On food and eating
A letter to my daughter
Drink some water
eat nutritious food
that enhances your mood.
Yes – that means some vegetables
but also bread and pies,
cream, pizza, curry –
the food that makes you high.
Listen to your appetite,
stop when you’re full
turn to your elders –
not the girls at school
because older women know
there’s more to life than thin
and your waistline doesn’t indicate
a lose or a win.
Ignore the skinny models
if they make you feel less,
wear whatever clothes you like:
baggy, tight, a dress.
But always aim for comfort
and clothes that fit you well
‘cause when you feel uncomfortable
everyone can tell.
But when you move through life
in clothes that feel right
you look as if you’re gliding;
you glow so very bright.
The last important message
is to move your body freely:
jump, dance, walk, run, cartwheel, stretch
get on a bike, do wheelies.
Enjoy the movement,
feel the burn,
breathe into your body
and soon you’ll learn
that as long as you move,
you can eat as you like –
cheese, crackers, chutney
followed by a hike.
But it’s not a game of calorie-balance
or in fact a game at all –
eat the food, move around
breathe deeply and stand tall.
Be proud of your physique –
whatever it may be –
enjoy what your body can do
not what people see.
Shun media that tells you
to look a certain way
and then you’ll feel free in
your body, night and day.
You can listen to me performing this poem