Here at Sustainable Food Center, we know that food inspires and transforms lives. To honor those experiences, we are collecting food stories from folks around the community. In celebration of learning, healing and inspiring, here is Jasmine’s story:

Jasmine grew up in the Northeast with her Grandmother who loved eating foods like pigs’ feet and cabbage with hot sauce. “As a kid… I knew that food was important for your health.” But she also knew that those foods that she was eating were making her Grandmother sick; she passed away at the age of 58 with diabetes and heart disease. “When my grandmother passed away, I made a vow to change my eating habits.” For Jasmine, that meant becoming a vegetarian, being open to new flavors and becoming conscious about food and health. These changes have made her feel more connected to her ancestors as well as the rest of her family. “I like to say that I’m in recovery and I’m healing myself with food…” and she’s passing that healing along. “I feel like I’m paving a way for the next generation… for my nieces and my little cousins. I have my sister here and she told me that I was an inspiration to her today.” Jasmine is steering away from generations of hurt and self-esteem issues and into eating for health. “Food is very much so a part of my life.”

If you have a food story you’d like to share, please e-mail carolina@sustainablefoodcenter.org.