Food, Mood, and Ancestral Foodways
Interview start at time 6:33
Kimbralon B:
Let's get our praise. We get our hours and seven days a week. Everyone,
Kimbralon B:
welcome, welcome. Happy June Teenth. Hey everybody, it is your host timberland being hosts of under the scope, and you didn't stumble here grab the steak you are right where you supposed to be everyone. And let me tell you if you haven't dabba rinse today for Juneteenth like right now, Go ahead and take the meat off, grab your hot dog or something and come and give us an hour of your time today on under the scope. So a little bit about me, I'm Kimberly Lindsay, I'm a licensed professional counselor and Phoenix, Arizona, everyone. Yes, Texas is the original, and I'm here today to bring you greetings man I am excited. It's Saturday, you're here with me with us right. And so, I've been in the field for almost a decade now and I've worked with people from all walks of life, and my ultimate goal is just I want to just sum it up is to see people reach their potential whatever their potential look like Okay, so, because I'm such a mental health advocate, I wanted to get the word out about mental health and how it affects us and different areas of our life, but guess what, I said every Saturday. I can't do this all alone, so I had to go out and find fabulous Yes, right, from around the world to bring their knowledge skills and abilities right here on under the scope, everyone. But here's where under this bill got its name from right it's not because it's cute. So what happens is we in the gas will have dialogue amongst our sales. And then, after the break or towards the end, you, yes you and my live zoom audience. Now you and Facebook Live have an opportunity to ask our guests unscripted questions everyone, so who knows it's just gonna be great. You can ask anything right, even ask about that hot dog that you about to eat is should you eat it. Okay. All right, so information on under the scope is for conversational inspirational and educational purpose, and it does not speak you receiving a higher level of care or additional information from other professors, if you need it, and anything that we talk about on the show may not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Prayz.FM and that's the platform that we on and let me talk about this platform that we're on, I'm grateful to be here. Why, because it's amazing to the producer is amazing and I love her so much, but three. We are the 2021 Stellar Awards nominees. And the Stellar Awards will take place on July, 10 everyone, and who knows we're coming back with that W right everybody W Harned it up now for Prayz.FM radio 24 hours of music and shows everyone, you can catch the replay and other shows on here, my friends on here I jump on her show the Momentum Shift out here. We got all kinds of shows on here and I just love this platform and I am grateful for it. All right, so I want to go ahead and move forward y'all cuz I'm so glad that this guest came to the show because I there was a time I thought about like if I wanted to do it and I was like yeah, go ahead and do it right. And so I put a palace down I was like, if somebody is willing to come on the show, and our guest today said yes, and I was grateful for it because she was like, I can come on and bring knowledge about nutrition and mental health and I was like, yes, yes, because people got to understand that nutrition and mental health does go hand in hand, everyone, so my guest, Reynelda Jones, ya’ll sheis here, and I am glad that she's here, and I'm grateful and I had a good conversation with her. I only went to a restaurant two or three times after talking with her, so I hope she has enough knowledge to make you become more aware of what you're eating and how nutrition impacts our physical health and mental health. So without further ado enough of me gapping, let me give the train to the true conductor to let her drive this train. Without further ado, Reynelda Jones.
Reynelda :
Thank you, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this I'm, I'm honored and I love that it's on our Juneteenth, our Independence Day for Black Americans so I love that. And for those who are new to who I am, I Reynelda Jones I am located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I'm just so happy to be in Arizona, virtually. I am the owner and CEO and sole therapist at this moment, and A Solution B you can visit my site, which is ASolutionB..com And I actually provide holistic mental health so I work with women who are in high demanding positions, usually very stressed or overwhelmed or anxious, and they may show this in signs of how they're eating, because we tend to go to, greasy, salty, sweet foods when we're stressed, and so I work with them on how to take control of their lives, including the nutritional part to help with their healing.
Kimbralon:
Awesome, so I want to go ahead, and let's get started because I know you have a wealth of information because I've picked up so much when we had a conversation as well. So, um, alright so from what I understand, and I have a lot of knowledge about the human body, but can you give us a bit of background about that you get started into the nutrition and holistic health
Reynelda:
Yeah, so actually my, my undergrad is in anthropology, A Bachelors of Science in anthropology, and so usually when I'm presented, the focus is on the master's degree with clinical social work, but from the very beginning of early age I've been really, really trying to understand the human in all its functions, going into undergrad, I had to focus on anthropology and included knowing the human body but also how we function, culturally, and then how we function in an economic standpoint. When I went off to do social work and grad school was a little different so when I had my private practice, I'm like, okay I can go back to my, my roots of the human body that I've been fascinated with and how to incorporate that with mental health for my own clientele.
Kimbralon:
Nice, anthropology, that is. So I know you know I was teasing not teasing about it you know how people are eating that's probably watching now hopefully they're gathered around right, listening to the show. Okay, don't get too convicted just you know you can change after that last night though. I know that there are different styles of eating right, and would you say that these different styles of eating or diets.
Reynelda:
I wouldn't say so diet means something like a temporary thing that you're doing and has a time limit. So when I work with my clientele is more about how do we make this a part of your life, this is an ongoing part, you have to eat ongoing, but it's not to be restrictive is actually to add abundance too. So abundance in your health, abundance, physically, mentally, even knowledge as to, it can be spiritually because preparing food, even with family can bring a connection that you wouldn't normally have when it's just one person. So I would say it's more of a lifestyle change.
Kimbralon:
You know what I like about what you just said, it's not in y'all, this is not actually a word right here, she just said it's not restricted, and I think we think about that, she said it brings abundance, right, So that's I think we have to change our mindset there so I was glad that you shared that point. And so, um, so which of these nutritional styles do you tend to introduce to your clients when they're starting at the very first step, like me, for example?
Reynelda
Yeah, so the very simplest form that I put for my clients is, whole foods. Whole foods basically mean trying to get fresh fruits and vegetables that are or even meat that is as close to its natural state as possible. So, maybe having, for example, baked chicken versus fried chicken. Because there, there's an extreme difference that has to happen for this chicken to be created in nutrition that's removed for it to get to the texture that that happens. So if you get stuff as close to its natural state as possible, then you still have the original nutrients that our body was actually treated to have and to be fueled. So when I talked about nutrition and mental health. We actually talked about food more as a medicine versus as just something that you just suppose to have, it is a medicine, if what am I taking in my mind is supposed to help heal me it's supposed to help you, me, you know, versus harm me.
Kimbralon:
Got it, so I gotta ask you a question before I move on everyone. Yeah, this is my under-the-scope question. Okay, is rotisserie chicken, the same as baked chicken.
And then, never. Is it healthy, that's what I got to add sorry I gotta sorry everyone segways.
Reynelda
Rotisseries usually, you know, evenly cooked right because it's rotating so isn't vague, you know, the process is a little different but it still looks like the chicken, right, this, the skin is about the same as not, it doesn't go through the same changes as something deep fried with some of these memory oils.
Okay. I'm sorry I just had to ask everyone. So, uh, you know I was thinking I remember from our conversation you had mentioned something about an ancestral diet and I was like, and I wanted to ask you more about that when we were talking and I was like no, you know what this would be really good so I'm gonna save it for the show. So I do want to ask you about the ancestral diet and can you explain more about how this ancestral diet and how it works.
Reynelda:
Yeah, so The ancestral diet. So there are different ancestral diet so some are more for like, people who were originally here in Native American diet, then there's some for like the Latin X community and then there's like the Black Heritage ancestral diet, but the main focus is to eat as you normally would have eaten, have you not been colonized, you know, and so, before colonization. Not only that we eat things that were of the land but we also. It was also a spiritual practice because we content together we gathered together, gather food together we created food together. So not only were we just eating, but we were building bonds with each other and being communal and spiritual all at the same time. So when colonization happened, not only were our spiritual practices, and our gathering seemed disgraceful I mean there were laws, placed against these things that three or more people could even be together, the things that helped to bind disconnected us. And so, if we were to do that again in a modern way it would be, what do we eat in a modern way right some of the foods that we still eat today like okra, watermelon, black eye, peas, rice, hot peppers actually came over with our enslaved ancestors. These are things that we're still incorporating into our diets, but also after colonization, whose medicines, oils, chemicals, pesticides, preservatives, were also introduced, and our bodies weren't naturally made for these so they're showing up in health conditions and showing up in mental health issues. Our body's trying to adapt to it but may develop cancers that normally wouldn't have happened some of the health conditions that we are seeing now, aren't happening if you were to look at the past and the disparate. Some of these conditions aren't happening until Americanized foods or Americanized. restaurants are introduced into these into these islands or countries, some of our foods are actually banned and other countries, you know, certain products are banned, and we're still encouraged to eat them. So what does that saying when I got used to planning on feed, you know, other people outside of hearing the same thing. And so the ancestral diet is really about how to incorporate being communal being spiritual. And also eating from the land as well.
Kimbralon:
Got it, got it. Wow, you know, when you, When you brought that up. I've heard that before about like we have like a lot of banned foods that we eat over here in America this prohibited out of different countries, including third world countries that you know we reference those as third world countries, and I was thinking like, why is that?
Reynelda:
so, yeah. And the other thing about our foods, we tend to here in the United States we tend to center our meals around meat and ancestrally probably at the very, like if you get a pyramid and everything at the bottom of all the things you're supposed to eat. Are you a more frequently would have been like grains and vegetables and fruit, meat was the least of things. It took more work to get me, but we also, if you were raising a cow or a goat, you had to use that for so many different things, milk, selling it, So you wouldn't get rid of that right away, because you had to use it for so many different functions.
Kimbralon:
Wow. Last is on a lot of information, everyone. All right, so moving forward. I was just thinking, I hear diet I think you've touched on it earlier but I want to just bring it up again because like I just said like ancestral diet, and I see this term being used a lot right especially like early mornings before the regular shows come on everyone has this or that this weight loss here testimonials and everything. So when you work with your clients and I remember you said it's like a temporary word or something like that, do you use this phrase diet with your clients? and should people expect when they're working with you and they hear the term diet should they expect that to be like a weight loss program, necessarily?
Reynelda
So, when the first disclaimer is I get to my view finances, there's not a weight loss program now you may lose weight, secondary to making changes, you know, but the goal is to either like increase the clarity of mind or increase your energy. So, no I'm not a weight loss program, and I do have to be mindful that there are people who possibly have eating disorders, you can actually use the methods I use with eating disorders but that's not necessarily my specialty so I refer out with that particular issue. But in the beginning of working with plants I made mentioned, you know, they may say they done this and then I was like oh have you tried this diet, have you tried that diet, but as we move forward. I educate and we move the word, the language more to like foodways or lifestyles. So if you were to look online about ancestral diets, you will probably see more things like foodways or old ways used as a term, diet, tends to be the first thing I go to because that's the mainstream term and people knew that term, and understand it, but as we progress in their minds that changes we work on changing the term as well.
Kimbralon:
Got it, got it, because that's where it has a stigma attached to it. But I'm here and I want to eat more. So everyone that comes on, Under the Scope, I asked everyone this question regardless of working in the profession, or just, you know like a person in the community. So what is your definition of mental health.
Reynelda
So my definition of mental health is basically anything that's getting in the way of you functioning as, as a person or parent, or as employee. It is getting in the way to the point where you're barely able to function. And my goal with dealing with the women I tend to work with I work with some men to my specialty as women is how to get to a point where they don't have to get as far that they're so stressed that their body is dysfunctioning with them.
Kimbralon
Okay,so it brings more of that awareness to the whole person.
Reynelda:
Yes.
Kimbralon:
Yeah. I like that so I know we were getting close to taking a break, so that we'll come back with more good information because I don't want to rush this everyone so I do want to say before we go on break because then I'll talk about the song, thank everybody again in the livestream audience we have questions already coming in from now but already take you under the scope. Thank you, Facebook Live for tuning in, I can see you too. I see what you're doing, so make sure that you're commenting as well and if you have any questions, because this information is good, especially talking about nutrition, right, you normally don't just get this information anywhere you have to make appointments and anything so I hope everyone is benefiting from this, and if you have any questions like me with my baked chicken question, feel free to ask the question. Okay. And, again, praise bad FM this platform is amazing, and it has amazing shows on here. As I mentioned earlier, but I do want to say if anyone is interested before we go on break on having a show on this platform, content, Lady rain or contact me or go to praise that FM and contact us about having your show on this amazing platform, remember we're talking about eating today, there's room for everyone to eat at this table okay and we have nutritional value LM praise that FM. If you don't want to do his show, then if you want to sponsor a show where you want to be a part of the show you can sponsor also. Okay, we take sponsors, also for the show on this Stellar Award nominated platform. Alright so everyone we're getting ready to take a break so go grab your waters okay or go again finish that last part though, right, and I wanted to play a song and it was June teen, and it reminds me I'm home, back in Texas and there's a young lady by the name of one day, she has this song and it's called no cap, and I just want to display it for June teen her, Texas, all of that. Y'all got three minutes, go find out whatever, everybody wants return that phone call, text and tell them to give you about 30 more minutes, everyone, and we'll see you when I, When we come back.
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Part 2 After the Break
Kimbralon B:-Welcome everybody welcomes back this is Under the Scope, I'm your host, Kimbralon B sitting here with guests right now Reynelda Jones educating us about nutrition and mental health. I am glad that she's here, if you just now joining us, welcome, you'll have to catch the replay cuz she has dropped so much knowledge right, all I want to drink is water and eat berries from here on out because she has... I mean, I feel like, oh like guilty you know cuz I was thinking about going to somebody's barbecue today act and real fast. Okay, so I so I'm glad that everyone is here and I'm really glad and honored to have Reynelda on our platform, talking about nutrition and mental health, and I'm glad to be on this platform Praz FM This Stellar Award nominee 2021 July the 10th platform. All right, so back to the show, cuz I just want to just get all the information I can. So Reynelda that I know we, I asked you your definition of mental health, prior to the break-in big ups again to the song, No Cap by one day. So back to the show. I'm so bad with mental health, I want to ask you, how, how can people start addressing nutrition and mental health at home, or even in their communities?
Reynelda Jones: So first, on a personal level I encourage people just like my clients to become more in tune with your body. Your body tells you a lot. Before the severe signs, and so am I told you a lot too, so if you start feeling physical pain, headaches, brain fogginess anxiousness, 20 At least 20 minutes after eating, or, or even the next day, really pay attention to what you consume, and you may find that there are some things in your nutrition that could be impacting you, for instance, you know, a large percentage of the world is actually lactose intolerant, cow's milk. That's what we're talking about. And yet we're encouraged through that food pyramid. Who was it made for? For being encouraged to drink dairy, but if you were to look at the ancestral diet. One of the nice things on there is to be consuming dairy. So that's just something to think about if you get bloated or have severe bowel movements or headaches or gassy from having dairy that shows signs and you're either sensitive to it or lactose intolerant. You may need to make some adjustments so really pay attention to what your body is feeling and what you're experiencing.
Kimbralon B: Very good. I was gonna say yeah that's a really good answer because when he was describing some of those symptoms, those are things that we should really pay attention to because you know sometimes people first thing is like okay I'm having this you know stomach this I'll go grab something to soothe my stomach instead of thinking like, maybe I shouldn't. You know I should explore alternative options
Reynelda: As far as community, and you mentioned community, so as far as community, There are a few different things that can happen. One, starting a community garden, there are grants to help with funding for those sometimes churches with those. Starting a garden your own yard or container gardening, you don't even have a lawn, you can start growing your own things. They're very simple like herbs you can grow your own kitchen. Even finding ways to establish maybe a co-op, some type of co-op which is the community, investing in the community, building a, like a little grocery store and hiring people that are local, and also using local farmers, because some of the things that we're facing in our communities are food deserts and foods swamps. And I can go on and explain that a little more if you want me to just let me know.
Kimbralon B: Well, you know, we've heard of like food deserts because we have some present right here. Now, and Phoenix as a matter of fact, and probably over Arizona but I know Phoenix for sure, but I haven't heard the term food swamps.
Reynelda: Yeah. So, food swamps and food deserts, usually overlap, they're usually together. So food deserts, basically, a community does not have access to fresh produce, they have to travel miles out to get it. And this probably started this systemic issue because it started with red line, but food swamps, is, you do have food in the area, but it is, again, his food that is low in nutrition and is highly fried, you know, that goes to fried food again. It taste, you know is enticing, but isn't is not benefiting and is usually this usually happens in low income areas and in also areas where there is a high black population. And these are some of the barriers that are happening.
Kimbralon B: Would you say this other cell type question but what you say, fast food restaurants are considered food swamps?
Reynelda: They will be considered food swamps because I mean, they have food is just not the nutritious high value, quality foods that were really made for now just because you go to a fast-food restaurant doesn't mean there aren't healthy choices, right, you can still get a grilled chicken sandwich, you can still get a salad, but, you know, most people aren't. That's not, that's hard isn't really advertised, and they use seduction, using our senses on commercials..., wants to get the fried chicken versus the grilled chicken, you know, like they do, they do
Kimbralon B: and they get some of us, not me. Most of the time we go. So you know with that stand on with the mental health pieces that's what I like to talk about on Under the Scope, what are some of the, I think you just mentioned this, are there any other barriers that can exist when it comes to nutrition and mental health, outside of like the food swamps and food deserts.
Reynelda: So some of the other barriers are that we're not even educated on. We're not educated on again how to prepare fresh foods. We used to have classes that would teach it, but now if you go into a school system, it's probably more like you can warm up a microwave in a microwave, you know, there's nothing that shows how to grow food, how to cook. And then the other issue is that, even if they're giving classes to teach kids how to eat healthily, the parents are the ones that are providing the food so really the information needs to go to the parents, so they can know, be aware of it but also be able to obtain the programs. So and so that's the other thing, if you were to have gone into a grocery store over 50 plus years ago, half the products in there wouldn't have existed. You know, So a lot of these things aren't even again are continuing to be man made, and not really for us and then they add things that say added calcium added this because we are actually deficient in calcium we're deficient in vitamin D deficient in magnesium and other minerals, and when you have a deficiency in those things. It can present as depressive symptoms not having energy, mood disorders, and some other issues.
Kimbralon B: Okay. All right, I really liked again what you mentioned about whole-body wellness. So, um, are there any other approaches that you utilize when working with your clients?
Reynelda: Yes, so I utilize auricular ear acupuncture. So this is five points in the year, acupuncture points in the year that I'm trying to do with detoxifying the body. Some of the major organs, but it also helps with dealing with grief reducing cravings, even becoming more in tune with yourself and for some of my clients, it improves their sleep. And then I also throughout the year may do an annual Tea Meditation. I do the tea meditation technique, which, if you go to my website, www.ASolutionB.com, you can actually join the waitlist, to be invited for the next one. And at the end of the year I tend to do this type of Blanket Solution. So individuals come they actually learn how to make Thai blankets, but they're also learning mindfulness on there in Tye Blankets are then donated to children and families that need support and need a little bit of warmth, and even imagination, because you can use the blankets for so many things when you are a child.
Kimbralon B: Yes. Okay, thank you so far for giving this information and I know that you mentioned your website, but we're getting ready to take you Under the Scope, but before we do, I wanted to give you an opportunity to share any other events books resources where we can find you.?
Reynelda: Okay, so in September, I will be speaking at the Black Mental Health Symposium about Nutrition Mental Health and Racial Disparities in the Black Community. So some of the things that we touched on in here. In October, I'll be talking through NAADAC and I will actually be addressing Introducing Holistic Practices to Recovery for people because even though mental health counseling is very beneficial. There are a group of people, especially people of color who know that there are different forms of healing and they're not getting introduced to it, and again it goes back to ancestral ways of healing, there's more than one way to do it. And in addition to that I do have products. And so I have my Worthy Royalty, Self-Care Planner and so yeah so you can do if you get 25 self-care tips, sent here. Then you also can plan yourself here, and then there's also like little coloring pages but at the end of each week unless you go through it okay, how was this self care beneficial How can you incorporate it more. And then I have my Self-Care Cards. So there's like something self-care tips in here you just pull a card, and you actually can use them together, because it gives you ideas. And so anything that takes five minutes and 10 minutes there's nothing that takes a lot of time. And so today, since this is Juneteenth you can get 20% off just using the promo code by Juneteenth,
Kimbralon: I am getting one okay you, you have been holding back I should be fine. I'm getting mine today for real.
Reynelda: There's so much knowledge on my website I have guests. Yes, therapists have blogged on here so the most recent one is about Gut Health and Mental Health. And then, a one before that is about ADHD and nutrition. So check those out!
Kimbralon:Nice. All right everyone, so that is the end of my question so guess what time it is normally yes what time it is, it is time to go Under the Scope, I don't have to calculate me so I got it. All right, so the way it works live zoom audience I know I have questions here if it's your question, I can call your name and you can ask or I can ask for you, Facebook Live, ask questions now. Come on, it's not so often that you get this information, especially when it comes to nutrition.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
