Health and wellness advocate Kamila McDonald is challenging the world to look back in order to move forward. In her moving new TEDx Talk, “Sacred Plates – Reclaiming Wellness Through Ancestral Wisdom & Plant-Forward Eating,” the Jamaican nutritionist and author urges people to rediscover the time-honored food traditions that once kept communities healthy, grounded, and connected to the earth.
Sharing an emotional post on Instagram, McDonald wrote:
“Our ancestors understood healing long before all the trends. Functional food was their livelihood. They grew their medicine. In fact, their meals were their medicine, and the further we stray from that wisdom, the sicker we become.”
In her talk, McDonald reminds audiences that holistic wellness doesn’t begin in a laboratory—it begins in the soil. Drawing from her Jamaican heritage, she spoke passionately about how older generations relied on herbs and spices as natural remedies long before modern medicine confirmed their benefits.
“They turned to herbs and spices for healing,” she said. “If you had a stomach ache—ginger. To cleanse the blood—cerasee. To reduce inflammation—turmeric. To balance blood sugar—cinnamon. And if you had a Jamaican grandmother, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Citing modern scientific evidence, McDonald pointed out that contemporary research is only now validating what her ancestors already knew.
“A 2023 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that poor diet is now the leading cause of early death worldwide,” she said, adding that “a 2024 Lancet study found that eating a plant-rich, whole food diet can add up to 13 years of life expectancy — and drastically heal the planet too.”
But McDonald’s message goes far beyond statistics. It’s a spiritual and cultural call to action — one that invites people to reconnect with nature, respect ancestral knowledge, and rediscover joy in simple, nourishing food.
“True healing and wellness aren’t far-fetched or complicated,” she said in her Instagram post. “I hope it invites you to return to what’s real, what’s rooted, and what’s already yours.”
Through Sacred Plates, McDonald continues her mission of merging science, heritage, and mindfulness into a movement of holistic healing — one rooted in the belief that what nourishes the body can also heal the spirit.
