WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics & Agriculture

🌱✨ Food Freedom Fighters Friday ✨🌱 Today we’re featuring Makini Howell, a visionary chef and owner of Plum Bistro Restaurant in Seattle! Makini is more than a talented vegan chef; she’s an advocate for plant-based lifestyles and food equity in Black communities. 🍃👩🏾🍳 Through her delicious vegan cuisine, Makini is shifting perspectives on health, sustainability, and the power of food. Her mission? To make plant-based eating accessible, flavorful, and inclusive for everyone. 🌍💚 Join us in celebrating Makini’s dedication to healthier, greener communities! #FoodFreedomFighter #MakiniHowell #PlumRestaurants #VeganForThePeople #FoodJustice #BlackWomenLead #PlantBasedLiving

🌍 BIG NEWS ALERT! 🌍 Ever wish you could pitch your food biz AND join a revolution in the same room? Well, “She Ready!” 💃🏽 Because Diaspora Groceries , in partnership with WANDA, is hosting the inaugural Diaspora Diversity Supplier Summit on November 9-10 in Los Angeles—and it’s FREE to attend! 🎉 We’re talking about a two-day feast of connection, culture, and food-as-medicine vibes, designed to uplift Black and Brown food entrepreneurs and create real pathways for economic empowerment. Come for the expert panels, stay for the pitch competition with $30,000 in grants (yes, you read that right!) 🤑🍽️ With Tiffany Haddish , Freddy Cameron, MBA , and our very own Tambra Raye Stevenson bringing their A-game, this summit is set to shake things up in the food industry. So whether you’re a supplier, farmer, or just a fan of good food with a purpose, pull up a seat! Let’s build an inclusive food system from farm to fork. Registration is open—secure your spot now: https://lnkd.in/e_2KJdZg 🌱 Let’s serve up some sisterhood, resilience, and cultural pride! See you there, fam! 🍲💪🏽 #DiasporaSupplierSummit #FoodAsMedicine #WANDA #SheReady #FoodJustice

🌾 From Farm to Freedom... and Straight to the Stage! 🌾 Hold on to your forks, folks! WANDA’s own Tambra Raye Stevenson is headed to South Carolina to drop some serious food wisdom as the keynote speaker at the “Healthy Food, Healthy People, Healthy Environment” event on Nov. 9! 🎤🌱 Tambra’s keynote, titled "From Farm to Freedom: Fighting for Resilient Food Systems for Healthier Communities," will explore how the journey from seed to table isn’t just about food—it’s about freedom, resilience, and reclaiming power. We’re talking faith, food, and a whole lot of fire to fuel this movement for healthier communities! 🔥 Here’s a sneak peek: Imagine a world where food justice meets cultural empowerment, where local farms are heroes, and where the roots of health run as deep as our family stories. Sound powerful? You bet it is! Tambra’s about to make waves, and we’re thrilled to watch it unfold. Check out the full story here for all the juicy details: From Farm to Freedom: https://lnkd.in/euJ2vK_W #FarmToFreedom #FoodJustice #IamWANDA #CommunityEmpowerment #HealthyCommunities

🥳 Big News Alert! 🥳 We are thrilled to announce that our very own Tambra Raye Stevenson, the powerhouse behind WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture, has been honored with the Food Justice Champion Award by AfriThrive ! 🌍🏆 With a relentless dedication to food sovereignty, cultural empowerment, and health equity, Tambra has been on a mission to make “food as medicine” more than just a slogan. She’s redefining what it means to champion food justice—uplifting communities, advocating for policy changes, and ensuring that the voices of Black women and girls in the food system are heard loud and clear. 🍲💪🏽 From farm to fork and policy to plate, Tambra’s impact is felt across the African diaspora. This award is a testament to her visionary work and the incredible energy she brings to every table. Check out the full story of her journey and learn how WANDA is paving the way for healthier, empowered communities here: https://lnkd.in/ecdRfZb3 Let’s raise our spoons 🥄 in a toast to Tambra, our #FoodJusticeChampion, who’s serving up sisterhood, resilience, and empowerment with every bite! 👏🏽✨ #FoodJustice #ChampionAward #IamWANDA #FoodAsMedicine #CommunityEmpowerment

Tasty Truth Thursday 🍽️✨ Did You Know? In low-income neighborhoods, convenience stores often outnumber grocery stores, leaving residents with limited access to fresh, healthy foods and higher reliance on processed options. 🥫🍟 By voting for leaders who prioritize food justice, we can help bring affordable, nutritious options to every community, giving everyone a fair chance to live a healthy life. 🗳️🍎 Let’s #VoteForChange that supports our right to access real food! 💪🏾✨ #TastyTruthThursday #FoodJustice #CommunityHealth #HealthyAccess #WANDA

"Doctors, It's Your Turn to Tackle Nutrition" - And the Rest of Us are Waiting. 🍎🥦 This week at SOCAP Global in San Francisco, we gathered for the Food as Medicine panel to discuss a groundbreaking idea: What if... doctors actually knew about nutrition? It’s 2024, and while we have space-age tech and AI diagnosing everything from heart disease to hiccups, the link between what’s on our plates and our health remains a “mystery” in many exam rooms across the U.S. How is it that in a country facing staggering rates of diet-related illnesses—obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and more—nutrition science still takes a backseat in medical training? Imagine visiting your doctor, and instead of walking out with a prescription, you get guidance on food that actually heals. But as it stands, our doctors often can’t tell kale from quinoa when it comes to dietary advice. This is why the call for integrating rigorous, evidence-based nutrition science into medical training is so critical. Here’s the deal: We need to invest in nutrition education for our healthcare providers. Until then, at WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics & Agriculture , we’ll keep leading the conversation, and our Food as Medicine movement will continue making waves. Because if food is medicine, it’s time for our healthcare system to start writing that prescription. Read more on this topic in U.S. News: Doctors, It’s Your Turn to Tackle Nutrition https://lnkd.in/ebjRxDhm

🍎 Food Policy Spotlight: The Food & Nutrition Equity Act! This act is a powerful step toward making healthy, affordable food accessible for ALL. From increasing funding for SNAP & WIC to supporting local food systems and investing in nutrition education, this act is designed to create a food system that truly serves our communities, especially those most impacted by food insecurity. 🌍 Imagine a future where every family has access to fresh, nutritious food, no matter where they live. That’s what the Food & Nutrition Equity Act is fighting for! But it needs our voices to make it happen. 💬 Take Action: Call or email your representatives and tell them you support food justice for all. Share this post, educate others, and let’s make sure nutritious food is a right—not a privilege. Together, we can build a fairer, more equitable food system! ✊🏾🌱 #FoodJustice #IamWANDA #FoodPolicySpotlight #ActForEquity #NutritionForAll #Food4All

Access to healthy food is a human right, not a privilege. 🌱 Food justice activist Beverly Grant is a powerful voice in the fight for equitable food access, emphasizing that it’s unacceptable for communities to go without fresh, affordable options in a land of abundance. Through her work with Mo’ Betta Green MarketPlace, Beverly has created spaces that center dignity, choice, and respect—proving that food justice is about more than just access; it’s about empowering communities to thrive. As we carry forward her vision, let’s remember that everyone deserves access to the nourishment they need to live a healthy, fulfilling life. 🍅 Join us in the fight for food justice and the call for a fair, inclusive food system for all. #FoodJustice #BeverlyGrant #FoodForAll #EquityInFood #WANDAvoices #CommunityEmpowerment

Happy Monday! 🌟 Our family stories are told through the meals we share and the recipes passed down through generations. Every dish is a connection to our roots and a reminder of the love that binds us together. Let’s start this week by celebrating the power of food to bring us closer. 🍲❤️ #MondayMotivation #MashamaBailey #WANDA #FoodIsFamily #CelebrateHeritage #WomenEmpowerment

🌱✨ Food Freedom Fighter Friday: Doria Robinson✨🌱 This week, we’re celebrating Doria Robinson, Executive Director of Urban Tilth and a true champion for food justice! Based in Richmond, CA, Doria leads the charge in building sustainable, community-driven food systems. Her work empowers local residents to grow their own food, transforming urban spaces into hubs of nourishment and resilience. 🍅🌻 Doria’s dedication to food sovereignty reminds us that access to healthy, fresh food is a human right. Her leadership is reshaping food justice one garden at a time. 🙌🏾🌿 Join us in honoring her incredible impact! 💚 #FoodFreedomFighter #UrbanTilth #FoodJustice #CommunityEmpowerment #FoodSovereignty #WANDAWomen #BlackWomenLead #SustainableFood