The old adage is true - "you are what you eat!" It's true for men and even more important for women because women feed the world.

On a global scale, women actually "produce more than half of all the food that is grown. In sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, they produce up to 80 percent of basic foodstuffs. In Asia, they provide from 50 to 90 percent of the labour for rice cultivation. And in Southeast Asia and the Pacific as well as Latin America, women's home gardens represent some of the most complex agricultural systems known."

So, when you think about food - think about women entrepreneurs and their power to control the health and welfare of this generation.

Food provides the nutrients, the nourishment substances in food, that are needed for the growth, development and maintenance of our bodies' functions. Without the appropriate variety of food, we put ourselves at risk for diseases such as type II diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Today our American diet is ladened with processed foods which include chemically altered fats (trans-fats) and sugars - not to mentioned dyes that have no nutritional value at all.

So, we should be asking ourselves - what happened to the diet of our ancestors? Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole dairy products, whole grains, unprocessed meats, chicken and fish.

Food didn't have to be enriched or fortified because nothing was taken out of it in the first place so nothing had to be added back in. Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents ate farm to fork without even thinking about it. They also bought and ate seasonal foods. The grocers, markets, farm stands of yesterday sold fresh food that was brought in mostly from local sources. No wonder many of us are so excited to see a return to the concept of an open air Farmer's Market in our cities and towns.

But, what does this have to do with women entrepreneurs you ask? Everything! Why? Because as I see it women entrepreneurs are the leaders of tomorrow with everything they do. Many women in small business are leading the way to encourage better nutrition for children and families around the world. Women's health is important since women are the nurturers in the family.

Eventually what women eat is what the family eats is what the community eats and so on and so on around the world.

Nourishing ourselves means less stress and better sleep which leads to less disease and a better immune system.

So here are my 5 favorite foods for women enterpreneurs to incorporate in their daily diets to stay healthy, defeat stress and live long:

A is for avocado - my favorite is from Florida and is called a Slimcado. "Despite having 50% less fat and 35% fewer calories than the avocados we know and love, SlimCados aren’t skimpy on other nutritional content; they are a great source of vitamin E, fiber, B-vitamins, potassium, zinc, and monounsaturated fat."

P is for papaya - Papaya fruit is a rich source of nutrients such as provitamin A carotenoids, vitamin C, B vitamins, lycopene, dietary minerals and dietary fibre

E is for egg - the incredible edible egg - They supply all essential amino acids for humans (a source of 'complete protein'),^[23] and provide several vitamins and minerals, including retinol^[24] (vitamin A), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), folic acid (vitamin B₉), vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

O is for oats - a cholesterol lowering, gluten free, soluble fiber food that is high in protein. Perfect for breakfast, a warm lunch or snack, or even supper with some fresh fruit puree stirred in.

S is for sweet potato -rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta-carotene (a provitamin A carotenoid), vitamin C, vitamin B₆, manganese and potassium.^[27] This delicious sweet starch will fill you up and make you happy all at the same time.

So these are my 5 wonderful, nutritious foods that can be incorporated into the diets of all ages. It's up to you to change how we nourish the next generation and how we make them the promise our parents made to us - to make the world a better place than they left it.

Thank you to wikipedia for some of the      nutritional information used in this blog.