Ever since our ancestors began life in Africa, human beings have migrated to every corner of the globe. During the colonial period, millions of Africans were kidnapped and enslaved, dispersing the diaspora to places such as North America, the Carribean, Latin America, and Europe. There are significant differences in the livelihoods of African-descendent people across the world, including language, religion, political status, and educational opportunity. This blog aims to explore the history of the Black American diet and what can be learned from ancestral African diets.
African people enslaved in the New World were stripped of their customs and practices, including centuries-old dietary traditions. Instead of being able to grow their own produce, slaves were given the leftover scraps, often of low nutrition and quality. These African people combined African, Southern, and European techniques to create tastier, more edible dishes.
“This food genre, now associated with comfort and decadence, was born out of struggle and survival.” writes Black Foodie Magazine. The name “Soul Food” captures the Black American effort to overcome oppression with masterful cuisine.
However, despite its resourcefulness and community value, Soul Food may increase the risk of developing chronic disease. Often, dishes are deep fried, soaked in fat, and characterized by high salt, sugar and calorie content. African Americans, like other groups who adopt nontraditional Western diets, began to experience diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, at disproportionate rates. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Black adults are twice as likely to have a stroke, twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, and 1.5 times more likely to have high blood pressure.
There are many disparities affecting the health of Black communities, including socioeconomic status, healthcare affordability, neighborhood safety, and access to nutritious food. One way for families to begin counteracting the adverse side effects of Soul Food is to adopt components of the African ancestral diet. Health education and a shift in cultural attitudes toward diet and lifestyle are necessary for the Black community to begin adopting the health behaviors that have the potential to reverse and prevent chronic disease.
But what is the traditional African diet?
Oldways, a food and nutrition nonprofit organization, developed a program for African Americans that emphasizes the relationship between diet and general health; educates them about the possibility of improving one’s health through a heritage diet; and promotes healthful, delicious, affordable meals to encourage people in black cultural communities to eat well. Oldways brought together a team of culinary historians, nutrition scientists, and public health experts to create the African Heritage Pyramid, a model designed specifically for African-descendent populations.
There are many important components that can be adopted into one’s everyday diet.
Vegetable staples and greens
Colorful vegetables are the staple of traditional African dishes. Eggplant, beets, okra, green beans, and cabbage can be easily steamed, roasted, or sautéed. Studies show that African Americans in the South consume low proportions of fruits and vegetables, a major deviation from the traditional African diet. Consuming larger portions of fruits and vegetables in each meal makes for a healthier eating pattern with a higher nutritional value, strengthening the body’s ability to combat disease.
Africans throughout the diaspora consume a variety of staple greens, including spinach, kale, and collard greens. At the base of the pyramid, a traditional African diet is rich in leafy green vegetables, which are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber but low in calories. Eating a diet rich in leafy greens can offer numerous health benefits including reduced risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and mental decline. Furthermore, greens are linked to lowering inflammation and fighting cancer. They also provide a large amount of Vitamin K and are high in antioxidants.
While “Southern Style” Greens are often boiled for nearly an hour, African-style greens are lightly cooked. Lightly steaming vegetables has been shown to retain at least 25% more nutrients than other methods, an important difference between traditional and current vegetable preparation.
Healthy carbs and whole grains
Many African dishes are based on the same starches and grains. Tubers, such as yams and sweet potatoes are baked, boiled, and/oro mashed into delicious dishes. They are packed with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory nutrients. They also help control blood sugar levels, given their low glycemic index.
Additionally, Africa is home to more native grains than any other continent. Common grains include barley, billet, flatbreads, and rice. Grains are wonderfully versatile, and their texture complements stews, sauces, and vegetables. Also, whole grains are blood sugar-friendly alternatives and packed with nutrients.
Spices and herbs
Given undesirable food to make meals, slaves used salt and oil to create flavorful dishes. In Africa and many other parts of the world, spices and herbs allow for a more diverse flavor palate and don’t create the same health risks as salt and oil. In fact, infusing these herbs and spices into meals offers a number of health benefits.
Bitter Leaf is a valuable medicinal plant that is widespread in East and West Africa. It may be used as an active anti-cancer, anti-bacteria, anti-malarial, and antiparasitic agent. In many West African dishes, bitter leaves are washed and added to stews featuring meat, peppers, or vegetables like yams. They can also be added to hot water to make tea. Bay leaves, a popular Nigerian herb, has shown to decrease risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. There are a number of other traditional African herbs and spices with proven health benefits, including ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and thyme. Instead of salt, use these herbs for rich new flavors and medicinal benefits.
Smaller meat portions and protein alternatives
Contrary to an American meal, meat takes the backseat in many traditional African meals. By consuming smaller meat portions, one can avoid the high levels of fat, salt, and other harmful process chemicals linked with cardiovascular disease. In addition to minimizing meat in general, the African Heritage diet advises consuming mostly fish and seafood, which are less fatty and more sustainably for the environment. Fatty meat and red meats have been linked to cancer, another reason why they may not appear in the African Heritage Pyramid.
African diets are not without adequate sources of protein, however. Traditional dishes include plant-based protein sources, such as nuts, seeds, legumes, pinto beans, and peas. According to Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health, plant-based protein sources are preferable to animal-based protein. Plant-based protein sources are unsaturated, which lowers LDL cholesterol – an established risk factor for heart disease.
Despite the ancestral African diet being plant-based for hundreds (most likely thousands) of years, meat consumption is on the rise. This “nutrition transition” can be explained by a shift in dietary consumption that coincides with economic development. As global food corporations (often fast food companies) expand into places such as Africa, many communities are shifting away from grain and fiber-rich diets toward processed meat-heavy Western dietary patterns.
Unfortunately, this means that these communities are beginning to experience obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases at higher rates. As these alarming trends continue, it is more important than ever for people to receive education on healthy behaviors and begin to adopt diets that reverse and prevent disease, rather than increase it.
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