By SAMANTHA GHOLAR
sgholar@newssun.com
SEBRING - She goes by the 'Food Nanny' and her mission is to get families back on the right track.
Liz Edmunds is an author, TV personality and speaker who works to make food and families better aquatinted.
For the past decade, Edmunds has become a huge part of Americans' homes as she revitalizes families tables and eventually their lives. The Food Nanny will be a guest speaker during the annual Week of the Family events in Highlands County next week.
"I was asked to come to Sebring to help the community figure out how to get dinner on the tables," Edmunds said. "What I do (on my show) is I go into homes and help families figure out how to get dinners on the table within their budgets, their allotted time and their lifestyles."
Edmunds has been using her own nutrition techniques in her home with her seven children for more than 30 years. The Food Nanny has a passionate stance on the state of Americans and their nutritional lifestyles currently.
"I started to wonder how other countries are still sitting down and having healthy dinners and conversations together ... how they were still making this happen on a daily basis. Countries like Turkey, Italy and Greece; these countries do this everyday. Dinners around the table have not been made a priority in America," Edmunds said.
With excitement and enthusiasm, Edmunds has created a plan that she feels will "change families lives".
"Families aren't communicating anymore. They don't have to. With texting and computers they're not even talking anymore ... The dinner setting is the most natural time to do that, to converse and talk to one another," Edmunds said.
With a simple meal plan that includes all the basic and needed nutrients from each of the food groups, the Food Nanny has created a lifestyle that not only nourishes the body but the heart as well. Edmunds feels that dinners with family members is "the most important thing throughout the day."
"I'm trying to inspire people with good food, not gourmet food. To give them something warm and yummy to look forward to each day. People say to me 'It's confining.' I say no, it's liberating," Edmunds said.
Edmunds goal during her Week of the Family appearance in Highlands County is to get families back around the table.
The Food Nanny will hold a lecture at South Florida State College in room G101 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday. The seminar is free and open to the public. Edmunds publication, 'The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner', will be available for purchase for $20.
Throughout the evening the Food Nanny will demonstrate and discuss her many tips, techniques and recipes that she believes will transform family dynamics, communication, eating habits and lifestyles.
"I believe every child deserves a place to sit down for dinner ... It is the one thing that will help us. It will change families and lives. I am so excited to be visiting and helping families," Edmunds said.
For more information about the Food Nanny's appearance next week visit www.highlandscountyweekofthefamily.org/ or visit www.thefoodnanny.com/.
Friday, November 02, 2012 - www.newssun.com/110212-sg-Food-nanny