Food Revolution Ambassador Rallies Kuwait

Food Revolution Ambassador Rallies Kuwait

Wed 24 Oct 2012

Story by Juna Taki Al-Awadhi
 

The Food Revolution is taking over the world and I am very proud to be part of this in my small country Kuwait.

The fact is, before healthy living and organic farming was the fad, I was raised in a house where my mom grew our vegetables in our garden. We had home cooked meals all the time, cooked by our loving parents.

The Love of Good Food



My mom taught us the importance of being healthy and physically active, and led a great example for us while we growing up, and my dad showed us the love of food, good food. He used to bring us new and interesting fruits and vegetables when we were young and through this exposure we gained a good knowledge of produce from all over the world.

As a huge advocate for health and nutrition, my dad used to sit with us after we’d eaten and discuss our meal, he also had a book we used to call the "Green Book" – a nutrition book filled with amazing facts about fruit, vegetables and nutrition, and we used to all sit around my dad with this book like he was reading us a story.

My older sister, Jumana, is actually a pioneer in this field in Kuwait. She started the natural nutrition scene in Kuwait in the late 90s. Her kids are her inspiration to develop and to ignite this revolution and my nephew, who is 8 years old, is also very passionate about being part of this health movement, always talking about wanting to start a Food Revolution here to help kids realize what junk food is doing to their bodies and brains.

In short, my family is the reason for my passion and I am blessed to have such an amazing supportive family that provided me with lots of love and guidance throughout my life.



Addicted To Junk Food



However, my story began when I turned 18 and left home to study medicine in the Mediterranean. When I left home, I also left my healthy life miles and miles behind me and instead was in a dorm room with hundreds of teenagers that knew nothing about a decent meal. I became addicted to sugar, caffeine, fried food, and junk food in general. Having gained more than 30 kilos and becoming beyond miserable, I experienced firsthand how such a diet can ruin lives on a daily basis and why we need to stop this insanity.

After lots of consideration and much support from my family, I decided to drop out of Medical school and go back home; this is when I really started my own journey of health and nutrition. I went back to my old routine of life where I became physically active and mentally aware of what I had done to my body.

I lost the weight, got back on track, started my studies again and have since graduated from one of the top nutrition schools in New York City, US, and hold 4 certificates in holistic and natural nutrition from the USA. I have also taken many healthy cooking courses in the UK, and many courses to enrich my life and those around me. It was destiny for me to be doing what I now do.

Changing The Way Kuwait Eats, One Family At A Time



Making a difference and spreading the knowledge about a good diet and looking after your body is what get me out of bed every day. We have accomplished so much in such a little time, and what's in store is even bigger and better. I am part of an amazing team of doctors, nutritionists, organic farmers, and many more health conscience people that got together to organize so many events to spread the Food Revolution in Kuwait.

Our mission started on the first Food Revolution Day on May 19th 2012, by organizing the Food Revolution Day special workshop in a local cooking school (Chef Boutique). Since then we have hosted many events, had a weekly healthy cooking segments on morning TV shows, published numerous articles and interviews in local magazines and newspapers, this week have also started school visits to teach kids about real food and the Food Revolution too! We’ve also collaborated with Al-Fanar Mall for the Healthy Eating Habits in the Holy Month of Ramadhan Workshop and we’re organizing organic gardening courses and healthy cooking classes too. 


Our slogan is ‘changing the way Kuwait eats one family at a time’, and my main goal is to find an ambassador for real food in every family in my small country. Change is coming and we are all very proud to be part of this great movement. Spreading health and knowledge is our mission, and we hope this ripple effect keeps growing.

About the author: Juna Taki Al-Awadhi is a Holistic Nutritionist and a Health Coach registered in NYC, a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, founder of Jadi Morgen, an organic food company and voluntary Food Revolution Ambassador for her local community in Kuwait http://foodrevolutionday.com/teams.