that prompted O'Brien to take action. She took action against food companies using food dyes, hormones, and toxic chemicals in food production. O'Brien urges consumers to do the right thing. Her insight was eye-opening, and it most certainly has changed the way I've prepared meals for my family. O'Brien offers this advice for starters:

1. Cut artificial colors. Yep. You know those color-coated candies you let your kids eat? Well, they are encased in artificial colors. Is blue a natural color in plants? Not likely.

2. Eat less fake foods. If you can grow it, eat it. If it comes in a box or a bag, it's probably not good for you.

3. Each person will make this journey in their own way and on their own time. The importance of it is to begin the first step. Make change happen.

If I haven't quite convinced you, take a look at a video of Robyn in action. It is 18 minutes long, but trust me, it's the best 18 minutes you will spend online today.

Robin is also a critically-acclaimed author whose book, The Unhealthy Truth, helps to shed light on the alarming facts about toxins in our foods.

Not only was O'Brien's presentation worth my trek to Philadelphia, but the lunch served by Fork was fabulous. Many thanks to Stonyfield Farm for hosting us.

The fabulous menu

Stonyfield Farm offered childcare, which I took advantage of being that Harper was out of school that day. Because Emma had a half-day, I had to keep her out of school and bring her with us. The childcare was fun and included fun tattoos!

Disclosure: Stonyfield Farm hosted several bloggers for a luncheon. In addition to lunch, we received swag bags which included a cook book, coupons, a children's growth chart. a baby's bib, and a spatula. I was not compensated for this post nor was I encouraged to write it. All opinions expressed herein, unless otherwise noted, are my own.