Food is never just food. In this rich and eye-opening episode of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford sits down with Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson, food scholar, cultural historian, and author of Eating While Black, for a conversation that connects african american food history, identity, power, and survival in ways that will completely change how you think about what's on your plate. Dr. Williams-Forson has spent decades studying food and culture — not just what we eat, but who gets to define it, who gets judged for it, and what our relationship with food really says about our place in society. She unpacks the deep roots of soul food history, pushing back against the moralizing and demonization that has followed Black food for generations, and explains why history of soul food is inseparable from black food history and the story of Black survival and ingenuity in America. The conversation also gets deeply personal, exploring food and mental health and the very real impact that diet culture and food policing have on Black women's bodies and self-image. Dr. Williams-Forson shares a devastating story about a young Black girl whose weight was publicly scrutinized by her teacher — and how moments like that plant seeds of food guilt and emotional eating that follow us into adulthood. This is a body positivity black women conversation rooted not in trends but in history, examining why Black women's bodies and eating habits have always been hyper visible and under surveillance. She also addresses food justice and food insecurity honestly — including how dollar stores became a quiet lifeline for families on fixed incomes — and challenges the narrative that Black people making affordable food choices are somehow doing something wrong. 0:00 Introduction to Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson 1:50 Food as Control & Exclusion from Enslavement to the Workplace 5:56 What Is Food Studies and Why Black Food History Matters 9:27 Why She Wrote Eating While Black 13:00 Dollar Tree, Food Access & Who We Think Is Watching What We Eat 15:23 Food, Mental Health & Body Image for Black Women 17:44 The Story of Latresha and the Roots of Food Guilt & Diet Culture 22:45 When Eating Becomes About Self-Worth and Your Relationship with Food 23:09 How Soul Food History Got Demonized 25:20 What Soul Food Actually Is 27:26 Respectability Politics on the Plate 29:40 Making Do vs. Making It Work (Celebrating Black Ingenuity with Food) 33:38 Dollar Stores, Fixed Incomes & Food Insecurity 37:19 Who Gets to Define Soul Food? 40:40 Using Food as an Entry Point into African American History 45:22 What It Means to Eat with Pride 48:32 Connect with Dr. Williams-Forson About the Podcast The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. Stay Connected Join us in over on Patreon at https://patreon.com/therapyforblackgirls where we’re building community through our chats, connecting at Sunday Night Check-Ins, and soaking in the wisdom from exclusive series like Ask Dr. Joy and So, My Therapist Said. ​ Is there a topic you’d like covered on the podcast? Submit it at: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox If you’re looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at: https://providers.therapyforblackgirls.com/ Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/shop Make sure to follow us on social media: https://instagram.com/therapyforblackgirls