Did you know that there may be a silent killer on your plate? High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar are still killing the Black community at a disproportionate rate.
These diseases are not hereditary, but the recipes get passed down from generation to generation.
For years, the narrative was that diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure “ran in the family”. Now that we know that is a myth, it is time to figure out what the problem is.
Soul food, southern food, country food, or whatever you choose to call it is ultimately bad for us. Fried chicken, veggies cooked with pork and even pork itself is a silent killer in the Black community.
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It’s Not Just What You Eat, but How much
Think back to a time when you were younger at Sunday or Thanksgiving dinner. You or one of your cousins would eat a lot of food and the family would boil it down to the “growing”.
While this may be true, piling up on the carbs and fried foods is a bad idea no matter what age you are. Overeating at a young age can be the beginning of a hard unhealthy life consisting of being overweight, obese, out of shape, and unhappy.
This may seem harsh and over the top for some, but when you look at the numbers you will soon see something has to be done. Seventy-six percent of Black people are overweight according to the U.S. Department of Health.
This is because of not only what we eat, but how much we eat.
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Food is a nostalgic feeling of holidays, birthdays, and any celebration you can think of in the Black community. A more strategic method of health education can be the start of healthier Black people in America.
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Time to Make Some Substitutions
It’s completely fine to love the way food tastes, but there are ways to eat the food you enjoy without clogging arteries or raising your blood pressure.
There are so many new developments these days and new recipes that can change your life! The air fryer is something many people will consistently swear by.
You can fry all of your favorite foods without having to bathe them in grease or even flowers for that matter. You can fry any food you can think of in a matter of minutes.
Instead of cooking your greens with pork, you can try turkey. To push it even further you can use no meat at all and rely on spices that won’t add any extra sodium.
One of the harder things to replace for some people is sweets. We love homemade cakes, pies, cookies, and cobblers.
What makes these treats delicious is their sweetness. Desserts like parfaits, oatmeal cookies, and baked peaches are great substitutes to satisfy your sweet tooth after a hearty air-fried chicken with meatless greens.
The adjustments might take some getting used to after years of eating things with high fat and sugar, but your body will thank you in the long run.
