Fern Gillespie
Comprehensive and active support of the Black community continues to be Brooklyn resident Yvonne Ruby’s personal and professional philosophy. During the 1980s and her 1990s, she was nationally known as the creator of the popular Huggy Bean doll, which promoted positive self-image in black children through dolls, playthings, and books.
A native of Jamaica, Ruby earned her Master’s degree in Public Health from Hunter College and has worked professionally as a Certified Health Educator for the past 20 years. At Pastor Daughtry’s House Church, she has volunteered for many years as the health ministry director, meeting with the congregation. In 2009, because of her health care advocacy work, Ms. Ruby was invited to meet with President Obama at the White House for the first Health Care Summit of his presidency.
Her work as a health care advocate and race walker was also highlighted on the PBS series “America’s Walker.” A cancer survivor, she has been vegan since 1995 and is a Cornell University certified plant-based nutrition specialist. Vegan diets are becoming more popular in the black community. According to the Pew Research Center, 8 percent of black Americans are strict vegans or vegetarians, compared to 3 percent of the general population.
A Gallup poll found that 31 percent of nonwhite Americans have reduced their meat consumption, compared to just 19 percent of white Americans. As the founder of You are Highly Valued, she conducts health education workshops with individuals, businesses, and her community groups. Our Time Press spoke with Yvonne Ruby about the value of vegan and vegetarian diets.
OTP: Why are vegan and vegetarian diets becoming more popular in the black community?
Year: “One of the key principles of being vegan is to avoid eating anything of animal origin. Some people may want to be healthy by eating plant-based foods. And they are satisfied that they are not harming the animals and want to improve their health. They are not mutually exclusive.
Some people get sick with diabetes, high blood pressure, or are overweight and are trying to find an alternative. I think people are making a conscious effort to make changes. Do you want to be healthier? What effect does food have on my body? ”
OTP: What is the difference between vegan and vegetarian?
Year: “Vegetarians can also be lacto-ovo vegetarians, which means they don’t eat milk or eggs, but they do eat fish. There are many variations. But being vegan is very specific. . You are not eating any meat.”
OTP: Is it healthy to eat all prepackaged vegan and plant-based foods?
Year: “Anything that is packaged should really be properly inspected, especially food that is packaged and may be on the shelf for more than five days. Most foods are on the shelf for more than a year. Packaged foods have one thing in common: You want to find out how much sodium they contain.
Whether labeled as vegan, plant-based, or just regular food. The label on the surface doesn’t matter. The important thing is the back label. Nutrition and ingredients. ”
OTP: Why is it important to read the ingredients on the back label of all packaged foods?
Year: “You have to look at the amount of sodium listed on the label. The amount of saturated fat. The amount of trans fat. The amount of added sugar. That’s what makes the difference. Even if it’s a plant-based food, You must read all back labels.
There is no set amount. If one tablespoon of saturated fat in plant-based butter contains 8 grams of saturated fat, that’s about the same amount as 3 ounces of beef. This compares to plant-based butter, which contains only 0.5 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. For example, certain brands of oat milk contain a certain amount of saturated fat.
Another brand of oat milk does not contain saturated fat. You need to turn the package over and read the label. Also, there is a difference between sodium and table salt. Sodium has no taste. So you don’t actually know it’s there.
Table salt, on the other hand, is sodium and chloride. When mixed with chloride, it tastes like salt. So it’s hard to believe that what you’re drinking contains 570 mg of sodium. ”
OTP: What food and recipe books would you recommend to someone interested in a plant-based diet?
Year: “There are important food groups that vegans and plant-based people eat, including grains, leafy beans, lagoons, fruits, nuts and seeds, and root vegetables.
A book I recommend is AFRO-VEGAN by Bryant Terry, which features recipes influenced by African, Caribbean, and Southern cuisine. What I especially like is that Bryant, who is known to be an excellent chef, recommends soundtracks that you can listen to while cooking.
Marie Kacouchia’s VEGAN AFRICA features plant-based recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal. In NATURAL FLAVA by Craig & Shaun McAnuff, the authors share quick and easy plant-based Caribbean recipes. HEALTHIER STEPS by Michelle Blackwood is for anyone interested in gluten-free and vegan recipes. These cookbooks are delicious, healthy, and an amazing introduction to very different ways to eat vegan and plant-based foods.
