Food for Thought: Grab Your Plate and Let’s Get to Work!

When it comes to what we consume, there are simple principles that we know well. Our food is fuel and we are what we eat. These sayings might sound cliche but they’re rooted in tradition many of us have forgotten. As a food advocate and nutrition coach, one of my goals is to unearth the practices that have sustained communities across the diaspora for centuries and to adapt this ancient wisdom for modern living.   

Growing up in Lesotho, Southern Africa, my grandmother taught me how to grow food and harvest it. In the winter, she would buy a sack of oranges — some would be for us, some we would re-sell. When oranges were in season and being sold or consumed close to where they were grown, we enjoyed them at their peak — when they were freshest and nutritionally richest. We might not have had a name for it but what we were doing was sourcing locally, eating seasonally, and working as organic farmers. Eating what was in season also meant keeping illnesses at bay. We were healing ourselves with food. 

In order for your food to be medicine, one has to know that you are an individual. Your body is unique. The food you eat will nourish you based on your traditions and where it’s grown. Therefore, what works for you might not work for someone else because your genes and biochemistry are different, and what you grew up eating was unique too. The study of nutrigenomics tells us the interaction of nutrition and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease. For example, if you're of African or Asian descent, you probably can’t digest milk. And while avocado and olive oil might be considered “healthy fats,” some people are more likely to gain weight on a high-fat diet.

When we talk about food, there’s both the food we eat and the “ingredients” that create a healthy environment. You see, there is what we feed our bodies via our mouths and what we feed our bodies through other channels. How are you nurturing your creativity? How are you managing your levels of stress? What are you doing to stay physically active? Eating healthy is one piece of the pie but other factors are just as important. For example, if you eat and remain inactive,  you’re not properly supporting digestion — moving helps your body absorb the nutrients it needs.

My intent is to reach out to you — anyone looking to make simple but significant changes to their lifestyles — and also the ecosystem that wants to support you but doesn’t quite know how (your doctor, your local supermarket, your employer). I will be sharing tips on cooking, how to shop for healthy food, and how we can feed ourselves in all areas of life as we work towards being healthier and happier. There will be resources for medical and nutritional practitioners as well, so that communities can work better collectively to serve you based on your unique needs.

Thanks for joining me. I can’t wait to start this journey together.