Dinner party etiquette teaches us that the proper order of service is for the host to serve themselves last.
Even when serving your family, the cook is typically the last to sit down and make a plate. I would always tell my family, “start without me.” I was always making sure the oven was off and grabbing whatever I forgot for the table. I preferred they not wait on me and get it while it was hot.
Of course, growing up for a while, we ate together at the table and no one ate before everyone was seated and grace was said. (That was short-lived.)
When you have kids, you always take care of them first. Get them situated. Cut up the food if they need help.
Always last.
So what do I mean when I say, “Serve yourself first?”
I mean take care of YOU first! If you don’t take care of YOU, you will be unable to care for anyone else. (If you need to!) It’s time to get a little selfish. Self-care is important and one of the best ways to love yourself is to eat well! Your food should serve you. Every decision about what to eat is an opportunity to improve your health.
Click here to listen to audio of my Seasons to Taste Newsletter.
Since my audience tends to be older, or “seasoned” (As I like to call us!) chances are, the kids are gone or on their way out! (They might come back. You’ve been warned!) You might only have you to take care of and there are advantages to this. MANY. Trust me! No picky eaters to contend with. No one else’s preferences to consider. It’s all about YOU! And for many of us, isn’t it about time?
Now, you know, I’m not really trying to make this a black thing. These words and pretty much everything I say or do is intended to benefit everyone. That said, tragically, my peeps need to hear this more. And, that’s not me speaking ya’ll. Those are statistics speaking.
African Americans are 80% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. We are 4 times more likely to suffer kidney failure and 3.5 times more likely to experience amputations. Better worry less about those pedicures and more about keeping those toes!
What we eat impacts everything. Preparing our own meals allows us to have complete control over what is going into our bodies.
My goal is to help “US” and anyone reading or listening to take better care of ourselves, and in the process, our loved ones.
I want you to learn to serve yourself healthy, uncomplicated, seasonal, balanced, and delicious meals.
Did you know that a huge percentage of those that succumbed to Covid had one of these three underlying conditions?
Diabetes
Heart Conditions
Obesity
Most of these conditions can be avoided, reversed, or improved upon based on what we eat. These are diet and lifestyle diseases.
In addition, you can use food to boost immunity. Let’s not just rely on drugs and vaccines. We can take an active role in boosting our own immunity with the food and lifestyle choices we make daily.
So, what do those three conditions have in common other than playing a huge role in Covid deaths? They are conditions that disproportionately affect the African American communities.
In other words, these are the issues that are mostly avoidable and CRACKING OUR BLACK!!!!
So, what can we do? Get to the farmer’s market! Any market? Start filling your basket with fresh, organic, vegetables. If we eat more vegetables, we will eat less of everything else! Start with just five servings, but aim for at least seven. It is not as difficult as you might believe. This effort alone will lower your risk of disease and premature death by a whopping 42%.
If you don’t have any of these diseases, there is a high probability you can avoid them with some dietary and lifestyle changes. You are never too young or too old to start! You can improve and even reverse these conditions as well. That vaccine won’t protect you from everything, but your immune system can! Feed it well! And, just as important! Keep it moving!!!!!