Somewhere you have heard or seen with your own eyes — that many Black Americans have a problem with obesity. According to the books read, media etc., Blacks were 1.4 times more likely to be obese than whites. For women, those numbers are even worse. African-American women have the highest rates of obesity in America, with about 80 percent of Black women coming in as either overweight or obese.
We too ask the question why are so many Black people overweight? It’s something everyone’s including me is trying to figure out, because if we can get to the bottom of the dilemma, we can also help eliminate some of the health problems associated with obesity in the Black community, including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Though so many things
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This movie, premiered on January 14, it examines how black cultural identity is linked to high-calorie, high-fat food such as fried chicken and barbecued ribs and how eating habits may be changing. So the filmmaker to him making this film was very personal, in it, he details his father's fight and eventual death from pancreatic cancer. As we all know from these classes and the news high-fat diet is a risk factor for the illness.
So in all fairness here and I will say that Mr. Hurt, it’s indeed important to note that much of the food considered “traditional” in the Black community is also traditionally cooked without health in mind. That being said, it’s also important to not forget that this problem isn’t just a “soul food” problem, nor is it just a Black problem.
It is a known fact that early this year, America was the fattest nation in the developed world, with an obesity rate of 33.8 percent. African-Americans are certainly disproportionately overweight, but they are far from the only heavy people in the country, and a lot of those heavy people aren’t eating soul
Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in
Picturing the Bible, by Spier J. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 2007. 288 pages. Reviewed by June Cuffner.
Meanwhile with obesity black females have a higher rate than other races while mexican males have higher rates. Obesity can be linked to poverty no matter what race. The lack of exercise among races can also lead to obesity with whites at 32%, blacks 25% and hispanics at 23%. In poverty only 20.6% exercise under 100% while 34.8% over
The movie Soul Food is a comedy/drama made in 1997 by George Tillman Jr. The movie is centered around a Chicagoan family and their struggles to handle life situations while maintaining the concept of family. Soul Food not only represents the delicious food that has nourished the black body for generations; the movie also represents the concept of preserving family tradition. This film covers the basis of the Great Migration, when people from the south migrated to the north and Midwest in search of work and freedom from southern oppression. George Tillman Jr. does a good job at creating well rounded characters and depicting the positives and the negatives of each character’s role in the movie. Soul Food is a representation of the numerous benefits and the disadvantages of being black in America.
Obesity was significantly more prevalent amongst female African Americans in this community. With the highest rate affecting women between the ages of 45 to 64. Obesity was also higher amongst Black females who’s educational attainment was lower
When flipping through the thousands of documentaries on the many streaming services there are three main criteria come to mind; one looks for the entertainment factor, credentials of the information the and lasting affect it leaves on the viewer. The documentary Soul Food Junkies directed and produced by the filmmaker Byron Hunt defiantly has an interesting take on these main criteria. The documentary holds ones attention with comedy and relatability with a family aspect, though interesting there’s plenty of experts and hard facts even though personal option is projected from the producer. The documentary does leave he viewer with questions about their own habits and that of the ones around them. Soul Food Junkies hits and misses the criteria
Dr. Marc Lamont Hill stated, “ If you want to wipe out an entire generation of people and engage in a 21st century genocide, all you have to do is keep doing what we are doing and deprive people of access to healthy food.” Bryon Hurt 's documentary Soul Food Junkies challenges and informs people 's way of thinking when it comes to soul food. Questioning if dishes such as fried chicken, buttery mac and cheese, smokey ribs and greens in pork fat are significant to the black culture or just a recipe for an early death. So, he used his father 's story, Jackie Hurt, about his ways of not giving up his artery-clogging classic soul food. At one point, Bryon Hurt wanted to be just like his father so he ate just like him. Especially on Sundays for the breakfast ritual which included grits, cheesy eggs, salt pork and bacon on toast. He felt that was a way to bond with his father. Jackie Hurt was not only consuming soul food dishes on a daily basis but he never exercised. This lead to serve weight gain, but he was not changing his eating habits even though his family did. He was later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that took his life so young.
The author used a certified personal trainer, Kimberly Garrison to help prove this point. Garrison says blacks have become too comfortable being oversized, have too many excuses when it comes to working out, and need to make working out appropriately and choosing a healthier diet part of our daily routine to have a long term benefit. Garrison named a few solutions,like committing yourself to cutting fried foods, get good cardio exercise three to four times a week, and add additional weight training to tone and strengthen muscles. She also stated blacks should make exercise a priority over getting their nails and hair done, driving expensive cars instead of having an importance on feeling good and being in good health.
I have friends and family who suffer from diabetes and heart disease, and it's hard seeing them not care about their diets. I know they want to eat right, but it’s hard to transition from something you and your ancestors ate your entire life to something completely different. African Americans rather have seasoned food with bold flavors, but unfortunately those “bold flavors” are mostly in the foods that are not good for us. African Americans stereotyped healthy options as mostly salads, food with very low sodium and no
The risks of getting those diseases are even higher for African Americans.” (American Heart Association). High blood pressure and obesity are the common conditions that increase a heart disease. High blood pressure is a condition in which the blood flow is abnormally higher than usual in the arteries. “Nearly 42% percent black men and 45% black women of twenty years and older have high blood pressure” (DeNoon). Researchers may have found a gene in blacks that make them more sensitive to salt, which in the long run increases the risk of high blood pressure. Obesity in african americans is more common as well, which increases the risk of heart disease. 63% of black men and 77% of black women are overweight or obese. A solution for high blood pressure and obesity is a healthy diet and exercise. It won’t only reduce the chances of getting these conditions but also reduce the chances of a heart disease or a
(1)There are many things people fear but more often than not its comes to misunderstanding or the unwillingness to learn And in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character Boo or Arthur Radley is a great example of this.(2) Boo Radley is a NEET so as such he stays inside his home without leave, as such the children are naturally intrigued and afraid of him due to his mysterious nature.(3) As the story progressed Boo is generally described in a negative manner, the people in the town usually only talk of the negative things he may have done, as such the children create this fantastical image of him an image of fear curiosity and pity.(4) The descriptions the children give of Boo are so extreme that they make him nearly inhuman "Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained -- if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off.
Essentially, the debate is whether body weight recognition should be a social or federal issue. Although Michelle Obama has proven to be an influential member of government, before and after President Obama’s inauguration, she states in her address that her opinion is more so the former. When speaking on the topic of obesity in African-American communities and America in general, she said, “We can offer people the best health care money can buy, but if they’re still leading unhealthy lives, then we’ll still just be treating those diseases and conditions once they’ve developed rather than keeping people from getting sick in the first place” (Obama 424). She believes that the only true way to solve the current obesity epidemic is to promote healthy thinking and an increased sense of responsibility for our bodies. If the government creates a direct link between itself and the well-being of its citizens, there would be no social change aside from the government treating diseases that could have been avoided if the common man ate a carrot instead of a cake.
Fried chicken, mash potatoes and collard greens mixed with fatback meat was my family’s favorite Sunday meal. Soul food, as it has been called, is valued by many African American families. Given the worldwide obesity epidemic that appears to be affecting most ethnic groups, there is an appreciation that the causes of obesity among African American families and others must lie in the fundamental aspects of the food supply (Capers, C et al. 2011). In my opinion, African Americans in the United Sates are more likely to be obese because there is a large number of low-income families’ and many are uninsured. According to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of being obese compared to other groups in
According to the measure, supreme court and intermediate appellate court judges must be appointed by the governor, confirmed by the Tennessee State Legislature, and face retention elections at the end of their terms. This provided the state legislature with some input into the process.Which lawyers are selected to be judges is determined by both informal and formal methods. Major Judges are selected by three different ways. The first way is judges are appointed by executives like governors and the president. The United States Constitution gives power to the President and Senate nominate who will become judges. The second way is they are elected by voters Judges are chosen by a legislative committee based on each potential judge's past performance. Some states hold "retention elections" to determine if the judge should continue to serve.
Traditionally, the African American diet consisted of leafy green vegetables, fish, poultry, and beans. However, the cooking methods, such as deep frying, the heavy use of gravy, pork fat, and butter add a large amount fat and cholesterol to an otherwise heart-healthy diet. “Soul food” with its fried chicken, fried pork chops, and corn bread have become the traditional comfort food, and there is a large significant placed in the African-American culture on community and family gatherings centered around food. Historically, African-Americans lived a highly active lifestyle that compensated for a higher than average fat content in their diet. As modern trends swing toward a more sedentary lifestyle, the direct result is heart disease rising to be the leading cause of death among African-Americans (Cowling, 2006, p8).