Health literacy and connecting the body and soul

Health literacy involves knowing the basics of one’s health and the ability to understand what can affect the body. Blood pressure, vital signs, understanding patient rights and physician questions — all play a part in receiving and maintaining exceptional healthcare.
“Your race is not a medical condition,” said speaker Ja’nea James, 25, a second year student at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, “You don’t have diabetes because you’re Black. That’s not a thing.”
On the contrary, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity can be connected to stress, bad eating, smoking, genetics or a lack of physical activity.
“One thing I feel like folks have trouble with is understanding nutrition,” James said to a gathering at the recent Black Women for Wellness (BWW) annual Reproductive Justice Conference, which brings together persons to discuss fundamental health rights and how they are in jeopardy.
According to the BWW website, women want to feel safe and heard in every aspect of their lives. Unfortunately, they have the highest mortality rates from giving birth, cancer outcomes, and other health disparities.
The purpose of James’ workshop was to provide a collaborative space where attendees could work together to understand medical terminology, patterns of inheritance, illness prevention behaviors, and patient rights so that they feel better equipped to navigate healthcare settings.
James believes it all starts with food.
“Sometimes whole wheat bread can be more processed than people think it is,” she said, adding that many people think this makes the healthiest sandwich. “It depends on if it’s multigrain or not.”
James noted that deli meats, pork bacon, ham and even a lot of vegan products are super processed.
In newly published data from more than 100,000 American health professionals over more than 30 years, persons who ate the most ultra processed foods had a 4 percent higher risk of death from any cause and a whopping 9 percent higher risk of neurodegenerative deaths.
So cut out those deli meats and hot dogs.
A 2022 study in the journal Neurology found that eating ultra processed foods was associated with a higher risk of dementia among more than 72,000 participants aged 55 and older.
Of course everyone has heard about what they should be eating daily: plant-based foods, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, healthy sources of protein and drinking lots of water. But how affordable is this healthy eating?
James said it is quite possible to eat healthy on a budget and noted that some flash-frozen fruits and vegetables are better for health than canned ones.
“The frozen ones don’t go through nearly as many hands, as they are picked and they are literally frozen right there,” she said. “But canned fish is actually a good alternative to fresh fish. Both legumes and dried beans are also a good source of protein.”
James also suggested buying in bulk with others, cooking with others and freezing food when cooking in bulk to be less wasteful. Plus, there are ways to grow simple herbs and spices in the kitchen.
“Reading nutrition labels is important,” James said, noting that the Food and Drug Association’s recommended daily limits of 2300 mg of sodium and 2,000 calories are based on grown, adult White males.
She then had the room work on the math involved in reading labels. The nutrition label on a can of barbecue baked beans notes in bold print that there are 160 calories per serving, but also notes that their serving size is only a half a cup. At the picnic, one may go for seconds and eat two cups of beans on their plate. That is 640 calories, or two-thirds of a daily limit, and that’s just one side dish at one meal.
That same bean can has 570 mg of sodium in a half-cup serving. Two cups of beans on the plate and — watch it — that is an entire limit of sodium for a day.
“But it really varies from person to person,” she said. “It’s something that you have to talk to your primary care physician about, to help you figure out what your goal is. That’s also why it’s really important to have a primary care physician, because that person knows you and what your body needs and how your body responds to certain things.”
Nutrition coaches and dietitians can also come in handy in pursuing a nutrient dense diet and getting rid of unnecessary calories, fats and added sugars.
The American Heart Association recommends women limit added sugar to 25 grams a day and men to 36 grams a day.
So cut out the sodas.
And rather than eating foods fried in oil, make sweet potato or white potato fries in the air fryer.
As for sodium, a 2023 study out of Northwestern University found that reducing salt intake by just a teaspoon a day can lower blood pressure as effectively as a commonly prescribed blood pressure medication.
So cut out those cheap ramen noodles, which are high in sodium.
There are various factors that impact the disproportionate health literacy rates within African-American communities, including a historic mistrust of the medical system, limited education, and lack of culturally-specific healthcare guidance and care.
But partnering with the physician is necessary for optimal health. Doctors will ask about a patient’s allergies, as well as their direct family lineage.