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Let’s be honest. I used to think “better-for-you” meant kale, kombucha and no cookies. Sounded like code for no fun. Eating grass. Kissing flavor goodbye. It felt like a lifestyle I didn’t want. I’d like to think I’m not the only one. Then I became a husband. I became a dad. And I started paying attention.
Turns out, better-for-you can also just mean that you care. About how you feel. About who’s watching. About what really matters. Not just to what I was putting in my body, but to how it made me feel. More importantly, I started noticing that my kids were paying attention, too. How I showed up matters. My energy. My mood. My choices. It’s now all part of the picture I’m painting for my family. And one day it hit me. Am I giving my kids what they need, or just repeating what I knew? That question changed everything.
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This isn’t about perfection
Let me be clear. I’m not perfect. I’ve never been to a nutritionist. I’m not here to tell you to give up everything and eat steamed broccoli for the rest of your life. NEVER. I still love cookies. I still grab convenience when I’m in a pinch. I’ve got a real life, and so do you. But I also believe this: we all deserve better. Better food. Better products. Better energy. Better sleep. Better focus. Better labels. Better habits. Better lives. Not perfect. Just better.
And the best part? It doesn’t have to happen overnight. Maybe it starts with swapping soda for water once a week. Maybe it’s reading a label for the first time. Maybe it’s realizing that feeling bloated, tired or foggy isn’t just “getting older.” Whatever it is, it starts small. One change a day. One step a week. One decision a year. There’s no wrong pace. There’s only forward.
Related: Gen Z Can’t Get Enough of This ‘Grandparents’ Food — and Suppliers Can’t Keep Up With Demand
The standard is changing
“Better-for-you” isn’t a bonus anymore. It’s the baseline. People aren’t just shopping for taste or price. They’re shopping for how things make them feel. They want food that fuels them. They want products they can trust. They want brands that tell the truth. And yes, I’ve built a career supporting brands in this space. Some of them are premium. Some of them aren’t on every shelf yet. That’s real. But the mission behind them? That’s real, too. Everyone deserves access to better. That’s the direction we’re moving in. And if we’re doing it right, we’ll get there together.
What you normalize becomes someone else’s starting point
My kids are growing up in a world where they’ll know how to read ingredients. They’ll know how to ask questions. They’ll understand that how we eat connects to how we live. I didn’t grow up with that. Most of us didn’t. Actually, most of us weren’t even aware that this would be a discussion.
That doesn’t mean we can’t be the turning point. You don’t have to undo your past to build a better future. You just have to start. Start with what’s in your pantry. Start with what’s on your skin. Start with what’s under your sink. Start with whatever part of your day you can touch right now. Because once you notice the difference — how your body feels, how your brain works, how your energy shifts — it gets easier to keep going.
This isn’t just about food
We talk a lot about what we eat. But “better-for-you” applies to everything. It’s your toothpaste. Your shampoo. Your deodorant. Your laundry detergent. Your hand soap. What you put on your body matters just as much as what you put in it. It doesn’t have to be extreme, just a mission to be better.
Better shouldn’t be a luxury
Let’s be real. Sometimes it still feels that way. Better food costs more. Cleaner products aren’t always easy to find. That part frustrates me. But that’s also why I believe so strongly in backing the brands that are trying to change that. Because we’re not just investing in products. We’re investing in possibilities. Better-for-you can’t be a status symbol. It has to be a standard. And getting there means more people asking for better, choosing better and expecting better.
Related: Why Personal Health and Wellness Are Key to Business Longevity
Start where you are
If you’re still with me, here’s what I want you to know. You don’t need a six-week plan. You don’t need a personal chef or a personal trainer. You don’t need to overhaul your life. You just need to care enough to ask one question: Is there a better option? If the answer is yes, even once, that’s the beginning.
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being better. Better for your body. Better for your family, your business, your life. We don’t (and won’t) get it all right, but we do need to get started. Start with one thing. Then keep going. Better-for-you is just the beginning. Let’s build the rest from here, just a little bit better.
Let’s be honest. I used to think “better-for-you” meant kale, kombucha and no cookies. Sounded like code for no fun. Eating grass. Kissing flavor goodbye. It felt like a lifestyle I didn’t want. I’d like to think I’m not the only one. Then I became a husband. I became a dad. And I started paying attention.
Turns out, better-for-you can also just mean that you care. About how you feel. About who’s watching. About what really matters. Not just to what I was putting in my body, but to how it made me feel. More importantly, I started noticing that my kids were paying attention, too. How I showed up matters. My energy. My mood. My choices. It’s now all part of the picture I’m painting for my family. And one day it hit me. Am I giving my kids what they need, or just repeating what I knew? That question changed everything.
Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
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