Hi Byte Wellness Fam, 

Welcome, to the Legacy 100 ladies! I’m so pleased to add you queens to our Byte Wellness Community. More on Legacy 100 soon.

How are you feeling? I’m feeling energized.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of being invited to Philadelphia to participate in the the 2nd annual Legacy 100 Garden Party coordinated by Gweny (Love) Owens. What an experience that was! 

Before we get too deep into this story, make sure you scroll through this week’s discussion question below.

Discussion Question

• Think about the last time you had a food (or drink) craving. How did you respond to it?

Also, don’t miss the recording from this week’s #PhyteWellWednesday Workshop. We talked about how eating whole foods (as opposed to free and added sugars) can help us manage a whole range of issues like maintaining a healthy weight, minimizing menopausal hot flashes, and beating PCOS.  

But, in light of the first principle of wellness (balance), we also pointed out that cutting ALL free and added sugars out of the diet might not necessarily be in our best interest if it leaves us with endless cravings.

You be the judge. Give it a watch and leave a comment on where you stand.

Back to the Legacy 100 Garden Party…Not only did I get to see Gweny in all her community-organizing glory, but I got to break bread with so many of the women who have supported Gweny’s greening and wellness efforts for decades. 

These are strong, beautiful, thoughtful Black women who are committed to uplifting their families and communities. 

They are entrepreneurs, executive directors, leadership coaches, health and wellness practitioners, students, etc.

But, most importantly and regardless of their job title, they are manifestors…people who passionately take the roughest pieces of coal in our shared world and transform them into diamonds that help all of us thrive.

I don’t know about you, but I could use as many of those heart-warming experiences as possible.

You can connect with Gweny (Love) Owens and her community-building efforts on instagram at https://instagram.com/lovegweny

Whole Food Swap Ideas

So, how can we get smart about the nutrients we eat? Here are some ideas to get you started. They might not all work for you, but hopefully, they’ll inspire you to think about how you can inch more whole veggies and fruits onto your plate (and push off the UPFs).

1) Identify UPFs and highly processed foods (know what we’re putting in our mouths)

• Read nutrition label on package

• Look up nutrition facts online or on the menu if you’re at a chain restaurant

• Ask the chef/server what ingredients are in the food

Example: Getting a coffee or tea drink at Starbucks ask: “is there sugar or syrup added to that drink? If so, is there a way you can make it for me without sugar?”

2) be prepared to swap your UPFs out for non-starchy whole veggies (and fruits)

• Think ahead and prep whole veggie meals/snacks for the day or the entire week so you reach for those instead of UPFs

• Consider buying veggies and fruit that’s easy to prep (like carrot sticks or broccoli pieces that you don’t mind eating raw)

• if eating out, scope out the menu ahead of time to figure out which menu items have whole veggies 

Example: You might bring an apple and almonds to work so you can grab those as a snack instead of grabbing that candy with extra sugar/salt/saturated fat

3) get creative about how to replace risky ADDED SUGARS with whole food plants and all their plant magic phytonutrients:

• instead of adding orange juice to smoothie, use 1 or 2 whole oranges instead;

• instead of adding syrup to smoothie, try a banana or frozen berries

• instead of buying yogurt w fruit at the bottom (which usually has added sugars), but plain unflavored/unsweetened yogurt and add your own fruit (peach slices, blueberries, etc).

By the way, in my experience, unflavored/unsweetened yogurt tends to be less expensive than the flavored kind. Similarly, DIY smoothies are usually less expensive than store-bought ones.

So, your body and your pockets will thank you for the extra time and care.

Happy Healthy Living,

Dr. Wuse