Mystery Furtado, RN Shares Her Ancestral Power (Audio)
Episode Summary
In this episode of GrowAbility, Joe sits down with Mystery Furtado, a registered nurse and founder of Type Diabeat-It, a BIPOC-led diabetes organization. Mystery shares her personal journey with diabetes, the impact of food insecurity on marginalized communities, and her efforts to promote culturally relevant healthcare in Canada. She discusses her work in urban agriculture, growing African diaspora crops, and her entrepreneurial venture, Granny P’s Sea Moss Gel, which supports her non-profit initiatives. Mystery emphasizes the importance of community in her mission to improve food security, health education, and diabetes prevention.
Mystery's Bio
Mystery Furtado is a passionate advocate for food security and holistic health. As an internationally trained nurse, she has dedicated her career to addressing the gaps in healthcare for marginalized communities, particularly in diabetes prevention. Mystery’s work extends beyond healthcare into urban agriculture, where she spearheaded London, Ontario’s first Black-led community garden. This initiative provides access to culturally relevant crops and promotes food literacy through hands-on programs. A single mother of two, Mystery is deeply committed to empowering her community and creating sustainable solutions for food insecurity. Her efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious "20’s in Her 20’s" award.
Links In This Episode
- Type Diabeat-it
- Granny P's
Transcript
Joe
What can you put with Sea Moss Gel?
Holly
I have no idea. A piece of toast.
Joe
Mini ravioli?
Holly
Mini ravioli.
Joe
Which are great.
Holly
Can we do it on a pasta? How can we eat Sea Moss Gel?
Joe
From web.isod.es, this is GrowAbility, a digital documentary at the intersection of urban agriculture, food insecurity and community.
Holly
On this episode, Joe
sits down with Mystery Furtado, an internationally trained registered nurse who formed Type Diabeat-It, a BIPOC-led diabetes organisation.
Joe
Mystery
also founded a BIPOC community garden. Plus, she's the founder of Granny P's Sea Moss Gel company. Holly, isn't Mystery amazing?
Holly
So amazing. One thing Mystery talks about is how New Canadians don't always have access to culturally appropriate food, so they go to the processed stuff that can lead to health issues like diabetes.
Joe
I picked up on that, too. And I think one of Mystery's biggest innovations is recognising that urban agriculture is a great way to help any community access healthy foods.
Holly
Completely agree. But before we get to the goods on Mystery, a couple of notes for our audience.
Joe
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Holly
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Joe
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Holly
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Joe
And it works both ways, Send your questions and suggestions to Joe@GrowAbilityPod.com
Holly
Siskinds The Law Firm hosted us in their beautiful office for this series. Thank you so much to Siskind's and the team that made it happen.
Joe
And now we're super happy to share my conversation with the amazing Mystery Furtado.
Joe
Mystery, I'm so pleased to have you here today. You bring a different lens for both urban agriculture and food security. So thank you so much for joining us today.
Mystery
I'm so glad to be here. Thanks for the invitation.
Joe
Our audience will hear a brief intro about you that we'll record separately, but I want to start with your work on diabetes prevention. Why is this work so important to you?
Mystery
So, diabetes is something very dear to my heart because I lost both my maternal and paternal grandparents to diabetes. And at the tender age of eight, I was giving insulin to my grandmother. So growing up, I always know, like, I always knew what it felt like as as family, as a caregiver, when someone has that diagnosis and, you know, at that age, not fully understanding why my grandmother had such a strict, "diet" or why she couldn't eat some of the foods that I enjoyed as a kid.
Joe
What is Type Diabeat-it?
Mystery
So Type Diabeat-it, we are now a charity, so I'm really excited to share that. But we started in 2018 and ideally, or what I envision at first was to solely do relief work for Belize, where type diabetes is top two cause of death. So I never imagine or phantomed that a developed country like Canada would need someone like me. But I was working as a clinical educator and that's when I realised that there is a place for me in my second home, Canada, to actually get involved. So I realised that there's a lack of, you know, cultural competency for diabetes care and even prevention for people that look like myself. So right away I got the board and shout out to my board for being very supportive of my crazy ideas. And I said, Hey, let's start right here, like we have so much that we can do, especially looking at food. And I thought back to my grandmother when she came to visit me and how we would be driving all over to find specific foods. So I said, we have a real unique opportunity to address unhealthy eating as one of the behavioural risk factor for type two diabetes.
Joe
Did you have any resistance or challenge when you wanted to start type diabetes?
Mystery
I would say yes. And I think some of it could be intentional, some of it might not be. But I find that change is hard for everyone. And people are not look used to faces like myself talking about needs of my community. Right. They're used to it coming from a different source or a different person. So I think that was met with hesitation. And also the this idea or this scarcity mentality that there's only space for one organisation or one group of people. So a lot of it was, well, why you like why you're doing that? We already have Diabetes Canada, or JDRF, or why are you growing food? So many people- so many organizations growing food. So people didn't understand right away, you know, the value that we brought or the perspective.
Joe
Type Diabeat-it does a lot of things. Let's unpack that.
Mystery
So at its core, as I mentioned, is addressing unhealthy eating, right? So we grow food. We specifically grow African diaspora food because we know that food is a basic human need.
Joe
Yes.
Mystery
And it doesn't matter what you might call it in one culture, but the food is the same. So we specialise in growing things like okras, callaloo. We grow a lot of hot peppers, African eggplants. And then we also look at food that is similar across other cultures. So we don't grow as many like tomatoes per say, or kale. We try to look at what is as nutrient packed and can also grow here in Canada. So a big part of it is, as I said, we grow food, we harvest the food, and then the tasty part is our food literacy. Is that empowerment through food. We work with seniors. We work with older adults, youth and children. And we actually developed a curriculum and this looks at the Canadian Food Guide, but with cultural lens.
Joe
How does food security aid in diabetes prevention or management?
Mystery
Well, we know from many research articles that poverty has the greatest impact on overall health. So when you look at social determinants of health, your financial status plays a role, and if you're not able to afford food, that leads to so many other things, not just diabetes, right? Is that whole like mental breaking down of, you know, maybe I can't be healthy because I can't afford, "healthy food". So we've, you know, put a spin on that whereby we feature recipes that are under $20 and that are plant based. Because I feel like there's this kind of scare or mentality that healthy is expensive. So then people don't, you know, might say, I can't afford this. But if we kind of change the mindset and not use words like healthy or even the word diet and we look more at nutritious, cultural, wholesome, balanced. Words that are more neutral to, you know, make eating a beautiful experience and also something that's affordable. So food security is a big part of what we do. We provide over 200 food boxes a month to the ACB community.
Joe
How does the food box program work?
Mystery
So we have a registration link on our website, and reason being is because as a non-for-profit and now a charity, we're not funded to do this work, right? The reason why providing food is so passionate to me is because I've had to access the food bank, right? And I think sometimes we may forget that no one migrates to Canada to end up on welfare or to go to a food bank. I am a internationally trained nurse, and, you know, when I migrated with my ex-husband at the time, the goal was to get a job, right, and pay taxes like everybody else. But that didn't happen, and I ended up on welfare and I had to go to food banks, and I understand that I didn't always feel welcome. I didn't feel that the food reflected me, right? And no offence to like cream of mushrooms or like a tomato soup, but I don't eat that, right? And there's other cultures that also don't eat these canned food.
Joe
Yes.
Mystery
So you donate it back to the food bank.
Joe
Right.
Mystery
Because you don't use it. So I make sure that, you know, the boxes that we collect- so we're part of the London Food Coalition.
Joe
Yes.
Mystery
And we also work with Harvest Hands and we try to ensure that all these boxes, you can go home and make an actual meal. So it's a lot of fruits, a lot of vegetable, because, again, part of our work is to increase access to fresh produce.
Joe
And is food literacy a big part of that?
Mystery
Yes, so these food boxes does not carry recipes like our previous food boxes did. And again, that's resources. The grant tapped out after the pandemic, so these are just boxes that you take home. But our food literacy, we partner a lot with local organisations like LUSO, we work with London Intercommunal Health Centre, Northwest Resource Centre. And through collaboration, because again, we don't generate revenues, we're able to run food literacy programs across the city and even do hot meal programs. So we feature recipes with everything that we grow in the greenhouse, including like tubers, so instead of maybe like potato, which is a simple starch, we talk about green bananas, which a lot of people don't even think you can eat. They only eat like they're very ripe banana.
Joe
I'm learning something!
Mystery
Exactly. So we feature the green banana because that's a great addition to potatoes. You can fry them, you can boil them, you can make a salad with them. We also feature like, plantains and like sweet potatoes. So empowering everyone, not just people of colour in what else can I buy at the grocery store that might not be as expensive, but also nutrient dense and diabetes friendly. So our recipes won't alter your blood sugar.
Joe
Wonderful. You're an urban farmer.
Mystery
I am.
Joe
Tell me about the London Community Garden.
Mystery
So we started with just four rows at the London Food Bank, and now we're working on a 1.5 acre project. We have a partnership with Cardinal Fine Cabinetry. They're a 60 year old cabinet- like high end cabinet company in London - shout out to Paul and Laurie.
Joe
Absolutely.
Mystery
And we've been able to use their unused land behind their business and convert it into what we're calling harvest haven. And we also have a greenhouse because we had a greenhouse at the Western Fair, because we one second in Central about two years ago with the London Neighbourhood decision. So thank you to all the voters. And we now have a little bit bigger of a greenhouse and we're growing food right now, only in the greenhouse, because our water was installed late. We had to dig an in-ground well. So we have a manmade well and we're completely solar. So these investments took some time to, you know, be ready. So right now, we're only growing food in the greenhouse.
Joe
Wow. Is your farm exclusively for growing produce or does it have other purposes?
Mystery
Right now, it's exclusively for growing produce. We also do school trips. So last year well, last school year, we worked with Thames Valley District School Board and two of their elementary classes came out to the land. Because of the amazing Cabinet Company, Cardinal, we have- we are able to use two of their showroom kitchens to run programs in there. So we have done okra canning, cranberry concentrate for kids, we're going to be doing a fruit-based ketchup - teaching kids how to make a healthier ketchup, because which kid doesn't like ketchup. Right? So we- it's open for trips, groups, community groups that might want to plant who wouldn't normally have access. But again, we're not so accessible, but we want to be as inclusive as possible, but solely planting and kind of educating.
Joe
I like this cabinet company.
Mystery
Me to.
Joe
How is Type Diabeat-It working outside of Canada?
Mystery
So right now it's mostly our own advocacy around like the literature and the resources that we've created. So that's the recipe, our curriculum, and lots of manpower around, just like the advertising piece for Belize. As of recently, we are 1 in 10 organisations across Canada to receive funding from public health agencies to further our mission. So we've been funded to grow the food, to harvest the food and continue our food literacy.
Joe
I don't know when you sleep, but you're also an entrepreneur.
Mystery
I am.
Joe
Tell me about Granny P's.
Mystery
So Granny P's my grandmother. So when she was alive, everyone called her Granny P actually stands for Granny Power, and she taught me everything that I know today. So her passion for growing food, I learnt from her. So everything, almost everything that I'm growing is something that I did in Belize as a child alongside her because she always believed that the land and food will feed her generation. So I grew up with my grandmother on a farm and who would plant food. So when I came to Canada, that was something that was a burning passion of mine. But then I also wanted to further her knowledge for holistic medicine. So I started with a product- it's Sea Moss. So it's a trending superfood because of Tik Tok right now. And I make it into this consumable gel that you can eat directly or you can add to smoothies, tea, coffee and is very good for your gut health, immune system, collagen production. And we supply about 18 stores currently with our products.
Joe
I'm going to look for Sea Moss gel.
Mystery
Now you have to look for Sea Moss gel. And we're launching gummies, Sea Moss gummies.
Joe
Sea Moss gummies.
Mystery
Yes, because our current Sea Moss gel, we have the longest shelf life in Canada tested at Fanshawe lab, but it's four months in the refrigerator. So in contrary to what we think the health industry want, they actually want the food to last a million years on their shelves. So we found they're very- like a good alternative, which was gummies. So these are shelf stable for one year and all clean ingredients. So Bladderwrack, Elderberry and Ginger.
Joe
There's got to be a grand unification theory or plan going on. What is that?
Mystery
So the for like Granny P's, I've been able to use the business to support some of the initiatives of Type Diabeat-it, right? So our food box is run solely because of Granny P's, because Type Diabeat-it can't afford rent, a refrigerator, a deep freezer. So I use my personal vehicle to pick up food, plus our amazing volunteers to support the community. So the long term is to be able to have a hub where both these entities can co-exist. Because to do good work, you need money, which is a very hard and sad reality of the life and the society we live in, but it has to be sustainable. So the grand plan is to use Granny P's to find ways to make Type Diabeat-it more sustainable.
Joe
The power of Granny Power.
Mystery
Yes.
Joe
What's the future of Type Diabeat-it?
Mystery
The future? I would really like to partner. I would like to see more, you know, multi-sectoral collaborations in London so that we can have a health hub that is reflective of the different cultures that live in London. Similarly to the GTA, they have a lot of culturally, you know, grounded and culturally competent wellness hubs where you can come and get diabetes support, get foot care similarly to our Indigenous brothers and sisters where they have, you know, an Indigenous-led health centres. I would really much- that's the goal we're working towards is to be able to set up one of the first, you know, Black-led health hubs here in London.
Joe
What role does community play in your work?
Mystery
Community is everything. Community is why I'm here today. Community is how I met you.
Joe
Yes.
Mystery
And despite some of the naysayers and systematic racism that I'm faced with every day, there's great people in this sector who have believed in what we're doing since day one, and they have rallied behind us and support us, that now we're growing, right? Now we're a charity. Now we have federal funding for about four years. Now we know we're running feeding programs in the summer, doing something like 700 hot meals, right?
Joe
wow.
Mystery
And that's all done through community. There's no salary. There is no funding for every- like for 90% of the things that we do because we have a fitness program with the YMCA that's free for older adults and seniors. And that happens once a week. We have a support group and all these things are run by volunteers. So having volunteers give of their expertise and their skills for community. So by community, for a community- that's amazing.
Joe
Can you talk about your experience as a Black entrepreneur in Canada?
Mystery
Well, it's hard. You know, it's it's very difficult. And again, I think it's because it's new territory. And for whatever reason, people are just not aware of what it feels like to be on the other end, right? So even getting into stores in London was met with a lot of hesitations, but there were good people who believed in what I was doing and gave me that stamp of credibility. So we're in Quartermaster's in Wortley Village and they're like the gurus of health stores in London. And, you know, one of their workers, Jessie, she really believed in the brand, the cleanliness that I was offering and also my community engagement, right? So I think it's hard. And I think also as a woman, you know, systematically I think wealth and knowledge and strength has always been kind of given to to men.
Joe
Right.
Mystery
So there's always that level of hesitation, but there's a shift happening where we have way more information and knowledge than our ancestors did. So I find that one of the best piece of advice that I was given, and this is by Glen Pearson from the London Food Bank, and he said, 'You try to remove the emotions out of things and talk about the facts. What is the precedence being set?' And I feel like I've been able to use that and, you know, tried to articulate- sometimes we have to code switch, which is something I think is not fair for people of colour. But I find that as long as you're able to try as much as possible to remove emotion and look at people as a reflection of their own past experiences and trauma and try not to take things personal. I think that is what has kept me going, plus, I think ancestral strength from my grandmother. I know the higher purpose of why I'm here and what I'm doing. And my kids- creating a world where they can do anything. And for a little girl who wants to do this, like she'll see me and see I can do this because we're not represented in a not for profit sector and the health and wellness sector either. So when you think of a farmer, do you think of someone that looks like me?
Joe
I do now.
Mystery
Now you do. When you think of canning, do you think of my grandmother? You probably wouldn't, right? But all cultures have preservation techniques. So the more I'm able to talk about this and bring light, I think this right here is the change that we're looking for- conversation. That's where it starts.
Joe
Iis there anything that we haven't touched on that you'd like to talk about?
Mystery
Well, we can talk for hours, so, but I think we covered a lot today.
Joe
We did cover a lot. And thank you so much for coming in.
Mystery
Thank you for having me.
Joe
We have a final question. What keeps you growing?
Mystery
What keeps me growing? Community. The faces, The smiles. When people come to pick up food boxes and they're next to tears. When I'm working with the kids in the school system, when we're in the elementary schools and they draw a picture of me and there's like, this is Mystery.
Joe
Love it.
Mystery
And when they relate to the content that I'm offering, right? When I remembered this summer, we were growing something, what we call fever grass, but it's actually a lemon grass. It's very popular in Africa, like in Africa and the Caribbean and Latin America. And a mom came over to our feeding program. She saw the lemongrass, took it, and I was like, I'm going home to make tea. And she ran home with everything that I brought. And to me, that is the power. Or like recently we had the Muslim Wellness Centre, the seniors, they came over and we were just laughing and talking and realising that we're not so different.
Joe
Right.
Mystery
At the end of the day, and it might be a language barrier, but we're humans and we all want to belong and feel connected. And I think that is what fills my cup.
Joe
We're a community.
Mystery
Yes, we are.
Joe
Where can people find out more about the work that you're doing and Type Diabeat-it?
Mystery
So they can go to our website at www.diabeat-it.ca. So there's a hyphen. Sorry, it's confusing, but they can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We have a newsletter as well. We try to, you know, put out what we're doing and we have a health fair coming up for diabetes month. We're working with the London-Middlesex, Middlesex-London Health Unit. So many abbreviations. We're working with them this year and a couple of other agencies to bring health support services more central. We're doing it at the Covent Garden Market and trying to break the barriers from, you know, making health seem so distant and so hospital, but bringing health back to community.
Joe
That's where it is.
Mystery
That's where it is.
Joe
That's where it should be, right. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today and continuing to do the wonderful work that you do. We appreciate it.
Mystery
Thank you for having me.
Credits
GrowAbility is hosted by Joe Gansevles and Holly Pugsley and produced by Joe Gansevles and Adam Caplan.
Special thanks to this week's guest Mystery Furtado.
Lighting and Camera Design by Kevin Labonte, with production support from Oliver Gansevles.
GrowAbility's production was made much easier with the help of Jesse Chen, Teri Fujioka, Zach Grossman, Zachary Meads, Leo Shin and Debora Camargo from Fanshawe College's Broadcasting Television and Film Production program. Thanks to Janice Robinson from Fanshawe for arranging for these students invaluable participation.
Holly Pugsley of Just Keep Growing provided the plants and made sure they looked great.
Audience and Marketing Strategy by Japs Kaur Miglani with support from Doruntina Uka and Tess Alcock.
Our theme music is Wandering William by Adrian Walter and can be found on SoundStripe.
Thanks as well to Hubert Orlowski for providing technical and audio engineering advice to help our podcast sound great. Adam Caplan - that's me - is web.isod.es executive producer, and Sammy Orlowski is our Senior Creator.
Special thanks to Jennifer Routly from Siskinds The Law Firm for arranging to host us at their beautiful head office in downtown London, Ontario.
GrowAbility is a web.isod.es production and is produced with the support and participation of the team at the Patch and Hutton House.