1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Virginia Koenig, Director, Employee Benefits, 55

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

Actually, my health role model came into my life at age 42. Little did I know that I needed him at the time, but the teacher shows up when the student is ready to accept the teaching.
I met him at work, we became friends and then two years later – more than friends.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

He was an Australian swimming champion who had done extensive research into nutrition in order to enhance athletic performance. I was always active during my life and was interested in enhancing my athletic performance. He took me back to eating the way our grandparents and great – grandparents used to eat, back to the basics of fresh fruits and vegetables. All meals created from scratch, no packaged or microwaved foods. He helped me kick the addiction to sweet carbohydrates so that I no longer experienced the sugar rush followed by the insulin crash, repeated all day long. He also introduced me to flax oil.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

If I had not kicked my addiction to sweet carbos I would be a Type 2 diabetic right now. Back then, little did I know that that was the path I was walking. I am sooo happy I took his advice and stopped cold-turkey sweet carbohydrates. The first month was such a struggle. I now know what addicts go through when they stop taking their drug. Sugar was a drug for me.

Taking flax oil everyday helped me to drop 20 pounds in 6 months, and they never came back.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I try to share this with my nieces and nephews, but they’re kids and fortunately they burn up the sugar. As they get older, I will keep an eye on them and look for the opportunity to introduce this knowledge to them. Fortunately, one of my nieces has become a vegetarian, so she is very aware of her nutritional needs and eats lots of vegetable and fruits.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Be active! Get out and run around! That is so important in order for you to stay healthy and live a long life. I have no doubts that I will live to be 125 years old because I remain quite active.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

Not one that is geared towards nutrition.