More than a mother

More than a mother

by marlies|dekkers

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I became extremely aware of what I ate. After all, I was building a person, cell by cell! But even after those 9 months, even after I finished breastfeeding my daughter -who had grown gorgeously chubby on my milk- that awareness stayed. No matter how busy I was as a working mother, I made sure I spent quality time with Zilver, eating home-made quality food. Even if she sometimes preferred fast-food and sugary sodas…

Marlies: No chips, no candy, no soft drinks. It must have driven you mad sometimes, growing up with a health nut for a mother!
Zilver: (laughs) It did, actually!

Marlies: I remember you telling me when you were little: “When I leave home, I am going to eat only junk food and take-away pizzas.”
Zilver: Yes, I must have been 7 or 8. But shortly after I said that, during a road trip, I had my first Mc Donalds. I was so excited walking in there, but when I sat down to eat, I realized the food was absolutely terrible!

Marlies: I was so proud of the fact that you hated it! To me, it was a sign that I had done something right, raising you on healthy, mostly organic food. One of the reasons I made you eat all those fresh vegetables and fruit was because ultimately, those give you the most energy. And you were an incredibly energetic child; running around, lifting your friends, long after everybody else had run out of steam.
Zilver: I have actually grown to really appreciate that. When I need an energy boost now, I won’t reach for sugary sodas. As a matter of fact, you have instilled quite a few healthy food habits in me! I’m not as strict as you are about my diet, but I understand that eating organic produce, fish and meat is much better for both my body and the environment. A traditional Dutch meal of steak and potatoes is okay to have occasionally, but not every day.

Marlies: You recently saw ‘What The Health’, an eye-opening documentary that reveals the consequences of meat and dairy consumption for our health and the environment. It had quite an impact on you, didn’t it?
Zilver: First of all, it made me realize just how much you were ahead of the times with your ideas about food. I remember, for example, that I wasn’t allowed to have school milk, because you were wary of dairy.

Marlies: Fifteen years ago, people looked at you like you were crazy if you even dared to suggest that dairy might not be good for you!
Zilver: Exactly! Secondly, I was shocked to find out what the real price of a hamburger is; how much the earth has to suffer to get that hamburger on your plate. It made me feel like I really wanted to make a change, for me and the world!

Marlies: That makes me even more proud! You know that I always believed in being ‘more than a mother’. It is so important for a woman to keep dreaming and growing, especially as a mother. After all, you are your child’s most important role model! To be able to be a mother and more – in my case, to run my own company – I had to keep a very strict schedule. But no matter how busy I was, I always made time to have breakfast and dinner with you. Do you remember that?
Zilver: I do! And I loved being in the kitchen with you, watching you cook, helping you out. I really cherished those moments, and I still do. We both live hectic lives right now, and cooking together is the perfect occasion to catch up with each other, to take a break from all the craziness.

Marlies: In the end, I believe that a beautiful, healthy meal, cooked with care and eaten with the ones we love, is so much more than food for our bodies; it’s a feast for our souls.
Zilver: To many more feasts together! I love you!

Marlies: I love you too!

Most loved
fall|winter 20 preview

Marlies Says

fall|winter 20 preview

by marlies|dekkers

In January, I presented my newest FW20 collection during a show full of dance and entertainment in Rotterdam. All my work as a feminist designer is inspired by muses, powerful female icons from past and present. And for FW20, my muse will be crime writer Agatha Christie. A few months from now, you will get to discover the collections, and see how they tell stories like Agatha’s thrilling books do..

Running for your life

MD Friends

Running for your life

by marlies|dekkers

Dr. Bram Bakker is a psychiatrist, a writer, a runner and a provocateur. With his many bestselling books and columns – and yes, even his own theatre show – he urges us to think outside the box when it comes to our mental health. Not crazy about popping pills? Bram shared some interesting alternatives with me, from throwing out our phones to running ‘till we puke’.

Peas & peppers instead of pills

MD Friends

Peas & peppers instead of pills

by marlies|dekkers

General practitioner Tamara de Weijer believes that we would feel a lot better if we hit the produce stand before we visited the pharmacy. “On a massive scale, we have been putting the wrong kind of fuel in our bodies.”

Singles Day – You’ve Got this!

Marlies Says

Singles Day – You’ve Got this!

by marlies|dekkers

All the single ladies, listen up! With single women rapidly becoming the majority, it is high time to stop feeling singled out. This Singles Day, let’s celebrate our freedom and independence by sharing all those solo milestones that make us go: ‘You’ve got this!’.