I LOVE FOOD! I also love to cook. There was a time when the topic of food centered more on survival and less on an epicurean delight. Foodie is the term often associated with me by friends and family. In fact, I was so well versed in food that I recall a time when I lived in Boston that I frequently was asked, “where is a good place to eat?”

Then the conversation turned to my inquiry of cuisine, atmosphere and budget. In just a few minutes I could recommend several options that would satisfy just about any craving callers had. I seemed to hit a home run each time. It was also a time when I spent hours in the kitchen preparing favorite dishes from ingredients I sourced all over town. I could easily travel to half a dozen different stores to acquire just what I needed to return to my kitchen and delight in the meal that was to come.

I also had a friend who had studied to become a social sommelier. I learned a great deal about wine during those years and discovered just how much I appreciated red wines. Food and wine had become a significant topic in my life and I was always excited to learn more about the foods I ate and the wines I drank. It was such an important development in my life that I eventually designed a kitchen where I could entertain my friends and family while I emersed myself in one of the most interesting hobbies I’ve ever had. Food preparation. I even spent years in the restaurant business where I could learn even more about my favorite topic.

In time my passion for food became even more important when I began training athletes. I learned how important it was to eat well and pay attention to the ingredients I used to make those delicious meals. One cuisine in particular that held my attention was Italian food. I eventually explored a host of different types of food and soon I became somewhat of an expert in the kitchen. Over time that changed.

Like so many of us in today’s hectic world, I learned to economize when shopping, cooking and eating. I also learned that where you live weighs heavily on what you can access and how often you have the ability to find what you are looking for in preparing a meal. It all takes time, money and commitment. Those are three things not all of us have in plenty. So changes must be made. One thing that does not change is that our bodies require attention when choosing what we eat. There are so many considerations to take into account that it can be easy to cut corners until what you are left with is fast food, cheap ingredients and eating on the run.

The fact is that when we stop paying attention to what we eat, the lack of attention shows in how we lead, how we look and feel, increased time spent addressing nutrition deficit from a medical standpoint, and how we treat one another. Leader remember, people don’t leave jobs. They leave the people who lead them into work despair. So in this month’s blog we are going to explore some of those consideration I mentioned above. Perhaps after you read my August blog, you will give the importance of food a higher priority.