Eat Real To Heal Podcast:
Decolonizing Your Plate Doctoral Series
Research Question: What are the barriers that BIPOC communities face in accessing the quality of foods that are capable of reversing lifestyle chronic degenerative diseases?
Part 6: How Plant-Based Eating Can Disrupt Cultural Oppression: A Conversation
Dr. Milton Mills, MD
PHYSICIAN | Critical Care | Plant-Based Nation
Dr. Milton Mills, MD is a practicing urgent care physician in the Washington DC area, with a focus on the use of nutritional measures to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases. He is an Associate Director of Preventive Medicine and a member of the National Advisory Board for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), where he has been a major contributor to position papers presented to the United States Department of Agriculture regarding Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Dr. Mills has published several research journal articles dealing with racial bias in federal nutrition policy and has been the lead plaintiff in PCRM’s class action lawsuit that asks for warning labels on milk. He is also a frequent volunteer at free medical clinics and travels widely, speaking at hospitals, churches and community centers throughout the country.
“If people are unhealthy they are unable to fight…Black Lives Can’t Matter, Until Black Health Matters”
- Dr. Milton Mills
Dr. Mills was featured in the documentary “What the Health” and will also appear in the upcoming film “The Silent Vegan”. He is a strong advocate for plant-based eating and addressing cultural disruption in the food system, particularly in communities of color. Through his work, Dr. Mills aims to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health and to promote the use of sustainable, plant-based diets for both personal and planetary health.
"Oppression in the school system starts with unhealthy food. When we feed our children junk, we are not only contributing to their physical deterioration, but we are also contributing to a system of oppression that preys on the most vulnerable members of our society."
- Dr. Milton Mills
Dr. Mills discusses the impact of cultural disruption on plant-based eating and health in the BIPOC community in Nicolette’s seventh PhD Podcast. Dr. Mills explains that BIPOC communities have become dumping grounds for agricultural excess, leading to food scarcity and a lack of access to nutritious food. He advocates for the use of core crops, such as the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash), which provide good calories and adequate nutrition while also being sustainable and renewable.
Dr. Mills highlights the historical impact of Western culture on the diets of POC, including the use of commodity crops, and how it has resulted in systemic and structural racism. He argues that Western medicine operates from a disease model and must change the way it practices medicine, as band-aids will not cure diseases. Dr. Mills emphasizes the importance of decolonizing our diet, mindset, and way of relating to the world to protect the planet and ourselves. He advocates for narrative medicine to address trauma and abuse and for doctors to unlearn bad habits and become part of the solution.