24/09/2026
Black women remain under-represented in nutrition research, and much of the advice that reaches us starts from someone else's biology.
This week I join Black Girls Can… to open their health series, For Those Who Go First, and that gap comes up again and again in our conversation.
You do not need to give up your mum's cooking to eat well. Callaloo, okra, black-eyed peas, sardines and sweet potato already give you the fibre, minerals and protein that kale-and-salad advice keeps promising.
What I look at is how we cook them, and how often a hard week sends us for whatever is quickest as opposed to what is the most nutritious.
In the episode I share three cheap foods that keep well and work in Caribbean, African and Western kitchens alike.
Work, caregiving and the pressure to be the strong one keep cortisol (your main stress hormone) raised for months at a time. That unsettles blood sugar, sleep and appetite, and a long shift without a proper meal adds to the strain.
Almost every plan I write centres around hydration, protein and fibre, because they steady the body before we ask anything more of it.
Progress, for me, looks like energy that lasts through the afternoon, sleep that leaves you rested, regular digestion and fewer days lost to pain.
If you work with me at Cell Based Nutrition, we start with the food you already eat, the hours you work and the body you live in today.
We also talk about how growing up with a 'clean your plate' mantra teaches us to eat past our own fullness, and what I would tell a fourteen-year-old if I had sixty seconds with her.
Mothers, aunties and big sisters, that answer is for you.
When did your body first tell you that pushing through had a cost, and what did you change? Tell me in the comments.
Nourish Your Body: A Nutrition Primer is now live! You will find the link in the comments, and Black Girls Can… release new episodes every Wednesday at 7am.
