By Charles

June 27, 2008 5:52 PM | Link to this

Tonight I plan to dine on the following. One a half of whole fried chicken from a take out. A large french fries, a couple of fried dill pickles and slaw cup. Of course, I had 4 shots of whiskey before dinner. Desert will be red velvet cake and a large chocolate bar. I will follow up a three black cups of coffee, cream, and sugar and a smoke of 4 Marlboro red. I’m healthy as a horse. Then I’ll be ready for a nap.

By Thomas

June 27, 2008 7:07 PM | Link to this

Check out Cooking Light at cookinglight.com for some good healthy recipes of some of the classic southern cuisine. I’ve even managed to create a delicious low-fat alfredo - you’d never know the difference!

By Popeyes

June 27, 2008 8:00 PM | Link to this

Give me a 3-piece, spicy with extra sauce and some hot peppers on the side.

By lovelyliz

June 28, 2008 6:35 AM | Link to this

I love southern/soul food cooking, but you can’t fry everything and cook vegetables until every bit of nutrition has been boiled out and still have a healthy diet. I reseserve traditional southern cuisine for special occasssions only.

By bob

June 28, 2008 8:36 AM | Link to this

Get up in the morning. Run 6 miles. Swim 2 miles. Lift weights for an hour. Now you can safely smoke a pack of cigs and eat whatever* you want.

*Do not eat anything with transfats. If package says 0 grams/serving, DO NOT EAT! All this means is that the serving size has been chosen such that the LEGAL requirements of labeling have been met. Transfats are WAY worse for you than cholesterol. 30k+ deaths a year from transfats!!!

By Elizabeth

June 28, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this

I don’t think Southern food per se has as much to do with diabetes/obesity but rather all the preservative JUNK and POISON that is in all processed foods! Check out the label…anything that is labeled with High Fructose Corn Syrup should be avoided like the plague. Look it up and read about it….this stuff is poison…….Just my two cents!

By WD Lockaby

June 28, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this

There are only two food groups: stuff that’s fit to eat, and stuff that won’t kill you. Choose wisely. I figure something’s gonna kill us all, and I’d find it particularly annoying to die from something that was no darn fun to begin with. So eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die. Or diet, exercise, and be miserable, so tomorrow you may continue your tortured existence for another day. The choice is yours, my friend.

By Leslie's Lament

June 28, 2008 9:54 AM | Link to this

Eat a handful of blueberries in the morning, and a handful of broccoli sprouts in the evening, and you’ll be fine.

Then monitor your blood pressure at the Kroger Pharmacy free blood pressure self serve station in front of the RX counter. I was using it recently, and clearly saving a place in the RX line for myself with my foot when this fat lady cut in front of me, and stuck her big booty in my face. I was appalled, she didn’t realize that I was next in line, or that I was merely checking my blood pressure, while the pharmacist took his sweet time filling the rx, like he had all day. I couldn’t get up and re-cut in front of her cause you cant move while the machine is measuring your pressure or it will show a false reading. So it sat there and stewed and watched my blood pressure go up right there on the spot.

I hated that trip to the grocery store.

By David

June 28, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this

Having grown up in a tiny town in rural southwest Georgia, most of my friends and I ate fresh vegetables from the garden daily. We also biked and hiked all over creation. Now in my 40s, I’m still able to travel carless quite often. Unless one is genetically gifted, eating Southern cooking often is not the ticket. I’m kind of glad that honest to goodness Southern cooking places such as Magnolia on Main in Blakely and Helen’s and the Tara Inn in Colquitt aren’t widely available in Atlanta. Hats off to Matthews Cafeteria in Tucker though. And if you’re going to indulge in our “Native Cuisine,” folks, eat slowly and take time to digest your food before jumping up from the table.

By Ben Ostrowsky

June 28, 2008 12:19 PM | Link to this

We love our biscuits and fried chicken, sweet tea and layer cakes. We’re still seasoning greens with pork fat.

Fried chicken can be healthy if the oil is hot enough to heat the moisture in the chicken. The steam pressure keeps it from getting too greasy.

And greens with pork fat? Sounds low-carb to me.

Mind you, I’m a vegetarian, so I’d prefer stewed okra and tomatoes. But Southern food isn’t inherently unhealthy.

$1 for a large (32-ounce) sweet tea? Now that’s unhealthy.

By ncgreybr

June 28, 2008 1:34 PM | Link to this

I don’t hink Souther food is inherantly bad for you. The real problem is that some people don;t know when to quit eating. They will go to a “buffet” and tell you afterwards that they only had one plate. What they don’t tell you is that “one plate” was piled 9 inches high with fatty food and THEY ATE IT ALL! When I got out to a restaurant that has large portions, I immediately ask for a to-go box and before I start eating I cut the meal in half and put half in the box. That’s lunch tomorrow. The rest of the meal is ALWAYS enough to fill me. Plus I never have dessert in a restaurant(unless it’s fresh fruit). I wait until I get home and then have a REASONABLE amount of dessert. NOT a 6 inch piece of pie with two scoops of ice cream!

By ncgreybr

June 28, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this

Damn! That will teach me to use spell-check!

By Tommy

June 28, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this

I live in NYC but totally LOVE Helen’s & The Tara Inn…. I’ve eaten that kind of food all my life (I’m 40) and I’m healthier as I’ve ever been…. The most prevelant factor is the person eating the food.. some bodies just aren’t made for it.

By truthbtold

June 28, 2008 3:19 PM | Link to this

Why do you never hear or read of Vegans living to a ripe old age? There are plenty of Old Southerners who lived well into their 100’s that grew up on a farm and lived and ate the good old southern cooking that prominently featured Pork in the diet. Give me a break!

By Squeezy

June 28, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this

Yea, southern food is killing me. Fine. I’ll eat what I want to eat. I’m going to die anyway, like everyone else here. Tonight would be good.

Fried chicken, grits, country fried steak, pork chops, ribs, tater salad, macaroni salad, home made coleslaw, mashed potatoes, fried green tomatoes, roast beef with potatoes & carrots on Sunday, scrambled eggs & hash browns.

Eat & die. I will.

By SallyB

June 28, 2008 8:19 PM | Link to this

My grandmother lived to 95, my mother , 94, my aunts all lived well into their 90’s AND were all active until the day they died…..All lived BEFORE the “Healthy eating” movement. They all cooked and ate Southern all of their lives. No diabetes, or ohter ailments now deemed related to Souther diets. Hard case to prove!!!!!

By Homeschool Mom

June 28, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this

Sure all of those old-timers ate southern and lived to be 80s-90s something…BUT they worked their butts off doing everything…walked places…did yard/garden/farm work…they didn’t drive to work, sit behind a computer, drive home, eat all the processed foods we have and then watch TV before going to bed.

By JudyG

June 28, 2008 9:36 PM | Link to this

It’s not the food; it’s the food COMBINED with inactivity.

My Granny lived to be 103. EVERYthing was seasoned with fatback or bacon grease. The only medication she was on when she died was Tylenol. She fried everything from bananas to squash to chicken, but she worked all day in her garden well into her 70s.

Look at all of the FAT kids under the age of 13 now. It wasn’t like that in the 70’s. We had 2 fat kids in our entire elementary. Now over 50% of the kids are just downright obese. They are going to have a tougher time of it than their parents. They will be wrought with health problems, most starting early in life. Why? Because they sit in front of the TV all day watching programs or playing video games. Inactivity.

If you move enough and eat all things in moderation, and in balance, eating good Southern cooking won’t hurt you.

By SallyB

June 28, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this

Sorry, JudyG, but the women in my family [that I spoke of above], who lived so long cookin’ and eatin’ Southern food moved like molasses in winter….EVERY ONE OF THEM. No work in the fields for them. They all spent their time in the kitchen cookin’ 3 meals [big ones., usually FRIED ] a day for their families. Oh…and they watched those soap operas every single weekday afternoon. What a life!!!! Now , the kids….a different story…They [including myself] were always outside playing!!!!!and that is VERY different from kids today.

By JD

June 29, 2008 12:37 AM | Link to this

I agree with Elizabeth. It is all the added chemicals in processed food and fast food that is making so many people sick with diabetes and cancer. Do a little research and you’ll see. Stay away from Splenda (Yes, Splenda) and all other artificial sweeteners laced with chemicals. Try some Stevia to sweeten your tea. Stay away from flavored potato chips and many other things laced with MSG. Also, you can cook with healthier oils too. RESEARCH labels and just look at all the crap the food companies are feeding us! Believe me our great-grandparents ate healthier!

By Guy

June 29, 2008 12:48 AM | Link to this

Some of the worst southern food is Chick-Fil-A. I used to work there and they use a mixture of peanut oil and lard to fry everything in. No one says anything because you sign confidentiality agreements when you get hired at the corporate office. It will shut your arteries down in years.

By Pam

June 29, 2008 2:45 AM | Link to this

No, it’s not Southern food; it’s teh inactivity.

All the foods described were components of my grandparents’ diets and they did NOT have obesity or diabetes.

They did, however, perform manual labor on the farm, women included.

So, don’t blame Southern food.

By Ted

June 29, 2008 3:07 AM | Link to this

The biggest problem Americans special of these enlightened people have with their diet is what my father, Dr. Robert C. Davis, the son of the founder of Crawford Long Hospital, said to me years ago. ‘Modern Americans eat as if they are going to plow the lower 40 right after the meal but only own an acre of land. He also said that 90% of peoples back problems are caused by to much front!

The trick is not so much in what you eat, but how much and how often.

And, will someone explain to me what the reference to Democrates has to do with dietary habits? I can guess the inference, and would have thought that any decent editor who knew their job would not have let this blatant ‘tongue-in-cheek’ insult pass their desk.

By Paddy

June 29, 2008 8:50 AM | Link to this

Have so many thoughts about all this good advice…Keep the kids outside till it is time to eat. Put the home computer in the attic for a couple years. Read the label and cut your portions. My job the last several months has taken me to primary schools. NO ONE PLAYS ON THE PLAYGROUND, EVER. NO ONE STAYS AFTER SCHOOL AND GETS IN A PICK-UP GAME, EVER. The kids don’t seem to laugh as much as they used to for some reason.

By Dawn

June 29, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this

Paddy, I’ll tell you why the kids don’t stay and play after school …. NCLB (No Child Left Behind), standardized test scores, and the incredible amount of homework kids have these days.

Kindergartners have homework. Because all classroom time is spent preparing kids to take a pointless standardized test that doesn’t measure knowledge, but the ability to memorize and spit out rote facts, third-graders have up to 3 hours of homework per night.

Kids don’t have time to have fun anymore. Also, if they laugh or move or show any sign of having fun in school they’ll be labeled ADHD, especially if they happen to be boys.

It sucks.

And, I agree with the majority of posters here. It’s not Southern food, but large quantities of food combined with inactivity.

My grandmother farmed and when she moved to a town, she kept a garden and mowed her own lawn until she was 79, at which point, I took over. She lived to be 89 and died of skin cancer, not heart disease.

My mother was a juvenile diabetic (Type 1, a genetic disease not caused by obesity or diet) and was diabetic and on insulin from birth. She did die young of diabetic induced heart disease despite being on a strict diet and exercising and being very petite/thin. Obviously, Type 1 is a much more aggressive form of the disease.

Bottom line? We all need to be as active as we can be if we want to live healthy lives, but an occasional meal of fried pork chops, collards, mac ‘n cheese, and corn bread with some sweet tea and chess pie for dessert isn’t going to kill you. Unless you get choked. : )

By melodie

June 29, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this

I love good old fashion southern cooking just like grandma used to make……

I however do not eat fast food, really don’t even go out to eat more than a few times a year. I don’t eat anything that says “partially hydrogenated” anything. I do not use artifical sweetners or drink sodas. I mainly drink milk or water. The only fat’s I use are real butter and olive oil. I maintain a healthy weight with no effort. Do I expect to live forever no, nor would I want to. I just try to make wise choices

By melodie

June 29, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this

I love good old fashion southern cooking just like grandma used to make……

I however do not eat fast food, really don’t even go out to eat more than a few times a year. I don’t eat anything that says “partially hydrogenated” anything. I do not use artifical sweetners or drink sodas. I mainly drink milk or water. The only fat’s I use are real butter and olive oil. I maintain a healthy weight with no effort. Do I expect to live forever no, nor would I want to. I just try to make wise choices

By grrtch

June 29, 2008 5:28 PM | Link to this

Boy, I do miss me some southern grub! I’m not diabetic, but I have celiac disease which causes a whole rash of endocrine issues as well… I’ve had to give up all foods with wheat, barley, rye, and oats… so that rules out fluffy biscuits, the breading on fried foods, the flour in gravies and rouxs, as well as a host of flavorings cuz just about all of that contains malt which of course comes from barley… but if I cook for myself, alter a few things like dust fried stuff with rice flour, cook with whole foods, and leave out the prepared sauces, I want for nothing! …AND I’m so much more healthy.

Some of what I fix my be high fat, but honestly we Southerners just use far too much flour. This overload of wheat and gluten products is sparking all sorts of new food intolerances, diminishing immune systems and opening the door for more health problems. at least my body knows how to digest real better than some crappy margarine. yep, it’s those processed foods that are the real culprit for all these dietary health woes… so if you meet a recipe that calls for a can of cream of mushroom soup - which also contains modified food starch which in short is wheat - run away! run fast!

By grrtch

June 29, 2008 5:31 PM | Link to this

…and that was ‘sposed to be “real BUTTER” instead of crappy margarine… whoops!

By Brijetbrazi

June 29, 2008 5:43 PM | Link to this

To eat healthy is not to deny oneself the nicer things in life. Cutting out/down on meat not only is better for you, not to mention the animals as well, but also the environment. It is energy inefficient to raise meat and contributes to one of the major greenhouse gases: methane. Also, I feel ten times better eating better than I ever did living on McD’s and other fast food so get a grip and learn to cook without all the butter, lard and grease. There are healthy alternatives to all these things. You may have to pay a little more on food in the short term but overall will pay less on health care and pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately people like me who attain an enjoyable, healthy standard of living have to pick up the slack of all you folks out there eating what “tastes good” when it comes to our own rising health care costs. Please think about that when you are considering smoking and eating all your southern comfort foods; or don’t and by the very nature of evolution your kind will be weeded out by survival of the fittest. Either way I will be enjoying my long healthy life even as I have the misfortune of cleaning up the environmental waste that people like some of the commenters continue to propagate.

By jackieO

June 29, 2008 8:01 PM | Link to this

Whoaa….about the LARD… for cooking. The oldtime Southerners who are now living so long ate food fried in lard most of their lives…Then I remember a switch in the late 50’s to Crisco..solid shortening…..and almost all veges cooked in bacon grease. In fact. there was a container of bacon grease on almost every stove in the south. Just keep in mind: G.A.S….Genes, additives, stress!!!They’ll kill you and they’ll kill you young!!! Southern food IS NOT the villain here.

By Dusty

June 29, 2008 9:33 PM | Link to this

There are other factors besides diet that cause diabetes. Two prominent ones are race/ethnicity and age. In a study done by CDC in 2002 on Americans over 20 years old revealed these statistics.

Non-Hispanic Whites 8.4% with diabetes.

Non-Hispanic Blacks..11.4%

Hispanic/Latin Americans 8.2%

American Indian/Alaskan Natives 14.9%

The statistics on age showed diabetes increased with age.

Southern cooking is just ONE thing that can encourage your body to become diabetic.

By thomas2

June 29, 2008 10:14 PM | Link to this

Southern cooking, like much of our American diet, is extremely unhealthy. Pork and other nasty meats are often eaten. Fried foods abound. These are the worst.

In addition, people eat lots of meats and starches (bread, potatoes, etc.). I just got back from spending 3 weeks in Mexico. I wasn’t on the beach sunning. I actually had the opportunity to see the environs of the common, ordinary Mexican. In all my time down there, I saw almost NO fat, obese, overweight Mexicans. None. None. None.

Why? Because those people did not and probably couldn’t gorge themselves on overly rich food. Even the people with money and who were middle class (surprisingly, there are a lot of middle class Mexicans. The area I stayed in was like Midtown Atlanta) weren’t fatbodies like here in the U.S.

Much of the obesity problem in the U.S. is the result of poor diet, LACK OF EXERCISE, and overeating. We in the U.S. have it good. We are living in the lap of luxury.

By LiasMom

June 30, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this

I worked in a CFA restaurant for 5 years through high school and college, so I ate CFA sandwiches and fries there at least three times a week — sometimes twice a day if it was a long shift. But, I didn’t gain a ton of weight from the “peanut oil/lard”. (I was 5’ 2” and 95 lbs.)It’s peanut oil only (at least, it was in my day). The chicken is skinless, and the “butter” on the bun isn’t really butter. Of course, I was also on my feet for 4-8 hour shifts, running around to serve customers.

It’s a combination of what you eat and what you do — no matter what the cuisine is. Of course, if you sit at a desk all day long, sit in front of a tv all night long, and eat fried food every day, it doesn’t matter where it’s from, you’ll feel the effects.

By FCM

July 5, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this

My first thought was “But what a way to go.”

My grandmother who taught me to cook (Southern of course) died at 94 just a few months ago. I miss her dearly, and her recipes that I had not yet copied more. Boiled Custard for Thanksgiving is a must….start with 12 eggs and a gallon of whole milk…eventually you had both Half and Half and Heavy Whipping Cream…Ah Heaven! However we only do that once a year…ok I did it twice last year, but I had my wisdom teeth out and they told me taht I had to drink milkshakes, and this is better than any milkshake out there!

Green beans need a little fat back. However, nobody will make cream corn like that again. My Mother perfected Grandma’s Pecan Pie, and there is Sour Cream Pound Cake too.

Grandma ended up embracing the healthy eating…actually she lived it for her entire life. There was fresh from the garden tomatoes, salad, and other items…just a few key things like the ones above (and my Mother’s sweet potatoes—no marshmellow, just lots of pecans and butter)….that were served certain times. She insisted we do fresh fruit and toast for breakfast (bless her heart she never did make a biscuit any of us wanted to eat)…Didn’t do much on chips. Out to eat was a ‘treat’…and usually Mexican or Chinese or some other thing we didn’t make at home. There were no between meals snackings either….you could have a snack between lunch and dinner….”Here’s a dollar go walk to the store and get you a popsicle or cone or soda…no candy it will spoil your supper”.

I am reminded of Shel Silverstein’s poem, I Must Remember:

I must remember…Turkey on Thanksgiving, Pudding on Christmas, Eggs on Easter, Chicken on Sunday, Fish on Friday, Leftovers on Monday, But ah, me—I’m such a dunce. I went and ate them all at once