Although Former First Lady Michelle Obama has been out of the White House for over six years, she continues doing the work she started in office. Earlier today (July 6), the Chicago native released an exclusive essay on Oprah Daily concerning the food industry.

Specifically, she spoke on its effects on children. In the article, Michelle opened up about her early years as a parent, including feeding her children prepared meals out of convenience. “Grabbing prepared foods becomes simpler than cutting up carrots. Ordering delivery is sometimes all you have energy for,” the former Harvard Law student wrote. Michelle shares two daughters — Malia, 25, and Sasha, 22 — with husband and Former President Barack Obama.

“I still remember taking one of my girls for a well-child visit and having the doctor tell me that all those simple choices I was making were negatively impacting her health. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve had as a parent — and one of the biggest wake-up calls of my life. I was a little scared, and also a little exasperated,” she added.

Michelle continued, “When Barack and I got to the White House, I saw it as a chance to support parents as they’re trying to raise healthy families.” While serving as the nation’s first lady, Michelle launched Let’s Move to combat childhood obesity. Through her campaign, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act established new standards for the nutrition of school lunches.

This year, the 59-year-old Princeton University graduate co-founded PLEZi Nutrition. It’s a food and beverage company that offers healthier options for kids. PLEZi released a line of juice drinks in May with no added sugar. “There’s no perfect solution that will work for every single kid, let alone millions of them,” she wrote. “But my time as first lady taught me that the food industry plays an outsize role in the fate of children’s health.”