If We Are Healthier, Aren’t We Safer?
Health is a critical safety issue, and leaders—especially in the trades—should address diet, avoid harmful ingredients like seed oils, and promote wellness to boost energy, clarity, and long-term performance.
Back in December 2024, I shared a message about diet and wellness. After spending this summer in France, I feel even more convicted about how critical this conversation is, especially for those of us in the trades.
I spent a week at Camp Chateau, a summer camp in the French countryside just for moms. There were about 54 women that week, including a group of ten of us all friends in the construction industry. It was peaceful, powerful and surprisingly enlightening when it came to food.
One of the biggest surprises was every woman with a gluten sensitivity (including me) had zero issues eating bread in France. No bloating, no fatigue, no inflammation. Just warm, crusty, delicious bread that felt nourishing and not toxic.
It makes you wonder: why can’t we eat bread like that in America?
The answer lies in our broken food system.
From heavily processed grains to toxic additives, we’ve normalized ingredients that our bodies were never designed to handle. One of the biggest offenders is seed oils.
These oils like canola, soybean and corn oil are in nearly every packaged food and restaurant meal. They’re highly processed, unstable, and cause inflammation at the cellular level. Eliminating seed oils is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reclaim your energy, mental clarity, and long-term health.
Thankfully, change is coming. The FDA recently announced it will begin phasing out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the U.S. food supply, which you can read about that here. But we still have a long way to go.
As leaders in this industry, I’m challenging you: Are you talking about health and wellness in your safety meetings? Health isn’t a luxury; it’s a safety issue. You can’t lead a team, climb a ladder, or make big decisions if your body is inflamed, your brain is foggy, and your energy is gone by noon. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware.
And if you’re a business owner, a leader, or someone who shows up for others every day, you owe it to yourself and your team to pay attention and educate. Because when we’re healthier, we’re safer, and that’s something worth fighting for.
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