For Free: Keke Palmer Had A Word To Say About EBT & Making Healthy Food Accessible
Keke, do you love me, are you crazzzyyy? Our girl Keke Palmer decided to drop an unpopular truth bomb via her Twitter and add context after the fact, setting the internet ablaze with speculators upset with her delivery of an important message: Why is eating unhealthy so damn cheap and easy while the expenses of eating clean will have you considering a water fast just because?! Keke expressed her experience in a series of now-viral tweets:
"Healthy food is more expensive for a reason. It's fresh, good for you and gives you energy. Bad foods are bad for a reason. They last long they taste good because of tons of sodium and they aren't expensive because they're honestly not food. Mostly likely they are food-LIKE products"
When met with backlash, the self-proclaimed millennial diva refused to make apologies for her stance. But, can you blame her?
Right I'm confused haha like I get that some of them hated the idea. I'm not sure what more there is to do. https://t.co/Yl2jta6GT9
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020
Now before I take you on this ride, let me address the obvious: yes if you have an EBT card, it is clear that you do not have an influx of money to spend on groceries in general, let alone fresh fruits and veggies while other long-lasting items are a priority. That's just basic survival. However, it comes a time when we have to question the way EBT is handled instead of questioning someone speaking out on it. Especially in our community where we have a predisposition to certain ailments (diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure being a few of them). OK?
Choo-choo, here we go.
To clarify my tweet was pertaining to issues w/ healthy foods being 2 expensive & thinking it should be free for those w/ EBT cards.
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020
This was not a suggestion for solving all low income issues. Solely a hopeful solution 4 those with EBT that want to run it up w/ meat & produce.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to die of diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure that runs in my family if it is something I can do to control that. Diabetes and high blood pressure are diseases that do not necessarily have anything to do with weight, as it can be inherited genetically to any race or gender. There are plenty of people who appear to be in shape, but eat terribly and trigger morbid diseases. However, in our community, we are disproportionately afflicted with these health issues as a result of the systematic disenfranchisement of resources including, but not limited to affordable healthy food and nutritionists.
You never realize what healthy food is actually worth until you decide to eat extremely healthy and notice that everything is a million dollars .. !!!
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020
I see corporations know the nutritious valuable off top. 🙄
Whenever I visit lower socioeconomic areas, I see a Wendy's within a five-mile radius of each other, and when I'm tired and hungry that 4 for $4 screams my name while I have to coordinate my Dollar Tree visits to make sure I don't miss out on the selection of frozen vegetables. I know I'm not the only one that has that dilemma of making a decision to eat healthy and feeling the financial constraints of that choice. Keke lives a life of luxury but her receipts for eating clean still have her reeling. If that's the case, what does that mean for us regular folk with a regular-ass budget?
Don’t bring being a Virgo into this sis haha it’s not wrong to want ppl to have free food sis that’s all I’m saying https://t.co/OX2lKui26K
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020
Meanwhile, fast food restaurants accept EBT/FoodStamps/SNAP, making the decision to eat unhealthily a much easier thing to do in the moment. Processed food is always on sale, whereas fresh and organic fruits, veggies, and meats are sky-high in comparison and sometimes impractical in reality when you're concerned about making your purchases stretch. Presently, we are still knee-deep in a whole pandemic that puts people who suffer from hypertension and or diabetes at an increased risk for death, so nutrition is absolutely a priority moving forward.
Life is our birthright and we have to continue to advocate for more affordable healthy options when it comes to food in our supermarkets. Everybody should have the ability to choose whether they desire to eat clean without blowing their budget.
Keke was right about that!
Featured image by Parisa Michelle / Shutterstock.com
New Jersey native creating a life that she loves while living in gratitude. She loves using beauty, and fashion to create a balanced lifestyle while prioritizing wellness. A devoted fur mom, and a full-time lover of laughter. She is out for revenge against the darkness by being light, taking her own advice, traveling the world, and letting you know that you are so lit! Connect with her via IG @iamzaniah and please visit Zaniahsworld.com
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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How A Stay At Switzerland's Luxurious 7132 Hotel Reminded Me To Live The Life I Deserve
Sometimes, as women—especially as single Black women—we simply need to be reminded that we are deserving of living a life we dream of. Even if that means creating it for ourselves. I recently set out on a weeklong trip to Switzerland, a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years, and near the end of my visit, I had an epiphany.
“DeAnna, this is the life you deserve,” I thought to myself as I took in the gorgeous bathroom in my suite at the famous 7132 Hotel and Thermal Spa. It was one of the most luxurious hotels (and bathrooms) I had ever stayed in—and that’s saying a lot for someone who often travels for work.
To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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