Back to Basics :American cooking ✨ Black Community
We as a community need to go back to basics, which is cooking from scratch and stop buying processed foods.
Health Problems: Everything starts in the kitchen. Heart disease , hypertension, high blood pressure and diabetes all can be control by eating healthy. When you go grocery shopping your cart should look like a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Processed and fried foods are the reason everyone is out of shape or have health problems that can be reversed quickly by change of diet.
Environment classism and Insutitionalized racism: Classism plays a heavy role in how accessible healthy foods are available. Poor incomes are surrounded by fast food chains, restaurants and liquor stores. Its all by design. Food and mental health coexist with each other. If your eatting processed foods without any vitmins or minerals you're prone to have mental health issues or you don't have the certain vitmins to regulate your emotions because all your eatting is sugar and salt. People who are always angry/ unbalanced have a terrible diet. The human body needs fresh vegetables fruits and protein to keep the body balanced. A healthy black person is a protest to the system because you're not consuming what the insutitions wanted you to do = commit genocide on a community by toxic food consumption. Racial cause of death is not only by police drugs or crime its can start by food tempering to removing healthy groacy stores from certain communities. Everything is by design.
African , Caribbean, Black American and Afro latin. : Try to experiment and create a healthier version of your cultural traditional foods. EX. Black Americans and Jamaicans have a dish called red beans and rice( stew peas). Instead of using pork ,use turkey duck or remove the high salt. Soul food can be eaten everyday but just replace certain high fat ingredients to a healthier one. The main things I wanted to say is GO BACK TO THE BASIC AND COOK FROM STRACH NO MORE BUYING FOOD OUTSIDE. If you work start paying older black people to start to cook again and buy food from them instead of giving your money to other people that don't like you. Cooking is fun and therapeutic.
Cooking from scratch not only benefits physical health but also nurtures mental well-being and community bonds. Based on my experience, returning to traditional cooking methods in my own family helped us reduce reliance on processed foods high in salt and sugar, which often worsen chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. In many Black neighborhoods, food accessibility remains a challenge due to systemic factors such as food deserts, where fresh groceries are scarce. This limits options and encourages consumption of cheap, calorie-dense fast foods lacking vital nutrients. To counteract this, growing a small herb or vegetable garden at home can be empowering and cost-effective, ensuring a steady supply of fresh produce. Adapting beloved cultural recipes by substituting fatty meats with leaner proteins or incorporating more vegetables is a great way to honor heritage while improving health. For example, traditional soul food dishes often use pork or salt-heavy seasonings, but swapping these for turkey or plant-based alternatives can reduce fat and sodium intake without losing flavor. Supporting local older cooks by purchasing home-cooked meals not only fosters economic empowerment within the community but also helps preserve culinary traditions. Cooking together can be a therapeutic practice, connecting generations while promoting healthier eating habits. Ultimately, reclaiming control over our food choices is an act of resistance against systems designed to undermine Black health. Making conscious decisions to cook from scratch and avoiding processed foods can help reverse negative health trends and create a vibrant, thriving community. Keep your grocery cart colorful with fresh fruits and vegetables—the body and mind will thank you.
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