By JAY-J

Courtesy of soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com

What’s the secret to preparing healthy soul food? A better question is, is it possible to eat soul food that is healthy? Yes, it’s possible to transform your classic soul food favorites into modernized healthy dishes.

If you are an avid eater of soul food, I know what you’re thinking. Yeah you can make the food healthier, but it will lose its flavor and taste.

Don’t worry put your fears and wondering mind to rest. With a little knowledge and commitment, you can prepare healthy soul foods that are flavorful and deliciously satisfying.

Many African Americans and ethnic food connoisseurs have abandoned the traditional method of preparing soul food. Because everyone is so health conscious nowadays, cooking and eating healthy soul food has become more than just a fad.

This revolutionary change has come about due to health concerns associated with the way our parents and grandparents prepared their foods. Gone are the days of cooking with lard or hydrogenated vegetable oils and seasoning of vegetables and beans with fattening pork products.

Professional chefs, dietitians and nutritionists have researched and found viable solutions to allow you to cook healthy soul food.

These solutions to healthy eating have brought about many modernized cooking recipes. The best news is that modern soul food cuisine is no longer limited to foods that are excessive in calories, cholesterol, fats, salt, sodium and sugar.

Let’s review some of the many healthy cooking solutions and soul food health concerns.

HEALTHY SOUL FOOD COOKING SOLUTIONS

Let me introduce you to the concept of preparing and enjoying healthier soul food meals. It’s definitely possible to cook your traditional soul food favorites in a more nutritious way.
The foundation has already been laid by others, you just need to know where to start.

The many possibilities for cooking healthier soul foods are limited only by your imagination. Key to the process is minimizing your consumption or removing your exposure to unhealthy substances, which over time cause major health problems.

Here are four steps you can take to promote a healthier lifestyle by eating the right foods.

• Substitute fats, salts, sugars and oils for healthier alternatives.

• Change your cooking methods.

• Decrease your meal portions (portion control)

• Minimize use of products that are high in cholesterol, fat, salt, sodium and sugar.

This may seem like a lot to give up all at once. Ease your way into this tedious endeavor one step at a time. The end result is that you will soon see it doesn’t take much to make major improvements toward eating healthy. In essence this is a minor process resulting in major results.

For more info about promoting a healthier lifestyle, visit the Natural Health Lifestyles website to learn how and why you should use natural and organic foods in your soul food recipes. Soul Food Health Concerns

I would be guilty of committing a grave injustice if I failed to talk to you about some of the health issues that can arise from an unhealthy diet.

Let me start by stating that coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension (a.k.a high blood pressure) and stroke are all major chronic diseases that are prevalent in the African American community.

Likewise these diseases are no strangers to the rest of America’s population.

It’s easy to see how a poor diet is a recipe for disaster when it comes to chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke.

Your first line of defense for fighting these diseases is prevention, by way of eating a healthier diet.