Soul Food Alternatives for the Holiday By Patrick Taliaferro,

 

Soul Food Alternatives for the Holiday

By Patrick Taliaferro, Special to AOL Black Voices

Healthy Alternatives:

• For Greens:

  Use smoked turkey instead of ham hocks.

• Cooking Style:

  Steam vegetables instead of boiling them.

• Size Matters:

  Don’t eat everything on your plate in one sitting.

• For Taste:

  Use lemon pepper, it reduces salt intake.

• Greasy:

  Cook with olive oil, shortening clogs the arteries.

• The Color:

  Eat brown rice instead of white. Brown rice is whole grain and white rice is processed.

Easter's around the corner and millions of African-American families will gather at the dinner table to feast upon all of the great things that make up the holiday fare. What most don't realize is that instead of serving a nutritional meal, they are slowly killing themselves and their families with tradition.

Watch What You Eat

Although it is common knowledge that food favored by African Americans is historically high in salt and oil content, it still doesn't deter the dishes popularity during annual festivities. So why would a race of people continue to gorge on a deadly diet? "First of all, it tastes great and it's comfort food," explains B. Smith, author of B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends (Artisan). "You go into a diner and you can have meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy or you can have a salad. What would you choose?"

That choice could ultimately change your physical make-up. You should start with simple changes. "Start cutting back and adding too," advises personal trainer Chris Sainsbury. "Let's bring in more vegetables and fruit. Let's start steaming instead of boiling. If you can only afford a cheap family pack from the Piggly Wiggly, let's cut back on the fat intake. Pull off the skin, bake it, and throw some lemon on it … take away the Lawry’s and change up the diet. We have billions of taste buds, so let's be creative with our foods."

Think About This

Before you put a knife and fork to that glazed ham this Easter, consider this hot topic on Did Jesus Eat Pork?

Change Is Easier Said Than Done

The mistakes people make when preparing foods come from history and tradition - recreating Grandma's famous recipe, rather than altering it for health reasons. "Our diets rely on too much sugar and too much fat, which would be butter as well as animal fat. Traditionally we grew up eating the whole hog, and I think the big thing we need to do is cut down on things, not eliminate them from our diet," counters B. Smith. "The other thing about cooking these days, when you add more spices, you can get great flavors without having to use things like ham hocks. I think that smoked turkey is a good option to replace it, but herbs and spices really help with flavor. Dried and fresh herbs are readily available these days."

It’s Not All Bad

Don't be confused though, not everything we eat is killing us. A lot of the foods we love have nutritional value after all, something you rarely see reported. "The baked sweet potato, anything that's orange in color has beta carotene so it's healthy for us." says B. Smith. "Carrot soup, as opposed to candied carrots. Cook with stock, and add a little bay leaf."

One of the most positive trends on the horizon is that people are eating less, with portion control. It's becoming common knowledge that we don't have to clean our plates, like we learned as children. "What's hard is that in expensive restaurants you get small portions, but in normal restaurants you get big portions, so portion control is the biggest change," says B. Smith. "I like to see people take something home."

Understanding the links between diet and health is one of the components that will help the black family remain healthy for the next decade. Think smarter when feeding your family this holiday.

2006-04-05 11:18:46