Be Intentional About What You Put In & On Your Body

Living a healthier lifestyle doesn't have to happen overnight. It starts with becoming more intentional about the foods you eat, the products you use, and the choices you make every day.

Below are some of the foods, oils, natural products, and alternatives that I have incorporated into my own wellness journey based on my study of the teachings of Dr. Sebi, Dr. Llaila Afrika, Goddess Krystal, and others.

Use this guide as a starting point as you explore what works best for you and your family.

🥬 Vegetables & Greens

Build your meals around fresh vegetables and leafy greens whenever possible.

Vegetables & Greens

Amaranth greens • Avocado • Bell peppers • Chayote (Mexican squash) • Cucumber • Dandelion greens • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) • Izote (cactus flower/cactus leaf) • Kale • Lettuce (except iceberg) • Mushrooms (except shiitake) • Nopales (Mexican cactus) • Okra • Olives • Onions • Parsley • Purslane • Sea vegetables such as wakame, dulse, arame and hijiki • Squash • Cherry and plum tomatoes • Tomatillo • Turnip greens • Watercress • Zucchini 

🍎 Fruits

Choose fresh fruit rather than canned fruit. Your current guide also recommends choosing fruits with their natural seeds when applicable.

Fruits

Apples • Bananas (smallest variety or burro/midsize) • Berries, including elderberries (excluding cranberries) • Cantaloupe • Cherries • Currants • Dates • Figs • Seeded grapes • Key limes with seeds • Mangoes • Seeded melons • Seville or sour oranges preferred • Papayas • Peaches • Pears • Plums • Prickly pear • Prunes • Seeded raisins • Soft jelly coconuts • Soursop • Tamarind 

🌾 Grains

Looking for alternatives to heavily processed grains? These are the grains included in my wellness guide:

Amaranth • Fonio • Kamut • Quinoa • Light rye spelt • Teff • Wild rice 

🥜 Nuts & Seeds

Keep it simple with:

Brazil nuts • Hemp seeds • Raw sesame seeds • Raw sesame tahini butter • Walnuts

🫒 Oils

The oils included in my guide are:

Olive oil • Coconut oil • Grapeseed oil • Sesame oil • Hempseed oil • Avocado oil

I recommend not cooking with olive or coconut oil. 

🍯 Sweetener

Looking for an alternative to refined white sugar?

Try date sugar made from dried dates. 

🌿 Spices & Seasonings

Food doesn't have to be bland just because you're becoming more intentional about your ingredients.

Achiote • Basil • Bay leaf • Habanero • Oregano • Pure sea salt • Sage • Savory • Sweet basil • Cayenne/African bird pepper • Cloves • Dill • Onion powder • Powdered/granulated seaweed • Tarragon • Thyme • Kelp • Dulse • Nori 

Natural Body Care Alternatives

What we put on our bodies can be part of an intentional lifestyle too

Lotions & Body Creams

Instead of heavily fragranced or highly processed body products, my guide includes:

Coconut oil • Grapeseed oil • Olive oil • Baobab oil • Raw unrefined Ghana shea butter • Almond oil

Hair Conditioner

Olive oil • Grapeseed oil

Soap

Black soap • Dr. Bronner's Baby Soap 

Things I Choose to Avoid or Limit

Part of my personal wellness journey has also involved becoming more conscious of what I choose not to incorporate into my lifestyle.

Smoking, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, soda/pop, GMO foods, soy, dairy, red meat, fish, hair dyes and perms, along with several medications and other products.

Important: Items on the list—including aspirin, antihistamines, laxatives, antacids and diuretics—are medications. Do not stop or change a medication prescribed or recommended by a healthcare professional based on this guide. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional before changing medications or treatment.

Wellness Is a Journey

You don't have to change everything at once.

Start by reading labels, learning about your ingredients, incorporating more whole foods, drinking your herbs, and making intentional choices that work for you and your family.

Small changes. Better choices. A more intentional you.

This information is provided for educational purposes and reflects my personal wellness philosophy and studies. It is not medical or nutritional advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.