Yeah, that's been known for a minute. The one thing I like about the Nation of Islam is they push a healthy diet.
Healthy lifestyle and healthy eating is a segue way off the whole black empowerment movement. If you get into it its holistic. You organically get into not just fighting for black empowerment but for black health.
Sugar is the biggest addictive substance on the planet bar none. The whole movement to push sugar is also part of a government conspiracy being bought off by cand makers, sugar plantations, etc. I've been fighting against my 'sugar tooth' for years now it seems.
Never got into pork and have tried to cut out red meat and cooked meats.
The biggest issue is that processed foods are often cheaper and more readily available in our neighborhoods. With inflation, it has become even more difficult for Black families to afford fresh and organic foods. It shows why we need to move back to the south, have land, and start growing our own food. Next time you’re at the supermarket look how inexpensive the frozen frankenfoods are.
Not only are processed foods more readily available, usually less costly, they are also more CONVENIENT, and that is probably the most overlooked factor. Our society has only become even more fast paced and while the cost of living has soared, wages have basically stagnated since the 70s so people are working more just to bring home less. Imagine a parent; physically, emotionally, and mentally worn out having to feed a family. They are more likely to go for foods that only require them to heat, if that, or that their children can just put in the microwave, and prepare themselves.
The solution to this is multifaceted. We need to pay people more so they do not have to spend a disproportionate amount of time working, we need to incentivize producers of processed foods to actually prepare foods that are nutritious since people are going to continue to purchase them, we might as well work with them to better our health, than against them, we need to eradicate food deserts by incentivizing the development of grocery stores offering more nutritious items and farmers markers, and we need to bring back home economic classes, make them MANDATORY so that our children are taught how to make meals that are not only healthy, but tasty too. If food is healthy but not tasty, we will still struggle to get people to eat well.
Not only are processed foods more readily available, usually less costly, they are also more CONVENIENT, and that is probably the most overlooked factor. Our society has only become even more fast paced and while the cost of living has soared, wages have basically stagnated since the 70s so people are working more just to bring home less. Imagine a parent; physically, emotionally, and mentally worn out having to feed a family. They are more likely to go for foods that only require them to heat, if that, or that their children can just put in the microwave, and prepare themselves.
The solution to this is multifaceted. We need to pay people more so they do not have to spend a disproportionate amount of time working, we need to incentivize producers of processed foods to actually prepare foods that are nutritious since people are going to continue to purchase them, we might as well work with them to better our health, than against them, we need to eradicate food deserts by incentivizing the development of grocery stores offering more nutritious items and farmers markers, and we need to bring back home economic classes, make them MANDATORY so that our children are taught how to make meals that are not only healthy, but tasty too. If food is healthy but not tasty, we will still struggle to get people to eat well.
I never thought about the convenience factor of it all. For instance, when my mom had a hard day she would make the frozen Salisbury Steak from Stovers. She would put it in the overnight for 20 minutes, make bagged rice, and some frozen vegetables and we loved it. But the preservatives that are in all of those foods are horrendous.
But in my neighborhood our supermarkets were filled with frozen food, canned food, and malt liquor but the supermarkets in the White neighborhoods had huge fresh food sections. You could get every type of vegetable or fruit you wanted and it was fresh.
The fresh and nutritious foods should be as available to us as it is to them and it should be affordable. We then have to make the commitment to cook fresh and nutritious meals for our children.