Food for Life: African American Culinary Heritage

TOPIC: African American Culinary Heritage & Foods For Weight Control

This is not a “diet” that asks you to walk around hungry or feel deprived. How can you lose weight, if needed, without skipping meals or limiting your portions? In a word, it’s all about FIBER. Plant foods have it; animal foods do not. Fiber is what makes us feel full, and, as a bonus, it also helps to control blood sugar levels, protects against certain cancers, and, of no small importance, it keeps us “regular.” Learn to comfortably fill up on whole foods and watch the pounds melt away. Enjoy some delicious high-fiber African American dishes.

Learn how to SHOP, CHOP & ROLL into our Food For Life virtual plant-based nutrition and cooking series by the Physicians Committee designed to honor and explore the history of African American culinary traditions. The series honors the ancestral ties of West African food ways that were brought to the United States through the Middle Passage and the culinary traditions, such as soul food, developed by African Americans throughout their history in the United States.

This course will also help participants seeking to prevent or overcome high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions that disproportionately affect African Americans. Depending on one’s perspective, this class is about losing weight, maintaining a healthy weight, or simply embracing an overall healthful diet . Much of the basis of the Kickstart is about making a qualitative shift in the way we eat as opposed to a quantitative shift. For some people, it’s the first time the idea of not restricting amounts of foods but rather choosing the right foods has been the guiding principle for losing weight and staying healthy.

Dietary choices have a surprisingly effect on our health. Learn that health-promoting foods, recipes, and meals can be easy, convenient and tastes great! Each class includes NEW RECIPES, live food demos and hands-on cooking with Stefanie's in-depth food prep knowledge, Q&A, recipes, educational materials all in a supportive group.

Recipes are designed to work for people on a budget who may also have minimal time or access to equipment. More importantly, every class and each ingredient supports a low-fat, plant-based diet plan that has been proven to prevent, manage, and in some cases reverse chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, obesity, and even some forms of cancer.

This event is hosted by Plantspiration® and taught by Stefanie Ignoffo , founder of Plantspiration®

Stefanie is a Plant Interventionist, Certified in Plant Based Nutrition, Licensed Food For Life instructor with the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine and has successfully completed the Lifestyle Medicine for Coaches from Wellcoaches® and American College Of Lifestyle Medicine for Coaches

Food for Life is an award-winning nutrition education and cooking class program that provides an innovative and evidence based approach to diet-related chronic diseases. Designed by physicians, nurses, and registered dietitians, Food for Life promotes healthful eating based on the latest scientific research.