African American Diets and Health Issues - Essay Example

African American Diets and Health Issues Diets that people live on tend to affect their lives significantly. There are people who are aware of what they should be eating, and they attempt to ingest as many of the foods that suit them the best. They are also aware that their diets have a strong relationship with their daily activities. For example, if I feel that I have a routine or job that demands me to sit a lot and be inactive, I would rather not consume foods that contain substances that make me put on weight. As opposed to individuals such as myself who are aware of what we consume, there are a great many people who are completely unaware of what they should be consuming. Quite often, one may assume that this lack of awareness may depend on each individual. However, studies show that this is not completely true, as many African Americans tend to have the similar diets and eating preferences. Origin and Fusion of Cultures: There are certain attributes associated with African American diets, and this has a lot to do with their origin. Indeed, this makes perfect sociological sense because I would be inclined to think that along with them came traditions that could simply not be erased. The fact that these traditions were bound to be diluted to some extent meant that there would be a new blend of diets. According to Geneva Collins’ 2007 article ‘Where Settlers, Slaves and Natives Converged, a Way of Eating Was Born,’ one way of understanding the way that cultural influences have impacted the African-American diet, lies in looking back at African-American history in the United States. I think that this is an important point because history in general can help one to understand many things, and this is one example. Collins asserts that there has been a mixture of various kinds of food that has been fuelled a cultural fusion. This blend in culture that mainly consists of Native Americans, English settlers, and African slaves paved the foundation of Southern cuisine. Applying Cooking Techniques to New Varieties of Food: The African slaves picked up the techniques of frying, boiling, and roasting. Though I feel that Africans already know how to fry, boil and roast long before they were slaves, Collins asserts that they particularly learned how to do so while cooking pork fat, corn, pork, sweet potatoes, as well as many green leafy vegetables for the British, Americans, Spanish and French (Collins, 2007, p. F01). The African slaves learned techniques from the Native Americans too. Examples of this include the dishes like corn pudding, hominy grits, pumpkin pie and Brunswick stew. At the same time, the African slaves introduced the natives and the English to black-eyed peas and rice, yams, okra, and watermelon from their origin (Gostin, 2007, 87-90). High Quantities of Fat and Salt in African American Diets: It is evident that African American diets are rich in salt and fat. This is particularly because of the influences that their diets have had. As mentioned above, African slaves had learned how to cook and consume food rich in fat and salt because they learned how to do so from the British, Americans, Spanish and French who influenced them. While I doubt the African Americans have lost their original traditional foods, I think that they have certainly passed down what they learned as slaves. Indeed, this is what impacts their health conditions today. Some might argue that the African American diets are increasingly losing their original African roots, and this is evident because of the increase in junk food around. While African Americans tend to consume a lot of junk food today, such as burgers and pizzas, they also cook very high fat and salty cuisine at home (Dirks, & Duran, 2000, 1881–1889). African American Diets and Health Issues: With their diets consisting of high fat and high salt levels, it is no wonder why African Americans tend to develop health conditions. I am aware that high fat and salt levels can cause heart conditions and related illnesses, and I would think that the African Americans as a whole need to avoid diets that contain them. They ought to limit their salt and fat intake by consuming more balanced meals that could include lean proteins, plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fiber. They may also consume healthy fats in a reasonable proportion (James, 2004, 349-367). It also must be realized that many African Americans are lactose intolerant. Therefore, they would have a problem obtain calcium. However, they could look towards alternatives such as Soy milk; it can compensate for the lack of dairy milk. Also, there are soy products such as tofu and lean proteins that can help to lower the fat level in African American diets (Popkin et al, 1996, 716–720). I would think that the use of alternatives is far better than trying to avoid eating too much. It is quite common to hear that people think that they can reduce their health related issues by eating less. Instead of doing this, they should opt for consuming better alternatives as recommended here. If African Americans need to cut down anything in their diets it should be red meat in particular (James, 2004, 349-367). Making a Change in Lifestyle: Rectifying one’s diet is not the only thing that matters; one needs to also change the activities that he or she indulges in. If a person like myself had to make a change in lifestyle, I would try to become more active and burn the excess calories. My arteries could use the help too and become suppler. This could prevent a lot of complications later on in life, and it is just an example of what a person could do to improve his or her lifestyle. Finally, I must add that African Americans must focus on consuming the right types of diets. However, along with this, they must also develop a healthier lifestyle, which would include getting more sleep, managing stress, etc. Why I Chose to Write on this Topic: I chose this topic because it is an important one that relates to a major segment of American population. Also, I thought I could learn more about it. I thought it would also be easy to write about health related issues along side ‘African American Diets’ because it makes perfect sense to do so. I realized that there were other factors related to health, such as exercise and sleep that I could talk about here in relation to diets. I though that I would be able to realize more about the topic of African American diets and health issues when I got down to writing about them. References: Collins, G. (2007, May 9). Where settlers, slaves and natives converged, a way of eating was born. The Washington Post, p. F01. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from Lexis-Nexis database. Dirks, R. T., and Duran, N. (2000). ‘African American Dietary Patterns at the Beginning of the 20th Century.’ Journal of Nutrition 131(7):1881–1889. Gostin, L.O. (2007, January 3). Law as a tool to facilitate healthier lifestyles and prevent obesity. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 297(1), 87-90. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from JAMA database James, D.C.S. (2004). Factors influencing food choices, dietary intake, and nutrition related attitudes among African-Americans: application of a culturally sensitive model. Ethnicity and Health. 9(4), 349-367. Popkin, B. M.; Siega-Riz, A. M.; and Haines, P. S. (1996). ‘A Comparison of Dietary Trends among Racial and Socioeconomic Groups in the United States.’ New England Journal of Medicine 335:716–720. Read More