Celebrate Black History Month With Food for Life Plant-Based Cooking Classes

Food for Life classes being offered during Black History Month include the African American Culinary Heritage class series, which honors the ancestral ties of West African foodways 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.

Food for Life class series will also focus on a plant-based diet for preventing or treating heart disease; type 2 diabetes; cancers including breast, colorectal, and prostate; and hormone-related conditions including menopause and thyroid disease.

Research shows the health benefits of adopting a plant-based diet for high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, all chronic diseases that disproportionately affect Black Americans.

“I’m dedicated to empowering others to discover how plant-based nutrition can prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic diseases while aiding in weight loss,” says Shauné Hayes, who will be teaching The Power of Your Plate class from the African American Culinary Heritage class series online on Feb. 27 for St. Peters CME Church in Kansas City, Kansas. “My mission is to show that healthful, plant-based meals can be simple, practical, delicious, and fun, making it easier for people to embrace a lifestyle that promotes long-term health.”

Shauné, who was recently featured in The Power Foods Diet by Neal Barnard, MD, began her journey in 2017 when she set out to improve her health after experiencing chronic illnesses related to obesity. Through a gradual transition to a whole food, plant-based lifestyle, she managed to lose 117 pounds and successfully reversed several health conditions, including stage 1 hypertension, prediabetes, borderline high cholesterol, chronic arthritis, lower limb muscle fatigue, joint pain, and even infertility. This transformation not only changed her life but also fueled her passion for educating others about the profound impact of plant-based nutrition on health and well-being.

Beginning Feb. 18, Food for Life instructor Deron Day, who is based in Lexington, S.C., and lives by the quote “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” will be teaching the African American Culinary Heritage series online.

At Belmont Baptist Church in Raymond, Miss., Food for Life instructor Charles Smith will be also teaching classes from the African American Culinary Heritage. Charles’ effort to improve his diet began 20 years ago at his church, where he and his wife Gail serve as children’s pastors. After a one-month no-meat fast, Charles experienced a new level of energy and never returned to eating meat. In the years that followed, he removed more animal products from his diet, going from following a pescatarian, to vegetarian, and finally, a vegan diet.

Food for Life class participants have shared how the classes have helped them transform their health and lives.

“Quality of life got better,” says Timothy Merl, who took a Food for Life class in Reston, Va., with Green Fare Restaurant, a Food for Life institution. “I’m a little lighter in my shoes—not just the weight, but the way I feel physically.”

“I reversed diabetes, I’m off my diabetic medication, I’ve lost the extra 47 pounds, I don’t have to take my rheumatoid arthritis medication anymore, and I went from taking 19 pills a day to three pills a day,” says Naneita Redrick, who took a Food for Life class in Montgomery, Ala., with Food for Life instructor Carolyn Strickland.

Eight percent of Black Americans identify as vegan or vegetarian, compared with 3% of all Americans, according to a Pew Research Center survey. A Gallup Poll found that people of color report having reduced meat in their diets at a higher rate and that health is the main reason.

“Black Americans are increasingly adopting a plant-based diet for reasons including health, food justice, and the environment,” says Jennifer Paul, MPH, RDN, a nutrition expert who helped develop the African American Culinary Heritage course curriculum.

Designed by physicians, dietitians, and other health experts, Food for Life classes, a program of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, promote healthful plant-based eating based on the latest scientific research. Each class includes information about how certain foods and nutrients work to promote or discourage disease, cooking demonstrations of delicious and healthful plant-based recipes, and practical cooking skills and tips for incorporating healthful eating habits into daily life.