The author grew up in Western Kenya, where malnutrition is common but is frequently mistaken for witchcraft and the “evil eye”. As a pediatrician with a research interest in nutrition, she observed a link between “weaning diarrhea” and lactose intolerance. This started her on a nutritional journey spanning over two decades, during which she noted overt disparities in nutritional status among Kenyan communities due to a dietary staple of maize. The author is an advocate for breastfeeding and a critic of environmental degradation, processed foods and modern food technologies that weaken rather than enhance the nutrient content of foods.