by Welcome to our new monthly column, “Common Knowledge,” where rapper Common shares his wisdom on mental health, food and nutrition, pop culture, and more. Read the first installment, below.
WHAT YOU ARE who you are. What you eat affects your mind, spirit, emotions, and physical well-being – while you’re eating, you don’t have to wonder if that food could affect your mood make you certain. When we eat something we like, we smile, right? You see that people are able to enjoy themselves and your home when you cook something that makes them feel good.
Thanksgiving dinner in 2007 was the first time I told my family I was vegetarian. It was the usual spread—turkey, ham, collard greens cooked with ham, dressing cooked in the turkey, candied yams, cornbread, and corn. I could only eat the candied yams, corn bread, and corn. My mother, grandmother, cousins and aunt looked at me, “What are you talking about?” When you sit down at the table, and everyone is eating and feasting, there is joy and love. That communal time of us eating and sharing the lovingly cooked meal was important. To not eat the food they made, my mother and my family took it very seriously – they felt that I could not break bread with them. . . literally and figuratively.
After the second or third Thanksgiving, my mother said, “This is who you are. I appreciate that. Let me cook something you like. I found you.” My mum’s friend cooked me collard greens without the ham, which was a big hit at the table – even those who normally ate meat enjoyed it, along with candied yams, corn bread, corn. My family and I felt that the community energy and vibe was back.
My mom didn’t season the food like she normally would; she was still figuring this out. Some people assume that because I’m eating vegetarian, that means it must be unclean. You still need to “contain,” as my man Yusef would say. My mother’s vegetarian cooking skills improved. By the fourth Thanksgiving, the food was tasted Seriously good. My mom found a way to season the food without using meat or butter by using more spices, coconut and olive oils, agave and maple syrup. She made collard greens that weren’t cooked with ham but had the same earthy flavor. The dressing was not cooked in the turkey but it was so delicious. The candied yams that were sweetened with maple syrup instead of white sugar and not cooked with butter but still as sweet as ever, mixed vegetables with tofu and spices, and corn (my favorite) without butter – I remember that the food is amazing. .
Paying attention to the foods you put in your body means honoring your body, knowing that you are doing right by yourself. He gives you this power. Taking care of yourself affects your mental and spiritual well-being. It’s like putting healthy foods in your body, Man, I love myself. I respect myself.
My food journey has taken different twists and turns. KRS-One’s song “My Philosophy” first inspired me to think about food and my physical and mental health. He was a hero to me, saying, “Goat or ham, or chicken, turkey or hamburger, because of me suicide, suicide.” Hip-hop introduced many of us to the concept of health and fitness, especially from a dietary perspective.
I started eating mostly vegetarian in my late 20s because it made me feel better – physically, mentally, and spiritually – and went full vegan in my 30s. Then I started eating fish again around 2007, and I ate fish all the way up until 2020. Then I felt like I had to go back to being vegan. I am 51, and have been vegan again for the past three years.
Now I drink turmeric latte all day—just two teaspoons of ground turmeric milk and frothed oat milk. They are like warm hugs, and turmeric is also good for healing. The green juices I drink are like my coffee with kale, apple juice, spinach; they give me energy. That’s what Tracey Rico, the integrative medicine specialist, taught me. I first contacted Dr. Tracey around 2005. I was getting sick and dealing with various things, and I was already into holistic medicine. There would be times when I was dealing with illness because I was traveling a lot, and Dr. Tracey suggested I replace processed foods with natural products and would talk to me about where I was emotionally. That was different. I have always been open to healing in other ways, but I had not started a doctor talking about my emotional state as part of the process.
While I was in Baltimore in 2011 filming Good, I asked a friend if she knew a vegan chef in the DC area who could prepare that kind of food. She connected me with Lauren Von Der Pool, known as the Green Queen, who is a bright spirit, chef, and artist. When I first met Lauren, I had no idea how much I would learn from her. If you eat more plants, Lauren told me, you’ll be able to think more clearly. The foods I chose to put in my body gave me more clarity and so many other benefits. I was off beef and pork for a while, but when I stopped eating certain things like chicken, milk, butter, and pizza (which was hard, being from Chicago), I could literally hear it on my records how I sound more clear and how filled with mucus. was my voice. When you hear the difference, when you feel the difference, that’s when it stays with you. That’s my path: not just doing something because someone else says it’s right but learning from experience, making a change, and feeling the impact. The better I ate, the more creative I became.
Am I saying you should be a vegan? No. What I’m saying is that you have to do what’s right for you, and only you know what that is. It doesn’t have to be exactly what I’m after. For me, it was being vegan. For you, it could be something else. I can only tell you what I have done, share the knowledge I have learned from my teachers, be open about the connections and changes I have made in my life. You have to let hope guide you. He is the only person who can make the choice for you.
You can change your life by eating healthier and better, but you don’t have to go cold turkey and you don’t have to go to extremes. It’s okay for you to take it slowly as you find what works for you. Try preparing your food in a different style; see how it feels. Order more vegetables at the restaurant. I like Chinese food, like broccoli with tofu, eggplant, carrots, mushrooms, a side of rice, maybe some dumplings. Ethiopian food is always rich in vegetables. Even at a pizza place, I can get a pizza with tomato sauce and vegetables. I always recommend adding more green vegetables to your meals and drinking more water as first steps. Even those steps can have an impact. That doesn’t mean you have to commit, I’m not going to eat steak anymores. Planting more vegetables can actually have a positive outcome. Food enabled me to be my best. Food is essential to the person you are. What you eat is who you are. Consider making one change as a start, and I promise it will lead to another change and another. And who knows, you might even try vegan! #make1change
Smoothie Go-To Common Smoothie
Merger ½ cup kale or spirulina, 1 banana, ½ cup blueberries, ½ cup of your choice of milk, and 2 or 3 ice cubes. Add more milk or ice to reach your desired consistency. Makes 1 serving.
This article originally appeared in the March/April issue Men’s Health.
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