Hi Byte Wellness Fam!

How are you feeling?

I’m channeling Brittney Griner wife, Cherelle Griner, and the gratitude she showed when the WNBA superstar and Olympic gold-medalist was released early from what many considered to be a disproportionately harsh prison sentence in Russia.

With poise and grace, Cherelle managed to be a vocal advocate of her wife during her nearly 10 months of imprisonment all while finishing law school and studying for the bar.

Cherelle is an exceptional human. But, unfortunately, her experience isn’t so unique. Remove Russia from the narrative, and the Griners’s tragedy is far from rare in the U.S.

According to the Whole Pie 2022 Report from the Prison Policy Initiative, 113 million adults in the United States have a family member that has ever been to jail or prison.

In fact, the numbers of incarcerated women in the U.S. continue to skyrocket (growing by more than 8-fold in the last 3 decades, according to reporting by Just Security.

This week, from a press podium in the White House, Cherelle’s experience became even more relatable. She summed up her feelings about Brittney’s release with a universal sentiment: “Today my family is whole”.

Isn’t that all any of us wants, really…for our families (assigned and chosen) to stay whole or become whole again?

Watch the broadcast from this week’s #PhyteWellWednesday below. Text LOVE to 1(224)302-6224 to get an invite to next week’s workshop.

What does it take for you to feel that your family is whole?

For me, keeping my family whole means that my loved ones feel secure and are, in fact, safe to pursue their wildest dreams. It means that my loved ones have the opportunity to thrive in every way possible.

Increasing our families’ chances of thriving means protecting them from police brutality and over-incarceration as much as it means helping them adopt habits that will lower the risk of harmful weight gain (obesity), high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

That’s why, every week, we break down the science behind habits and health in the Self-Love Letter you’re reading now and in our #PhyteWellWednesday Workshops.

This past week, we started a month-long conversation on how to prepare delicious plant-based meals.

These lessons are a sneak peek of our Share & Savor course with THE vegan Chef Araba. We’re refreshing the course to offer over the next few months. So, if you like what you see/hear, shoot me an email or text to get on the waitlist and be notified when the course launches.

Watch the vid above to see one of the conversations we had in the first week of the Share & Savor course.

In it, we shared our experiences making Chef Araba’s Tomato and Avocado Salad (which doubles as a dressing). We also we talked about how the heart-healthy anti-inflammatory Omega 3s and Mono-Unsaturated fats packed into the whole foods in this recipe can lower our risk of chronic conditions like heart attack and stroke.

Omega 3s in Araba's Salad Recipe*:

• Avocado 

Monounsaturated Fats in Araba's Salad Recipe*: 

• Olives

• Olive Oil

• Almonds

• Pecans

More Omega 3 foods to Add to Salads:

• Tuna

• Sardines

• Mackerel

• Walnuts

• Almonds

• Flax Seeds

• Chia Seeds

• Flaxseed Oil

• Canola Oil

• Sesame Oil

• Soybean Oil

• Algae/Seaweed

Aaaaand, don’t forget to answer the discussion question below!

Discussion Question:

Question: what keeps you from eating more fruits/veg?

Happy Healthy Living,

Dr. Wuse