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by: Diane White Along
with the traditional Turkey and stuffing, families will enjoy generous helpings of corn bread, greens flavored with ham hocks
or neck bones, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, black-eyed peas, yams and pig feet. And let’s not forget the green
beans and rice, oxtails, mashed potatoes with gravy, chitterlings and, to top it off, sweet potato pie followed by a tall
glass of sweet iced tea.
This isn’t your average Thanksgiving fare; this is soul food—prepared by the
loving hands of matriarchs to nourish, celebrate and indulge.
A Damaging Diet
It’s true that some
soul food is rich in nutrients (e.g. leafy vegetables, beans and yams). However, others are low in fiber, and fat and sodium
figure prominently throughout because of the way much of this food is prepared. The constant consumption of some of these
foods can lead to various health problems such as heart disease, hypertension and obesity.
As a result of unhealthy
eating (along with other risk factors), African Americans are experiencing a growing incidence of diabetes. According to the
American Diabetes Association (ADA), approximately 2.8 million or 13 percent of all African Americans have diabetes and yet,
one-third of them are unaware that they have the disease. In addition, the ADA also indicates that African Americans are two
times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
All told, approximately 90 to 95 percent of Americans
with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Type
2 diabetes has officially reached epidemic proportions, due largely to a similar rise in obesity, sedentary lifestyles and
unhealthy eating. In fact, among Americans age 18 and over, 64.1 percent of black men and 64.5 percent of black women versus
62.4 percent of white men and 43.0 percent of white women are considered overweight.
Diabetes, which has no cure,
is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States.
Common symptoms may include increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme fatigue, repeated or slow-healing infections, blurred
vision, tingling or loss of feeling in the hands or feet. The risk factors of Type 2 diabetes are age (Type 2 diabetes is
common among people over 40), obesity, lack of physical activity, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, family history
of diabetes and ethnicity.
Culture versus Health
With more African Americans getting diabetes than ever,
does this mean they should give up the foods they love in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Roniece Weaver, R.D. and
executive director/co-founder of Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Inc., and Fabiola Demps Gaines, R.D. and co-founder of Hebni
Nutrition Consultants, Inc., say no. They believe that African Americans, or anyone who enjoys soul food, can maintain their
health while eating these foods.
Weaver and Gaines are the authors of The New Soul Food Cookbook for People
with Diabetes, which features more than 150 low-fat recipes as well as advice on how to reduce fat, calories andsodium—which
aids in diabetes control and weight loss and improves health. Said Weaver, “The large [publishing] houses didn’t
have any books with a strong diabetes message aimed at African Americans.” And so, she and Gaines set about to fill
that hole.
The book features main dishes, appetizers, snacks, vegetables, soups, salads and desserts. Some of the
recipes include Shrimp Jambalaya, Barbecue Pulled Pork, Fried Okra, Corn Muffins, Apple Crisp, and Hoppin’ John. When
asked what readers can expect from these recipes, Weaver answered, “The recipes are easy to prepare, familiar [to African
Americans], cost-effective and focus on portion control.”
With more than 67,000 copies of the book sold, the
response from the African-American community has been positive. “They never had a book they can identify with,”
said Weaver. “The response has been overwhelming, and people have been very pleased.”
It’s not just
diabetics who can learn from and enjoy the recipes and advice of the authors. “We promote the book to people without
diabetes also,” said Weaver. “It [has] a heart-healthy approach everyone can benefit from.”
The
New Soul Food Cookbook for People with Diabetes can be purchased from the ADA website (www.diabetes.org), Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), Amazon.com (www.amazon.com), as well as various Black-owned bookstores.
1.
Place the soy sauce, thyme, oregano, and jerk marinade in a plastic locking bag and mix well. Put the pork in the bag and
marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. 2. Remove the pork from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill outside
until the pork is well done. To achieve the best results, place the meat away from the hot coals and allow the heat to smoke
the pork tenderloin. You may also broil the pork. Slice in 1/2 inch slices or thin slices when done.
Calories: 138 Calories
from fat: 37 Total fat: 4 g Saturated fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 65 mg Sodium: 225 mg Carbohydrate: 1 g Dietary
fiber: 0 g Sugars: 1 g Protein: 24 g
Diane White is a graduate student in the M.S. publishing degree program
at Pace University.
