why the kitchen table?

In so many cultures here in the U.S. and around the world, the kitchen table is where it all happens. When friends and family gather, this is the place where the real conversations happen. This is where people share their hopes, dreams, fears and failures. The kitchen table is where resolutions are made, and the terms social support and community have meaning.

What we eat; how, when, and with whom we eat; these are all there at the kitchen table. Our goals for our fitness and health, for our children and ourselves; our fears of failure and change; and the comfort and support to get us to the next level are all there, too. I've even heard a breastfeeding mother's chest eloquently described as the baby's kitchen, "warm, comfortable, and smells like food."

I am passionate about many of the things that happen here around the table: healthy, sustainable and non-toxic foods, for example; healthy body image and how we share that with our children; the conversations that lead to our choices around birthing and breastfeeding; that intimate support for all of life's changes and choices. Over a steaming mug or a slowly warming glass, a plate of food or the preparations of another meal, we share this part of our lives with the people we trust most. Maybe that is why our bodies are healthier when we share our meals.

The kitchen table is where health communication happens in people's lives, and that is where we need to be to support people in their choices. Pull up a chair; we've been waiting for you.