Soul food is the traditional cuisine of African Americans (1).
Sometimes simply referred to as Southern food, soul food was carried to the North and rest of the United States by African Americans leaving the South during the Great Migration of the early to mid-20th century.
Meals range from simple family dinners of rice and beans, fried chicken, and collard greens with ham hocks to tables loaded with candied yams, smothered pork chops, gumbo, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler.
Soul food is an integral part of Black food culture and often evokes strong feelings of home, family, and togetherness.
This article explains the basics of soul food, explores whether its healthy, and provides simple tips to boost the nutrition of soul food dishes.
The Southern diet, which is often associated with soul food, contains organ meats, processed meats, eggs, fried foods, added fats, and sweetened beverages.
This eating pattern is tied to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, stroke, and mental decline (2, 3).
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), African Americans ages 1849 are twice as likely to die from heart disease as white Americans. Black Americans ages 3554 also have a 50% higher likelihood of high blood pressure than white Americans (4).
While social and economic disparities play a significant role in these disproportionate disease rates, dietary choices may also contribute.
However, this doesnt mean that all soul food is unhealthy. Nutrient-rich dishes and leafy green vegetables are also staples of soul food.
Many items commonly associated with soul food are linked to an increased risk of several illnesses, including heart disease. Yet, soul food can be made much healthier by emphasizing the traditions nutritious dishes.
Soul food embodies numerous legacies, traditions, and practices passed down from generation to generation.
Creating a healthier soul food plate does not mean abandoning this rich heritage.
In fact, making small modifications to recipes and cooking methods may help boost dishes nutrient profiles while maintaining flavor, richness, and cultural traditions.
Traditional African diets are plant-based and included a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, such as leafy greens, okra, watermelon, whole grains, and black-eyed peas (5, 6).
In traditional societies, meat when consumed at all was eaten in very small quantities and often as a seasoning (7).
Diets that include plenty of plant foods are associated with more moderate body weights and decreased disease risk (5).
Furthermore, a meta-analysis in people who ate leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, such as collard greens, kale, turnip greens, and cabbage, indicated a 15.8% reduced risk of heart disease, compared with a control group (8).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that people make at least half of the grains they eat whole grains (9).
Whole grains are the entire grain, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. They may play a role in weight management, gut health, and the prevention of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even colorectal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers (10).
Examples of whole grains are whole wheat, brown rice, oats, sorghum, millet, fonio, and barley.
Some soul food entres like macaroni and cheese, cornbread, and rice dishes are made from refined grains, which have had their nutrient-dense bran and germ removed during processing and are thus not as nutritious as their whole grain counterparts.
In addition to containing high sodium processed meats like ham hocks, soul food often uses seasoned salt, garlic salt, and cajun seasoning. These foods and spices contribute to the overall amount of sodium you consume.
Excessive sodium intake is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and premature death (11, 12).
Evidence suggests that African Americans are more sensitive to the blood-pressure-lowering effects of decreased salt intake. Reducing your dietary sodium intake may result in a 48 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure the top number on a reading (11).
Seasoning foods with aromatic veggies like onions, garlic, and celery, as well as herbs and spices, not only reduces sodium content but also boosts the antioxidant content and flavor (13).
Cooking methods affect both the nutrient composition of a meal and disease risk.
Observational studies in postmenopausal women associate fried foods like fried chicken, fried fish, and fried potatoes with a higher risk of all-cause and heart-related mortality (14).
High heat cooking methods, such as frying, baking, roasting, and grilling, may introduce chemicals like acrylamide heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (15, 16, 17).
HCAs and PAHs are associated with an increased risk of cancer. They may also increase diabetes risk (17, 18).
While boiling and stewing are healthy alternatives for cooking meats, grains, and vegetables, they may result in a loss of nutrients like vitamin C, lutein, and beta carotene (19).
If you opt for boiling or stewing, you can still glean some of the lost nutrients by adding the nutrient-rich liquid or potlikker into other dishes.
Modifying recipes by substituting healthier ingredients for high fat, high calorie, high sodium options is an effective way to honor family traditions without giving up on flavor.
Food is deeply intertwined with celebration, family, emotion, legacy, and identity.
On occasion, give yourself permission to enjoy your favorite dishes.
In situations with multiple favorite dishes, watch your portion sizes. A good rule of thumb is to make non-starchy veggies half of your plate, starches a quarter of your plate, and protein sources the last quarter of your plate.
You can increase the nutrient content of soul food by favoring nutrient-rich dishes, swapping out unhealthy ingredients for healthy ones, choosing cooking methods other than frying, cutting back on salt, and eating more whole grains and plant foods.
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What Is Soul Food? Cultural Importance and Nutrition Tips - Healthline
