# Breaking News: Southern Cooking May Be Killing African-americans, Study Finds



## gimbap (Oct 3, 2018)

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...icans-study-finds-n915846?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma

*Southern cooking may be killing African-Americans, study finds*
That down-home cooking loaded with salt, sugar and fat raises blood pressure.
by Maggie Fox / Oct.02.2018 / 11:59 AM EDT





It’s rich and delicious, that Southern diet: plenty of fried food, cheesy casseroles, and sweet, sweet tea.

But it’s deadly, especially to African-Americans. The fat, sugar and sodium that make Southern food so tempting also sends blood pressure up to killer levels.


*A study out Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows the main reason African-Americans die younger than whites is heart disease. It finds heart disease, mostly caused by high blood pressure, accounts for fully one-third of the disparity.

And the main factor raising blood pressure? A Southern-style diet.*


George Howard of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues studied just under 7,000 people who had been taking part in a larger, long-term study of diet and lifestyle. The volunteers got their first medical exams for the study between 2003 and 2007, and were examined again an average of nine years later.

Howard’s team compared blacks to whites in the study. They checked weight, blood pressure, cholesterol; asked questions about drinking alcohol, about income and about exercise habits; and checked for symptoms of stress and depression. They asked what type of foods people ate, also.


*As expected, blacks had higher rates of early death than whites, and much of that was due to high blood pressure. That’s been shown often before.*


*What was surprising, said Howard, was that diet seemed to be a major factor associated with the death rates.*

“I would have guessed obesity would have been playing a big role and factors like stress and depression would have been playing a big role,” Howard told NBC News.

*“Once I saw that it was a Southern diet, it was a ‘oh yeah that makes sense’ kind of thing.” *



To some degree, the Southern diet represents the American diet overall — loaded with white flour, sugar, salt and meat. But this study showed big differences between blacks and whites in terms of eating the least-healthy foods.

*“African-Americans eat not just more of this diet, but a lot more of this diet,” Howard said.

And blacks were also less likely to eat healthy foods that lower the risk of heart disease, including vegetables, fruits and whole grains, the study showed.*



*Obesity plays a role as well, but only for women, the team found. “Black men and white men have the same BMI (body mass index),” Howard said. Black women were more likely to be obese than white women, however, the study found, and for women, obesity was linked with a higher likelihood both of having high blood pressure and of dying young.*


There’s been a lot of research into how diet affects the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. The American Heart Association has guidelines on how to lower both and they’re straightforward: eat more vegetables, fruit and whole grains; exercise regularly; eat less sugar; and cut back on the fried food.

“There’s good news in this paper. The things that look like they are big contributors in the racial differences in hypertension are actually things that can be changed,” Howard said.

But, he added, healthy food can be more expensive.

And Howard has a reminder for all Americans. He described a visit he made to a deli in New York City where schmaltz was a major ingredient. “They put a pitcher of chicken fat on the table to pour on your food,” he said. “Bad eating and adding fat is not only a Southern experience.”


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## Black Ambrosia (Oct 3, 2018)

gimbap said:


> And Howard has a reminder for all Americans. He described a visit he made to a deli in New York City where schmaltz was a major ingredient. “*They put a pitcher of chicken fat on the table to pour on your food,*” he said. “Bad eating and adding fat is not only a Southern experience.”


What the what? And this happened at a deli?!?


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## Theresamonet (Oct 4, 2018)

Lol @ this being breaking news.


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## Theresamonet (Oct 4, 2018)

Black Ambrosia said:


> What the what? And this happened at a deli?!?



I wonder if he’s sure it wasn’t gravy. Lol  I’ve never in my life heard of pouring chicken fat on cooked food.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 4, 2018)

Theresamonet said:


> I wonder if he’s sure it wasn’t gravy. Lol  I’ve never in my life heard of pouring chicken fat on cooked food.


Schmaltz is used like butter.


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## Shula (Oct 4, 2018)

I miss Southern food. A lot. And I thought "they" decided at some point that being black and steeped in American racism also added to our high blood pressure and other illnesses? I'm in the South and don't even know many people who still eat Southern food on the regular.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 4, 2018)

Lies! It stress.


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## Shula (Oct 4, 2018)

ThirdEyeBeauty said:


> Lies! It stress.



I've not seen a proper Southern meal in a long, long time. My Hispanic friends don't eat their native foods either. I've been wanting some and they have us for dinner and served some bland shrimp and something in these tiny portions and I be like where's the good stuff??? I have to eat super clean for my health and every once in a while I want something goodt. Nobody I know eats like that anymore. But the stress is ever present.


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## RossBoss (Oct 4, 2018)

Southern food is a treat for me. I prepare it like once per month. I travel in the South a lot and I tend to eat like kiddie sized portions when I go to authentic Black owned soul food restaurants.


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## qchelle (Oct 4, 2018)

I only eat traditional soul/ southern food on Thanksgiving.


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## moneychaser (Oct 4, 2018)

qchelle said:


> I only eat traditional soul/ southern food on Thanksgiving.



Ditto.


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## CarefreeinChicago (Oct 4, 2018)

I was at the state fair of Texas over the weekend and had fried lemonade, fried ressee cup, fried snickers and fried brownies. It was worth it !


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## qchelle (Oct 4, 2018)

kinchen said:


> I was at the state fair of Texas over the weekend and had fried lemonade, fried ressee cup, fried snickers and fried brownies. It was worth it !



How does fried lemonade work? lol


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## dyh080 (Oct 4, 2018)

Theresamonet said:


> Lol @ this being breaking news.


Right!


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## dyh080 (Oct 4, 2018)

ThirdEyeBeauty said:


> Lies! It stress.


Stress combined with bad diet kills. I just read it this week somewhere , most likely one of my many health related books.
The author said even in countries where people eat a  traditional whole food diet yet maintained their health , think rural African or Asian countries?, the people have or had stress of fighting off predators, poor living environments, manual labor, etc.).

Just a theory, but I tend to agree.  Stress plus bad diet kills.


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## dyh080 (Oct 4, 2018)

Decades ago this diet perhaps was not as dangerous when combined with labor. Many did not work sitting behind a desk, didn't have prepackaged food, cut their own grass, had no washer/dryers, walked to work, and performed other manual tasks that we don't today.

Eat the way today and sit around on the phone while watching TV and you are asking for trouble.


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## guyaneseyankee (Oct 4, 2018)

I know we've been trained to believe this, but as I research more and more on the keto lifestyle  idk.
Maybe just parts of the AA diet may be harmful but what do you expect given the social circumstances;  i.e stress

ETA:  I too agree that good ole southern food is the bomb; but I ain't cooking like that everyday.  Times a changing.


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## CarefreeinChicago (Oct 4, 2018)

qchelle said:


> How does fried lemonade work? lol


Puff pastry and lemon goo in the middle


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## MzRhonda (Oct 4, 2018)

Shula said:


> I miss Southern food. A lot. And I thought "they" decided at some point that *being black and steeped in American racism also added to our high blood pressure and other illnesses*? I'm in the South and don't even know many people who still eat Southern food on the regular.


The bolded is so true those issues are a huge contributing factor...STRESS.


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## MzRhonda (Oct 4, 2018)

The saying "you gon run my presha up" doesn't have anything to do with eating or soulfood.


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## TrueBeliever (Oct 4, 2018)

It's really the hormones and chemicals they put into food we buy. Plus if you eat out a lot, that is worse than any soul food you cook at home. 

Like cigarettes, bad food seems to affect black women the most.


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## faithVA (Oct 4, 2018)

I think this is just a ploy to distract us from the fact they aren't trying to come up with any beneficials ways to deal with high blood pressure in the AA community. If you walk into a doctor's office with a good diet, exercising, not overweight and with high blood pressure they just get dazed and hand you the medicine. They associate black with high blood pressure and don't give it another thought. 

When you talk to them, you realize they have no clue as to why we have high blood pressure, no real strategy to improve it and I don't see any real research being done to try to find an answer.

I agree with most posters that stress is definitely a trigger. Food just exacerbates it.


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## Theresamonet (Oct 4, 2018)

ThirdEyeBeauty said:


> Schmaltz is used like butter.



I had to google schmaltz. So it’s a Jewish thing. What does it have to do with southern food killing black folks? Sorry, I didn’t read the article. Lol


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## intellectualuva (Oct 5, 2018)

Pass the Mac n Cheese.....lol


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## frida1980 (Oct 5, 2018)

Stress from racism, the excess amount of estrogen in our food and water supply, misleading labels, racist doctors that won’t treat us equally as whites...

You know I’m just going to stop listing things and say racism. It covers everything I’m going to say next.


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## faithVA (Oct 5, 2018)

Stress from the breakfast food truck not being here on time and I have a 9 am meeting. By the time he shows up, set a up and cooks my food it will be too late.


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 5, 2018)

In other news: Water is Wet!


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 5, 2018)

Theresamonet said:


> I wonder if he’s sure it wasn’t gravy. Lol  I’ve never in my life heard of pouring chicken fat on cooked food.



My dad was from Mississippi...  he poured fat on his grits!  Some of the things I saw that man eat had me dry-heaving!


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 5, 2018)

Shula said:


> I've not seen a proper Southern meal in a long, long time. My Hispanic friends don't eat their native foods either. I've been wanting some and they have us for dinner and served some bland shrimp and something in these tiny portions and I be like where's the good stuff??? I have to eat super clean for my health and every once in a while I want something goodt. Nobody I know eats like that anymore. But the stress is ever present.



You ought to come down by my Mississippi relatives.  They eat like that on the regular.  When I was dealing with breast cancer they stopped by the house and dropped of a ton of cooked food for me and my mom--which is what Southerners do!  My mom and I thanked them and after they left, all of that food went straight to the trash.  They even put grease in the greens!


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## Shula (Oct 5, 2018)

HappilyLiberal said:


> You ought to come down by my Mississippi relatives.  They eat like that on the regular.  When I was dealing with breast cancer they stopped by the house and dropped of a ton of cooked food for me and my mom--which is what Southerners do!  My mom and I thanked them and after they left, all of that food went straight to the trash.  They even put grease in the greens!



Girl! I understand and the height of respect to you and your mom for resisting. My parents are also from Miss and I've yet to find anybody who can cook Southern food like my mom. Her talent at it was even mentioned in her obituary and the whole place went AMEN! because my mom fed everybody and whew, stuck her foot in every dish. Y'all did the right thing especially while fighting serious illness.

edit: ferocious typo


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 5, 2018)

Let's be honest...  we may not be able to do anything about the racism, stress, etc... but, we can do something about our horrible eating habits.  By putting the focus on the stress, etc.  we are ignoring our responsibility for our health.  We know they don't care, so we have to!


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 5, 2018)

And, my mom, from Louisiana, is only marginally better.   We had to meet with the kidney specialist because the Chemo was having a constant fight with my kidneys.  She actually had an argument with that man about whether or not I should eat white potatoes!  He looked like he wanted to tell her off but thought better of it!  He sent my oncologist a note telling him to deal with her.  My doctors hated her!


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## Black Ambrosia (Oct 5, 2018)

Theresamonet said:


> I had to google schmaltz. So it’s a Jewish thing. What does it have to do with southern food killing black folks? Sorry, I didn’t read the article. Lol


It's really not relevant. It's mentioned as a side note about black people not being the only ones with bad diets.


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## Menina Preta (Oct 5, 2018)

faithVA said:


> I think this is just a ploy to distract us from the fact they aren't trying to come up with any beneficials ways to deal with high blood pressure in the AA community. If you walk into a doctor's office with a good diet, exercising, not overweight and with high blood pressure they just get dazed and hand you the medicine. They associate black with high blood pressure and don't give it another thought.
> 
> When you talk to them, you realize they have no clue as to why we have high blood pressure, no real strategy to improve it and I don't see any real research being done to try to find an answer.
> 
> I agree with most posters that stress is definitely a trigger. Food just exacerbates it.



Bc a lot of high blood pressure in Blacks is genetic and not just diet and exercise related. I’ve heard theories that diasporic Blacks have a tendency towards high blood pressure bc it is thought those who survived the Middle Passage had higher salt affinity (meaning less likely to excrete
salt in urine) inside of the body, helping to prevent dehydration and leading to survival. 

Also, there is a lot of research being done about hypertension in the Black community and there are recommendations on which type of blood pressure meds to begin first based on ones’s race and other medical conditions. I think the NIH recently released a report just discussing blood pressure in African Americans and it is a major research hot topic among General Medicine and Cardiology researchers.


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## Brownie (Oct 5, 2018)

No lies told in the article except I’ve seen plenty of high BMI WW and WM in the South also. I think everyone likes some foods that are not healthy, but you can’t eat that stuff every day.


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## Shula (Oct 6, 2018)

Menina Preta said:


> Bc a lot of high blood pressure in Blacks is genetic and not just diet and exercise related. I’ve heard theories that diasporic Blacks have a tendency towards high blood pressure bc it is thought those who survived the Middle Passage had higher salt affinity (meaning less likely to excrete
> salt in urine) inside of the body, helping to prevent dehydration and leading to survival.
> 
> Also, there is a lot of research being done about hypertension in the Black community and there are recommendations on which type of blood pressure meds to begin first based on ones’s race and other medical conditions. I think the NIH recently released a report just discussing blood pressure in African Americans and it is a major research hot topic among General Medicine and Cardiology researchers.



This is so ironic because the only thing that is NOT wrong with my health is my blood pressure. I run in the 90s/60s, lower than my kids,  though it is finally starting to creep up a bit. Both parents had hypertension in their 30s but both were normal to underweight as well. Something is not right with us AAs. Probably a combo of all of the above.


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## laurend (Oct 6, 2018)

Menina Preta said:


> Bc a lot of high blood pressure in Blacks is genetic and not just diet and exercise related. I’ve heard theories that diasporic Blacks have a tendency towards high blood pressure bc it is thought those who survived the Middle Passage had higher salt affinity (meaning less likely to excrete
> salt in urine) inside of the body, helping to prevent dehydration and leading to survival.
> 
> Also, there is a lot of research being done about hypertension in the Black community and there are recommendations on which type of blood pressure meds to begin first based on ones’s race and other medical conditions. I think the NIH recently released a report just discussing blood pressure in African Americans and it is a major research hot topic among General Medicine and Cardiology researchers.



Yeah but their African cousin's bp is not as high as their AA cousins. The problem with black folks is stress, poor nutrition, and obesity. Working in the fitness field is see their bad habits on a daily basis.


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## Shula (Oct 6, 2018)

laurend said:


> Yeah but their African cousin's bp is not as high as their AA cousins. The problem with black folks is stress, poor nutrition, and obesity. Working in the fitness field is see their bad habits on a daily basis.



I can see this. We have black family members up north that still eat like this while battling diabetes and probably high bp, too. They insist we are too small. Then when my MIL from up north visits, she always says she is going to fatten us up and cooks like there's 20 people in the house, all very unhealthy food. No you will not, ma'am. I knew an 18 yo who weighed 360 lbs. whose knees and ankles are blown out completely and another at girl that weighs around 300 lbs. that had a stroke from it at 10. So yeah, plenty of us aren't getting the memo. It's so sad.


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 6, 2018)

laurend said:


> Yeah but their African cousin's bp is not as high as their AA cousins. The problem with black folks is stress, poor nutrition, and obesity. Working in the fitness field is see their bad habits on a daily basis.



Yeah...  just don't compare people to Fatty Arbuckle...  and, no...  you will never live that down!


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## GinnyP (Oct 6, 2018)

kinchen said:


> I was at the state fair of Texas over the weekend and had fried lemonade, fried ressee cup, fried snickers and fried brownies. It was worth it !


Kinchen.............fried lemonade?


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## GinnyP (Oct 6, 2018)

frida1980 said:


> Stress from racism, the excess amount of estrogen in our food and water supply, misleading labels, racist doctors that won’t treat us equally as whites...
> 
> You know I’m just going to stop listing things and say racism. It covers everything I’m going to say next.


Exactly!


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## Menina Preta (Oct 6, 2018)

laurend said:


> Yeah but their African cousin's bp is not as high as their AA cousins. The problem with black folks is stress, poor nutrition, and obesity. Working in the fitness field is see their bad habits on a daily basis.



Our African cousins born in Africa and who immigrated here after slavery did not suffer through the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage served as a sort of a natural selection for diasporic Blacks to tend towards higher blood pressures for generations to come. If salt excretion is impaired at the kidney level, it can lead to higher blood pressure over time.  Yes, stress, nutrition and weight all play a part for the majority but my comment was in reference to Black ppl who are thin who eat well and exercise but still suffer from BP issues.


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## CarefreeinChicago (Oct 6, 2018)

GinnyP said:


> Kinchen.............fried lemonade?


They also had fried butter


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## Shula (Oct 7, 2018)

kinchen said:


> They also had fried butter



They were trying to kill folks, lol.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 7, 2018)

Menina Preta said:


> Bc a lot of high blood pressure in Blacks is genetic and not just diet and exercise related. I’ve heard theories that diasporic Blacks have a tendency towards high blood pressure bc it is thought those who survived the Middle Passage had higher salt affinity (meaning less likely to excrete
> salt in urine) inside of the body, helping to prevent dehydration and leading to survival.
> 
> Also, there is a lot of research being done about hypertension in the Black community and there are recommendations on which type of blood pressure meds to begin first based on ones’s race and other medical conditions. I think the NIH recently released a report just discussing blood pressure in African Americans and it is a major research hot topic among General Medicine and Cardiology researchers.


That's psuedo science that is easy to believe.  Some things are simpler than that. Stress plus LACK of the right nutrients for that individual's body makes much more sense and can be applied to anyone.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 7, 2018)

Menina Preta said:


> Our African cousins born in Africa and who immigrated here after slavery did not suffer through the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage served as a sort of a natural selection for diasporic Blacks to tend towards higher blood pressures for generations to come. If salt excretion is impaired at the kidney level, it can lead to higher blood pressure over time.  Yes, stress, nutrition and weight all play a part for the majority but my comment was in reference to Black ppl who are thin who eat well and exercise but still suffer from BP issues.


Nah, point me exactly to a thin, stress-free person who also eats well for their body (eta: who has high blood pressure).  I strongly dare.


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## discodumpling (Oct 7, 2018)

Ain't nobody eating like that on the regular anymore. Maybe 2X a year I make a proper Southern Black American meal. Thanksgiving for sure and then maybe DS#2 has a random craving for my baked mac n cheese at some point during the year. Occasionally we support a local business and get a plate or two. 

Perhaps it's not so much the food...there are higher stress factors existing for US that have nothing to do with food.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 7, 2018)

Don't get me wrong, if one is consuming soda, carbs, and cheap cooking oil all the time, you will eventually develop health problems -- especially high blood pressure and diabetes.  However the stress affects the processing of all that.  Long term stress WILL destroy you.


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## GinnyP (Oct 7, 2018)

Shula said:


> They were trying to kill folks, lol.


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## Menina Preta (Oct 7, 2018)

ThirdEyeBeauty said:


> That's psuedo science that is easy to believe.  Some things are simpler than that. Stress plus LACK of the right nutrients for that individual's body makes much more sense and can be applied to anyone.



What studies have you read?  What patients have you seen?  This is my specialty and I see quite a few patients like this. And of different races.

It’s not just stress. I treat 30 something year olds who are suffering from high blood pressure who are size 2s and 4s, eat a plant based diet, exercise, etc. We do extensive work ups to make sure it is not a secondary cause. Many of them say their mom, dad, grandparents etc all had high blood pressure from late 20s/30s onward. All hypertensive disease is not about stress and weight. Some is definitely genetic.


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## Menina Preta (Oct 7, 2018)

and the same can be said about coronary artery disease. Young people 30s/40s needing stents bc of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers. Stress affects us but genes trump all IMO and how you live can activate one’s genetic predisposition towards developing chronic heart disease. And sometimes even a strict, healthy lifestyle cannot save you from genetic destiny.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 7, 2018)

Menina Preta said:


> and the same can be said about coronary artery disease. Young people 30s/40s needing stents bc of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers. Stress affects us but genes trump all IMO and *how you live can activate one’s genetic predisposition towards developing chronic heart disease. And sometimes even a strict, healthy lifestyle cannot save you from genetic destiny*.


True


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 7, 2018)

Menina Preta said:


> What studies have you read?  What patients have you seen?  This is my specialty and I see quite a few patients like this. And of different races.
> 
> It’s not just stress. I treat 30 something year olds who are suffering from high blood pressure who are size 2s and 4s, eat a plant based diet, exercise, etc. We do extensive work ups to make sure it is not a secondary cause. Many of them say their mom, dad, grandparents etc all had high blood pressure from late 20s/30s onward. All hypertensive disease is not about stress and weight. Some is definitely genetic.


My strong opinion tells me other things are going on. If it's genetic then they should eat the diet that works for them regardless of race.  Ask them do they eat foods of high fructose corn syrup,  breads, grains, candy, other sweets besides fruit, coffee, and tea.  I would not recommend a pure plant based diet if they are having this problem.  They need meats, fish, healthy oils (not "vegetable oil"), fruits/vegetables, bananas, avocados, healthy salts (not the cheap ones). Plus they need to reduce whatever stress they are not telling you.


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## ThirdEyeBeauty (Oct 7, 2018)

Ladies, may I ask why are we afraid to say stress is the main culprit for high blood pressure?

Yes you will have to modify your diet to change it and heal.


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## Menina Preta (Oct 7, 2018)

ThirdEyeBeauty said:


> Ladies, may I ask why are we afraid to say stress is the main culprit for high blood pressure?
> 
> Yes you will have to modify your diet to change it and heal.



Because it's not the main culprit, lol.  Hypertension is more complex than just stress.  Stress plays a role, but it's not the primary suspect.


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## TrueBeliever (Oct 10, 2018)

I think sugar is worse for blood pressure than salt.

The problems sugar causes to the body run deep.


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## TCatt86 (Oct 10, 2018)

Most people don't eat southern food daily. I think it's likely from just plain ol seasoning like salt and Sony's. And also race related stress.


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## Brwnbeauti (Oct 10, 2018)

Shula said:


> I miss Southern food. A lot. And I thought "they" decided at some point that being black and steeped in American racism also added to our high blood pressure and other illnesses? I'm in the South and don't even know many people who still eat Southern food on the regular.


It takes too long to cook southern food.


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## Brwnbeauti (Oct 10, 2018)

HappilyLiberal said:


> You ought to come down by my Mississippi relatives.  They eat like that on the regular.  When I was dealing with breast cancer they stopped by the house and dropped of a ton of cooked food for me and my mom--which is what Southerners do!  My mom and I thanked them and after they left, all of that food went straight to the trash.  They even put grease in the greens!


Yuck. Glad my Mississippi family doesn’t eat like this.


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## MilkChocolateOne (Oct 10, 2018)

Brownie said:


> No lies told in the article except I’ve seen plenty of high BMI WW and WM in the South also. I think everyone likes some foods that are not healthy, but you can’t eat that stuff every day.



The standard American diet is trash. It's  full of meat, grains, processed foods and dairy  with minimal fresh fruits and vegetables.  It's not just an AA issue. Food deserts are a reality.  Most Americans don't frequently shop at farmers markets and our meat usually isn't purchased directly from the source.  Basic nutrition is not common sense.   You would be amazed at some people's definition of healthy eating.


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## Shula (Oct 11, 2018)

*New Research Shows Soul Food Is Major Contributor To High Blood Pressure In African-Americans*
Not the fried chicken and greens!

Grandma's home cooking could be causing an array of health issues, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on October 2.

Researchers created a sample group of 6,897 people who did not have high blood pressure in 2003–2007 and kept track of their eating habits for nine years.

Out of the nearly 6,900 participants, 1,807 African American men and women were featured in the group. What researchers discovered was that 46 percent of Black participants and 33 percent of whites were found to have high blood pressure by the end of the nine years, according to Reuters.

The study points the finger at traditional Southern foods like fried chicken and sweets like pecan pies. For Black men, high blood pressure was attributed to Southern foods nearly half the amount compared to white men.

Soul food, also known as Southern comforts, was the main factor in the racial divide among heart disease, hypertension and high blood pressure.

"We were absolutely surprised by how important this factor was," George Howard, lead researcher of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said.

Black women were a different case. U.S. News reports the Southern diet was responsible for 29 percent of the racial disparity. Other factors such as income, education, stress due to racism and access to more healthy food options contribute to the racial gap.

Cordialis Msora-Kasago, who is a dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests there are healthy alternatives to these tasty foods. With exercise and a change in diet, people don't have to abandon soul food altogether.

"Diet is something you can change," Howard pointed out. "This is not all because of underlying genetics or other factors you can't change." (End of article)

Ok, so I saw this and thought about how quite a few of us said a lot of people don't eat these foods regularly anymore. Then I scrolled down to the Twitter comments and had a huge Aha! moment because I hadn't considered it as a factor. The tweet said:* Nah it's the McDonalds, Popeyes, Chipotle, taco bell and all junk food.* Fast food restaurants do populate urban areas with their food deserts far more than other neighborhoods. They stay having black folks dancing or singing with fried chicken in fast food commercials; IOW, we are the targeted market. Perhaps, this is a completely plausible contributor as well. It never occurred to me because as mentioned also, nobody has the time to cook soul food anymore and many of us have abandoned it for the sake of our health and convenience. So what's really happening? Did any of you ever think of this...that not necessarily soul food but fast food as the culprit? I believe we as a group eat more of it than others.

If any of you have a moment and are curious, Mikki Kendall/Karnythia's twitter handle is the first link in this post. Her line of reasoning makes sense to me. A lot of sense. This article is linked from her Twitter timeline and the first link will guide you through the points she made. Actually, I just read the majority of the timeline and a lot of points were echoed here with a few that I hadn't thought of by other posters such as white southerners eating the same diet but are not plagued with high bp as we are. The conclusion drawn is clear; the one thing not alike between us and them is the stress of racism, every day, for centuries, and making it's way into our DNA coding.

Also, I got what @Menina Preta's point was about underlying genetic factors that are unique to us contributing. In my case, my bad cholesterol is off the charts and I participate in almost zero dietary bad habits that can cause it. The ONLY time it gets into normal range is when I completely abstain from meats, oils, and sugars which just happen to be things I don't eat a lot of anyway. The second I add a bit of it back, up it goes again. My girls have slightly elevated levels as well and they are super active and eat like I eat for the most part. As a community, we need to get serious about our health, our bad habits that worsen those genetic components, and also educating our people on proper nutrition, As someone mentioned earlier, a LACK of healthy nutrition is just as problematic. What does it matter if you do have access to food but it has no nutritional value? There are plenty of malnourished obese people walking around.



ETA: Someone already compiled Karnythia's tweets so I'm adding so you don't have to go to Twitter if you wanted to read it.

*A. An actual soul food meal is 2/3 vegetables. Meat was expensive and was often used more as seasoning than as a main ingredient. B. Quality of ingredients matters (hi, let's talk not just about food deserts, but the subpar food sold in low income areas)

B. Soul food takes time to prepare. The average person actually doesn't have it every week much less every day. Can you guess what is a common factor in low income areas? Fast food. And yes some of that bills itself as soul food. It isn't.
Seriously go into the average "soul food" restaurant & ask about Hoppin' John. Or cabbage (any kind of cabbage), hell ask about tomato relish. The sweet potatoes will be canned & loaded with sugar & no cinnamon, vanilla or even pecans. They won't have corn relish either
No pickled watermelon, no tomato pie, because those all rely on access to fresh or nearly fresh produce. 

I know we are a country that is largely ignorant of what anyone actually eats, but y'all please stop buying into this idea that food is the issue and not social conditions.
The plate in that pic isn't a weeknight meal. (Unless you have time to wash and pick greens every couple of days), it's a Sunday dinner. And lowkey, it's an odd Sunday dinner. Your grandma would have given you the greens with the sweet potatoes or white potatoes or corn.
Think back (or hell look at what's served at the house next time you're there), chances are good that even if fried chicken is served it's with potato salad, corn, greens, green beans or red beans and rice. Probably two or more of the sides to be honest.
And the fried chicken is unlikely as a weekly option, because hi, hello baked chicken is easier & let's be honest, it's still too hot to stand there with greens cooking on one burner & frying chicken on another. That's a January idea.
Pull up at your aunt's house or grandma's on a Sunday in October and she's probably breaking out the easiest meals still, even though the season for fried tomatoes is past, she's serving potato salad, fish, maybe BBQ. Chow-chow is still on the table.*


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## Rocky91 (Oct 11, 2018)

Trying to think of the what most of the black kids I taught in a food desert had for dinner and hot steaming plates of soul food nightly was not the norm. Processed/canned food or fast food was.


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## HappilyLiberal (Oct 12, 2018)

Rocky91 said:


> Trying to think of the what most of the black kids I taught in a food desert had for dinner and hot steaming plates of soul food nightly was not the norm. Processed/canned food or fast food was.



I agree with this too!


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## Rocky91 (Oct 12, 2018)

I’m all for taking a honest look at beneficial changes that can be made in our households, but I’m not here for the constant pathologizing of AA culture. Monyihan Report for food science.


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## Shula (Oct 13, 2018)

Rocky91 said:


> constant pathologizing of AA culture



I ain't ever heard of them doing studies on other races like us...we get the STIs, HIV rates constantly, economics-we broke, black women with natural hair have low self esteem , black folk weigh too much, black fathers are absent, black women stay single and can't get no man, Our kids are too dumb for school (grades), etc. I know I'm leaving off a TON but it feels like they study us like lab rats JUST to pathologize us. You already own the media and through your far from truthful propaganda you've convinced the whole world that we are lazy, amoral, thieving thug, ne'er-do-wells. Chill a bit.


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## Lady S (Oct 13, 2018)

I agree with a lot of points you ladies have made.  It's easy to point at southern food, but the study seems to ignore things like genetics, stress , the expense of medical care, distrust/tension/disrespect between medical professionals and black patients, and that most of us aren't eating soul food 3 times a day every single day.  I also think when talking about food and nutrition, you absolutely have to talk about food deserts.  When you think about it, soul food was created from a food desert (and that food desert was called American Slavery).  Hog maws, chittlins, pig feet, turkey necks. . .those aren't the choice cuts, those are the left overs.  Fast forward to today, there are areas where fresh fruit and vegetables isn't readily available.  Or if it is, it's not cost effective.  I feel like if a study is going to look at race, then they also need to keep in mind how racism impacts the results.

Having said all that, there's also the small minor issue that unhealthy food is absolutely delicious.   White people may eat healthier (allegedly), but how many of us avoid the food they bring to pot lucks?  Hmmm?  Including raisins in the potato salad may add some much needed fiber and iron, but that doesn't make it a good idea, Becky!


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## Shula (Oct 15, 2018)

Lady S said:


> I agree with a lot of points you ladies have made.  It's easy to point at southern food, but the study seems to ignore things like genetics, stress , the expense of medical care, distrust/tension/disrespect between medical professionals and black patients, and that most of us aren't eating soul food 3 times a day every single day.  I also think when talking about food and nutrition, you absolutely have to talk about food deserts.  When you think about it, soul food was created from a food desert (and that food desert was called American Slavery).  Hog maws, chittlins, pig feet, turkey necks. . .those aren't the choice cuts, those are the left overs.  Fast forward to today, there are areas where fresh fruit and vegetables isn't readily available.  Or if it is, it's not cost effective.  I feel like if a study is going to look at race, then they also need to keep in mind how racism impacts the results.
> 
> Having said all that, there's also the small minor issue that unhealthy food is absolutely delicious.   White people may eat healthier (allegedly), but how many of us avoid the food they bring to pot lucks?  Hmmm?  Including raisins in the potato salad may add some much needed fiber and iron, but that doesn't make it a good idea, Becky!



It just so annoying that they demonize it and then "discover" quinoa and ox tails and now the locals can't afford their staple foods cause they drive up the costs and exoticize it when they wanna eat it. Nonsense.


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## momi (Oct 15, 2018)

Shula said:


> It just so annoying that they demonize it and then "discover" quinoa and ox tails and now the locals can't afford their staple foods cause they drive up the costs and exoticize it when they wanna eat it. Nonsense.



Demonize and discover sums it up! 

I cannot find affordable oxtails or short-ribs to save my life.  smh


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## Shula (Oct 15, 2018)

momi said:


> Demonize and discover sums it up!
> 
> I cannot find affordable oxtails or short-ribs to save my life.  smh



I was on Twitter the other day and there was another of our inexpensive foods they are excited about now. I hate that I can't remember but everybody was like...they are about to run up the costs AGAIN and it won't be affordable for us anymore. It's maddening.


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## Ivonnovi (Sep 9, 2022)

this looks like a great Read.


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