Sheryl Lee Ralph Shares Her Surprising Morning Routine—Plus Her Go-To Snack While Filming "Abbott Elementary"

As back-to-school season is in full swing, teachers across the country may be feeling the financial and mental impact after shopping for their classrooms with their own money. Fortunately, MadeGood and Emmy award-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph partnered up for a fund that will help thousands of educators.

The MadeGood Share Some Good Fund was created to help fund teachers who may be dipping into their own pockets for needed supplies—and it might be a more common occurrence than you think.

"According to the Department of Education, over 90 percent of teachers in the United States spend their own money on school supplies and other items their students need to succeed," the MadeGood release stated. "The need for some help is urgent, especially as Americans face inflation and economic headwinds this year that risk putting even more pressure on parents and teachers." You can nominate a teacher now through September 24 to receive $200 for school supplies through this fund.

To learn more about the fund, we chatted with Ralph about this recent partnership. Plus, the Abbott Elementary star shared a surprising part of her morning routine, her current favorite snack and her personal philosophy on eating well.

EatingWell: Tell us more about the partnership with MadeGood and the fund for teachers.

Ralph: I'm just very happy to be teamed up with MadeGood this season to help shine some light on the MadeGood Share Some Good Fund and reward 1,000 teachers in each the U.S. and Canada with money to assist with their back-to-school purchases.

EatingWell: Is there anything that you've learned through the teachers in your life that was surprising to you?

Ralph: My teachers were all very intentional in my life. They wanted me to understand that there were great possibilities for me in life if I rose to the occasion of my own life. I love that because that literally empowered me. My father encouraged me to think, and I realize that it's hard for some people to actually think, to be an independent thinker, to think for themselves and to think about things in general. So there was that, and one that I learned in kindergarten: be kind. Be good, be kind. I always think so often that so many of the things that I learned in kindergarten are things that should stick with all of us in life. Hold hands, don't litter, don't make the place dirty! Clean up after yourself—I'm still not that great at that, but I try to understand that everything has its place. Those are all things that can last all of us a lifetime.

EatingWell: Do you have a morning routine that you stick by?

Ralph: Yes, I love to talk to myself every morning. I love to encourage myself, I love to empower myself, I love to lift up myself and I have a nice conversation with myself everyday.

EatingWell: What's your favorite snack to eat while on set to keep you fueled?

Ralph: I have a new favorite thing on set now, and that would be the [MadeGood Mornings] oat bars. It's a soft oat bar, I love it. It's not too sweet, it goes perfectly with a cup of coffee with no sugar. I'm trying to wean myself off the sugar, and it's just sweet enough and I like it.

EatingWell: What does "eating well" mean to you?

Ralph: It means being mindful of what's on my plate and what's in my plate. Very often, people get their plate and they don't realize that you can divide your plate into four. In one fourth you want to put something green, in the other quarter you want to put a protein, in the other quarter you put a starch if you want and in the other quarter, dessert! If you divide up your plate like that, it's good for you. Watch what you eat, and please stop eating so much salt. The salt is just not good for us, we're all consuming too much salt and too much sugar. I know how we love the sugar, I know how we love the salt to taste, but we're just going a bit overboard. Another thing we need to do? Drink more water! Those are just some of the little things I do, for me.

We love Ralph's plate method that works for her, and it helps promote a balanced meal that will help her feel her best. Another way to build your dinner plate is leaving dessert on the side for later and adding another serving of veggies to make up half your plate. That way, your meal highlights fresh ingredients that will keep you satisfied for the rest of the day. Check out these easy plate method dinners for diabetes.