What our grandparents passed down, what brands stole, and how we're taking it back, one recipe, one label, and one healing meal at a time.

“We season everything.”

The chicken. The foil. The air. The cutting board. The fruit. The frying oil.

What sounds like a joke to some is a truth to us. A flavor instinct. A cultural fingerprint.

For Black and many Latino communities, flavor wasn’t extra. Seasonings are life enhancers, a combination of all the things needed to make life hit just a little bit better. Seasoning everything reveals an underlying truth: what goes in matters.

The balance of salty, sweet, creamy, spicy, crunchy, and umami wasn’t just about taste. It was about memory. Comfort. Celebration. Healing.

But somewhere between the molcajete and the microwave, between Sunday dinner and the drive-thru… something shifted.

And it didn’t shift by accident.

What Flavor Was Always Meant to Be

Our grandparents cooked with intention. The spices, the onions, the garlic, the herbs, those were functional. They were anti-inflammatory. Antibacterial. Gut-healing. Hormone-balancing. Long before nutrition labels and supplement aisles, flavor was medicine.

Oregano wasn’t just seasoning; it was antiviral.
Lime juice wasn’t just tang, it was digestive support.
Cumin wasn’t just earthy, it was anti-inflammatory and iron-rich.

When they said “put some soul in it,” they weren’t talking about sodium. They were talking about care. Presence. Wisdom passed down.

Then the Labels Came In

Fast forward. We’re eating the same “foods”, but they’re not the same. The names stayed. The flavors stayed. But the ingredients changed.

That red drink at VBS? Now it’s Red 40, corn syrup, and citric acid.
That mac and cheese? Now it’s enriched bleached flour, seed oils, and yellow dye.
That pan dulce? Now it’s ultra-processed sugar, lard substitutes, and shelf stabilizers.

It’s not that we suddenly lost discipline, it’s that the food lost integrity.
The brands didn’t just recreate our favorites. They remixed them for profit, extended the shelf life, added addiction, and packaged them with a commercial that made us laugh.

The Results Are in Our Bodies

Given the system’s hand in our food, it’s no wonder our communities are paying the price, and it’s not our fault.

Our favorite foods stayed familiar in name and flavor, but the ingredients slowly shifted, not by accident, but by design.

For Black Americans:

We’re nearly 30% more likely to die from heart disease, an inflammatory condition linked to diets high in seed oils, added sugar, and processed meats (PMC study).
We’re over 2x as likely to develop type 2 diabetes, a disease driven by high-glycemic, nutrient-poor diets pushed heavily in our communities (CDC data).
And autoimmune issues like rheumatoid arthritis, which disproportionately affects Black women, are triggered by ultra-processed foods that disrupt gut health and immunity (Nutritional Immunology, NIH).

For Latino Americans:

Latino children are twice as likely as white children to be obese, due to higher exposure to processed foods and sugary drinks (CDC).
We’re heavily targeted by food and beverage companies, getting more fast food, soda, and candy ads than white households, especially during Spanish-language TV (NIH Latino marketing study).

And again, this wasn’t a conscious choice on our part.
We didn’t opt into disease.
We trusted the food system.
We followed the flavors.
And in the name of treating ourselves, we got played.

The front of the bag stayed the same, nostalgic, loud, comforting.
But the back of the bag kept changing, more sugar, more dyes, more ingredients that should’ve never been food to begin with.

Flipping It Back, One Recipe at a Time

At G4F, we’re not here to shame what we grew up on. We’re here to uncover the truth behind it, and flip it forward. Here’s how we bring the legacy of flavor and healing back together again:

1. Red Drink ➝ Strawberry-Lime Agua Fresca Remix

Old ingredients: corn syrup, Red 40, “natural” flavors
Ours: fresh strawberries, lime juice, mineral water, clean sweetener, hibiscus optional
Why it heals: real antioxidants, gut support, no blood sugar crash

2. Mac & Cheese ➝ Creamy Protein Mac with Butternut Base

Old ingredients: bleached pasta, cheese-like powders, saturated fats
Ours: chickpea pasta, roasted squash/cauliflower blend, real cheese, Greek yogurt
Why it heals: protein, fiber, vitamins A+C, balanced energy

3. Pan Dulce ➝ Almond Concha Muffins

Old ingredients: lard, bleached flour, high-fructose corn syrup
Ours: almond flour, date syrup or coconut sugar, cinnamon, avocado oil
Why it heals: healthy fats, fiber, real flavor, no crash, no fog

These aren’t downgrades. They’re homecomings.

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We Season Everything: How Our Flavor Carried Us…Until the Labels Didn’t