March to Your Own Beat
“Soul food is not killing black communities; modern food apartheid and the industrialized US food system is. ”
Happy Wednesday!
Spring really has been showing out! I hope you all are having a great month so far and that you are staying hydrated in this warm weather. It also helps with allergy relief as well, so keep on drinking your water!
As I mentioned last week, it is National Nutrition Month and the theme this year is Fuel for the Future. As a market, we strive for this all the time, but it’s a good idea to remind ourselves sometimes, like this month. We partner with a group called Wholesome Wave GA to help us with this. They help make it possible for us to make your dollars go further at a local market.
We attended their network event this year, and it was so nice to be able to meet other markets and farms that are also partners with WWG. This will hopefully lead to more partnerships with more people and help our markets grow for the better, to better serve you.
When we think about nutrition, what comes to mind? For me, I have several thoughts that surface. Before I started learning more in my studies, I thought about how we should be eating more healthily. But what did that really mean? It’s a really broad term. Health looks different for everyone! When I started learning more, the meaning of nutrition started to change. I started thinking more specifically about eating and what we put into our bodies and how our bodies use those nutrients. I also thought a lot about this big scary word: DIET. It is synonymous with nutrition, it seems. It doesn’t have to be, but our society really hammers that in for us. What we eat is our diet, in the strictest sense of the word, but diet often brings to mind restrictive eating habits.
As I learned more about nutrition, my idea of what it should look like changed. I began to see that we could eat and it would nourish our minds as well as our bodies. Food can be a comfort and still be nutritious. It didn’t mean that my comfort foods changed from macaroni and cheese to a salad, it meant that I could enjoy my mac and cheese and not feel guilty about it. I could also eat that salad, but add more to it because my body actually needed more calories than the salad had. It also meant that I added movement and healthy mental habits to my days. Nutrition isn’t just about consuming calories, it’s about connection with your body.
One of my favorite nutritionists talks about food from a cultural perspective and how erasing culture from our plates isn’t healthy. She really makes me think about how food is a way that many of us connect with each other as well as our cultures. Many cultures use food to connect with community, family, and even ancestors! When we start to take those foods away, we disconnect ourselves from these things. This can lead to depression, weight gain, and much more. Dr. Kera Nyemb-Diop is known as The Black Nutritionist on social media. She has really helped to educate me about cultural foods and that food is so much more nutritious than just feeding our appetites.
She was featured in Forbes, where she talks about how cultural eating is being erased and how that affects communities and individuals. You can also find more about her work on Instagram.
Here’s a lineup:
Mitchell from Buckwheat Farms and Morgan from Urban Harvest will have various microgreens at their booths! XO Tigerlily has wonderful dried herbs and spices, teas, and more. We will have Bon Bon Bakery, Ms. Shirley, Marie’s Baked Goodies all there with wonderful sweet baked treats. Jams Jellies Jewelry and More and Rosa Ray’s Farm Fresh will also be out there with wonderful jams and jellies, breads, and teas. And we can’t forget about the arts! Prachi Henna art and Sonder Collective will be at the park along with Jump 4 Joy Creations! Hank's Food Truck is a wonderful way to enjoy a late lunch or early dinner at the park! Mr. Porter will be there with his wonderful creations and he also has some beautiful produce for us as well! And to keep us all smelling delightful and our hands clean, Chemscentations has us covered!
We are always looking for more people to join our fun! If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a vendor at our market, follow the link below for our vendor application!
Just a hint of all the fun we have to offer! Come join us!
We are a partner market with Wholesome Wave Georgia to help make your dollars go further at our market!
Bring your SNAP/EBT card to the market tent to double your spending power!