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

HappilyLiberal

Well-Known Member
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

Well-Known Member
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!
 

Menina Preta

Well-Known Member
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.
 

Shula

Well-Known Member
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.
 

laurend

Well-Known Member
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.
 

Shula

Well-Known Member
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.
 

HappilyLiberal

Well-Known Member
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!
 

GinnyP

Well-Known Member
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!
 

Menina Preta

Well-Known Member
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.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
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.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
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

Well-Known Member
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.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
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.
 

Menina Preta

Well-Known Member
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.
 

Menina Preta

Well-Known Member
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.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
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
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
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.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
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.
 

Brwnbeauti

Well-Known Member
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.
 

Brwnbeauti

Well-Known Member
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.
 

MilkChocolateOne

Well-Known Member
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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