It is no secret that African Americans suffer to a greater degree from weight-related illnesses than other groups. That’s why as a community we need African American diet instructions. We Need What?

I can just hear the black women now saying, “What exactly would African American diet instructions look like?” Well, before I get into that, let’s examine the types of African American foods that we eat on a regular basis that make us fat.

Grits Eggs and Bacon

A typical African American diet breakfast consists of grits with more than enough butter or margarine, bacon, sausage and eggs. Another typical African American breakfast is a bacon and egg sandwich or fried bologna sandwich, pancakes with lots of butter and syrup, hash browns and corned beef hash. 

I have to admit, the above meals taste absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, meals like that pack weight on our hips, thighs, stomach and buttocks. I have not even gotten into the African American diet for dinner. Health wise, these meals are a heart attack waiting to happen.

Why Are We Overweight?

The point is we are overweight because we eat the wrong kinds of foods in the wrong amounts and we don’t exercise. Habits are hard to break, especially when it comes to eating healthy. When we try to lose weight fast with diet food tricks, without making other changes first, we fail. Why?

Change Should Be Gradual

When people try to make sweeping changes like their diet, they’re bound to fail because a change that big is too major to adjust to. Also, people diet for the wrong reasons. They diet to gain attention from the opposite sex, they diet for an upcoming event, or they diet to look good for an occasion.

I Lost 90 Pounds in 6 Months

But rarely do they look at a diet as a lifestyle. Needless to say, they end up falling off the wagon after the big event or after the break up. This can be said about all races – not just the African American community. But since African Americans suffer disproportionately from diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, I want to specifically address our community.

I speak from experience. I used to weigh 213 pounds at 5’3. I was 28 years old, smoking heavily and I was headed for a stroke – like my dad who died at age 52 from a stroke and like all of my other aunts, uncles and grandparents who died young because of weight-related illnesses. I had an awakening one day. I wanted to live. I wanted to break the family cycle. 

Light Bulb Moment

I admitted to myself that the typical African American diet that I loved so much was killing me. Luckily for me, my friend introduced me to a way of life that enabled me to eat the same types of foods found on the typical African American diet, but we made them lower in calories by cooking them differently. In addition, instead of 3 large meals a day, I had 5 mini meals a day.

I know, you’re thinking, “Yeah, right.” But I swear, as soon as I started introducing myself to vegetables that were not soaked in butter and grains that were not smothered in cheese, I started losing weight. My blood pressure went down, and I dropped 90 pounds in 6 months. 

African American Diet – A Lifestyle Change

There is no such thing as losing weight in one area. But there is a way to eat the foods you love simply by trying different foods in different amounts. All successful diets start in the mind. You first have to look at dieting as a lifestyle change, not just a way to lose abdominal fat fast. The second thing to remember is that successful diets have a second component. They start in the grocery store. Your grocery shopping habits dictate what you eat.

I Look 10 Years Younger

I must say, people tell me all the time that I don’t look 43. That’s because I’ve gotten good African American diet instructions from my friend. If you want to look 10 years younger, live a longer healthier life, you must eat right, think right, be and stay active.  Most of all, you need African American diet instructions.