Byte for #BlackGirlMagic
High-quality food fuels all the good we do for the world, our families and our chosen communities. When we prioritize what we eat, we internalize the reality that our lives matter to us and countless others.
Byte Wellness is ready. Are you?
Why Byte Wellness?
Byte Wellness was created by a Black woman (and Family Medicine physician) to empower other Black women to reach their wellness goals. We do this by delivering wellness education (courses and guides) that specifically address the health-related effects of racism and sexism that level the wellness playing field against us.
Want daily support with plant-based eating tips and other wellness lessons texted to your phone? Become a Healing Member for only $9.99 each month. Click here to learn more.
Byte’s education programs use the science of nutrition and behavior change to:
Break habits and nudge you toward your eating goals…all while working smarter, not harder
Teach you how to use food, movement and mindset to your wellness advantage IN SPITE of the health-related effects of racism and sexism
Our text message-based wellness education meets you where you are and helps you transform your mind and body at a fraction of the cost.
Together, we’ll tackle the little issues that cause big problems (no time for meal prep) and end overwhelming cycles like emotional eating. Best of all, it all starts with a text message. No waiting for downloads or a call back. Byte support is responsive and at your fingertips right now.
WHY DID WE CHOOSE BLACK WOMEN?
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. ”
In the US, Black women face staggeringly poor health outcomes compared to women of most other ethnicities. We call these health disparities. The US government initiative Healthy People 2020 defines a health disparity as “a particular type of health difference [across racial, gender or other characteristics] that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage”.
Over the last 2-3 years, the most infamous health disparity facing Black women has been our high rates of maternal mortality. It has made front page news at outlets like CNN, which linked Beyonce’s and Serena’s difficult deliveries to the greater trend. They pointed out what public health researchers have known for some time. Compared to White and Hispanic women, Black women are more than 3 times as likely to die during or shortly after childbirth.
Fatal childbirth isn’t the only terrifying health disparity facing Black women in America. According to 2011-2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control:
Black women are TWICE as likely as White women to die from heart disease before age 75.
Data from: https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/chdir/2011/factsheets/CHDStroke.pdf
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Black women. Cancer is next.
Of Black women under 75 years old, nearly 38% died from coronary heart disease (clogged blood vessels in the heart)
Black women are TWICE as likely as White women to die from heart disease before age 75.This gap is larger than the one between Black & White men.
Nearly half of Black women over 20 have high blood pressure
More than half of Black women over 20 years old qualify as obese
Making Sense of Health Disparities:
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Given the circumstances, we’ll start with the bad news, and work our way towards the good.
The Bad
Compared to White women, Black women in the United States are dying early and often- mainly from preventable causes. In the brief time we’re alive, we suffer from high blood pressure and carrying too much weight. In the long run, these conditions lead to death from heart disease and stroke as well as obesity-related cancers. In the short run, they cause pain, discomfort, disability, increased healthcare costs, and missed days of school and work. Seems like a real lose-lose situation.
The Ugly
This is not happenstance. According to the full Healthy People 2020 definition, health disparities are the result of systematic discrimination in health-related resources like education, employment and access to high-quality foods. This “systematic discrimination” is also called structural racism. We start to realize that racial health disparities aren’t caused by racial differences… they’re caused by RACISM. Stack on the disadvantages of sexism and we see just how much the wellness playing field is leveled against Black women.
The Good
We’re not sitting ducks. In the medical and public health literature, there are 4 decades of scientific studies that explain how the overwhelming majority of the diseases we die from could be prevented by adopting healthy habits like eating a plant-based diet and exercising on a regular basis!
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then once you know better, do better.”
What we put into our bodies daily sets off a chain reaction of wellness or disease. In the case of Black women, our collective eating habits are at least partly responsible for killing us entirely too soon. But, doctors agree that shifting eating habits away from highly processed foods and sugary drinks and towards more plants, can prevent lifestyle-related diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease from developing. Shifting to a plant-heavy diet can also slow (sometimes stop) the progression of those diseases in people who already have them.
So, what do we change, and how do we do it?
At Byte, we LIVE to answer these questions! We’ve created a program that uses text messages to help you:
Learn the basics of nutrition: understand what foods build you up and which break you down, so you can make an informed decision about your meals
Challenge yourself to make changes like cutting back on sugar- one small step at a time
Build your skill in prepping meals that strengthen you and your family…without sacrificing flavor