Last week I interviewed Laila Ali at the American Kidney Fund’s 3rd Annual Hope Affair Gala. We had a pretty good conversation about not only kidney disease and its disproportionate presence in the African American community but also the state of health of the community as a whole. If anyone is vaguely familiar with Laila Ali, they know that she is not only a proponent for physical fitness but she is also a champion for wellness and health.
One of the things that I realized in my conversation with Laila was that she and I have a few things in common when it comes to our frustrations with and hopes for our community. We touched upon the overall attitude towards health and wellness and its deep-seeded roots. Laila was pretty straight-forward in saying that too many of us have our priorities skewed. Here are some nuggets from our conversation about healthy living:
- During pregnancy, don’t put on too much weight in the first place.
- Women need to nurse and stop worrying about it being inconvenient.
- Take time to exercise and eat right.
- Make healthy living a priority and a lifestyle.
- You can’t just look at kidney disease, you have to look at the diet.
- Stop frying, choose low-fat butter if you use it in your foods.
- Choose lean cuts of meat; eat more fish, poultry, beef once a week.
- Consume more veggies.
- Eat more whole grains and things from the earth where you can understand what the ingredients say.
- Stay away from foods with chemicals in it because eventually they will break the body down.
I asked her what specific message she would give to our community. This is what she had to say:
- First, do your research and understand how to take care of yourself so you can avoid chronic visits to the doctor other than your annual check-up.
- Second, make sure to get that annual physical so the doctor can tell you if there’s a problem.
- Third, if the doctor tells you something, research and consider natural routes.
- Fourth, we need to get our priorities straight – put wellness first over what we’re wearing and our hair. We’re worrying about the wrong things.
Touché Laila, touché!
Obesity is one concern when it comes to health education or lack of in the African American community. We are winning the race of illnesses, diseases, etc. I am happy you were able to interview Ms.Ali to spread her message which is the message of so many that African Americans truly need to get our prioritizes in order, value what is valuable the one and only body we have. Great interview
Absolutely Ange. And in reference to “getting our priorities straight”, she made a great point about the frivolity of the focus on material things when it comes to them making us “look good” – a person who takes care of themselves internally and externally can look better just wearing a plain white t-shirt than someone who doesn’t take care of themselves but who may be rocking the latest and greatest designer.
I share the same concerns that was stated in this awesome interview with Ms.Ali and I am so glad she continues to speak out on the obesity issue in the African American community. Great job Tawanna and thanks for asking our input. One person at a time we can continue to motivate and educate folks.
I think you’re right Priscilla. Each individual has their part to play. One person at a time can also spread like wild fire.Thanks for commenting.
Great questions, and great responses. I do share the same concerns. As a community we should be serious about spreading the word and specifics of healthly living, and healthly choices. We as moms, sisters, friends, coworkers, etc. should share the importance of eating healthly, and excercising regularly. I pray one day it will become a habit in our community as a whole to live healthy. Thanks for educating us Tawanna!
I think Shona, as Laila and I were discussing, things are so deep-rooted in our culture that it makes changing mindsets a very difficult thing. However, I am a believer in the power of social media and the growing access of information. As more and more of us are informed and are privy to certain information, i.e. a better (healthier) way of doing things, I think we will see some greater strides. Thanks for your input.
We always wait until it’s late before we begin to incorporate healthy life style choices to our everyday lives. As someone who works in the fitness industry, I am seeing more and more people, including women of color, becoming aware of the link between diseases, lack of exercise and poor nutrition.
It is more acceptable in the African American community than other ethnic groups to be fuller figure. However, we have to be mindful of when being full figure is no longer healthy because the weight has climbed into numerical digits that borders on obesity and causes multiple health risks. We need to find the healthy balance and research alternate ways to prepare our foods where they are still tasty, savory and healthy.