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There is not enough room in this article to list all of the
accolades for both Rodney Taylor and Haile Thomas. Both are
nationally recognized speakers and ambassadors for healthier
food choices.
Taylor has over 40 years of experience in the food service
industry and currently directs a school food and nutrition
program in Virginia at the 10th largest school
district in the country with 184 schools. Taylor is known as
a leader in the early farm to school movement for his
“Farmers’ Market Salad Bar” program in California in 1997.
Thomas is an international speaker, the youngest Certified
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach in the United States and
the CEO of HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth).
She’s also a senior in high school.
In a speech to a group of youth, Michelle Obama stated,
“Haile is an example for all of you, what your little
powerful voices can do to change the world.”
Both Taylor and Thomas have reached thousands of youth and
families through their different but complementary work in
food and nutrition.
Haile Thomas shared her family’s story and how it has
inspired her to work on empowering young people to make
healthy lifestyle choices. In 2010, her father was diagnosed
with type-2 diabetes. As a close family, they learned about
type-2 diabetes together.
As her mom read the side effects of the medicine prescribed
to her dad, Haile, at eight years old, couldn’t understand
why the doctor would give her dad medicine that could have
negative side-effects.
As a family, they learned about living a healthier lifestyle
and together they made changes and choices that successfully
reversed her father’s diabetes. During this time she also
learned that “that kids
were also increasingly being diagnosed with conditions like
diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.” (www.hailevthomas.com)
Thomas also shared about her family’s Jamaican culture and
the importance and value of food as part of family
connection. By age 12, she was working to help other
children learn about food, plant-based nutrition and
culinary education in schools and summer camps.
After their separate speeches, there was time for questions
and answers. Probably the most notable difference between
the two as they stood on stage is the different generations
they represent. Taylor has already retired once and Thomas
is graduating from high school this month.
Another difference was about their personal food choices and
the role of meat in the diet. Obviously, for his
much-admired work in school food service, Taylor follows the
standards for school meals which includes offering food from
all five food groups (vegetables, fruit, grains, protein and
milk), offering meals with lower-sodium and he promotes
fresh fruits and vegetables through programs like the
“Farmers Market Salad Bar.”
Taylor referred to her focus on a plant-based diet. “Plant
based diet” can mean a few different things. Depending on
how people use the term, it can mean 100 percent plant-based
such as a vegan diet (no animal products) or a vegetarian
diet.
Depending on the person, this would exclude meats like beef
and chicken, but might include animal products such as milk
and eggs. Regardless whether a person eats meat or not,
there is health value in increasing the amount of plants,
especially vegetables and fruits, although this also
includes nuts and grains, in the daily diet.
The healthy way to eat meat is to choose lean varieties and
to grill, broil or roast – but not fry, the meat. Both
Taylor and Thomas are dedicated to promoting healthy food
that is appealing and user-friendly for youth and their
families.
In answering one question, Taylor joked, “I’m a carnivore
and proud of it” and he introduced his youngest son in the
audience as a vegan who eats sticks and leaves. Although he
was joking, Thomas did take a turn at the microphone and
gracefully balanced out his joke with the reminder that
different food choices are valuable and welcomed as ways for
people to consciously make a choice about their family and
health. |
