Your Health
Tall, Dark and Overweight? by Soror Anowa Adjah
If resorting to the coziness of your couch for several hours is a part of your daily regime; then I challenge you to something new. Take a walk to the nearest bathroom and take a long hard look in the mirror. Ask yourself “Do I need to shed a few pounds?” Unfortunately, for many Black men, the facts are quite apparent! Your growing belly and double chin is not a natural part of your age progression, instead it’s your body’s natural reaction to years of poor diet and lack of exercise. According to researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, “Overweight Black Americans are two to three times more likely than heavy White Americans to say they are of average weight-even after being diagnosed as overweight or obese by their doctors”. Therefore, it is more likely your father, brother, or uncle might view themselves as “healthy” despite their doctor’s actual testimony. According to Reuters.org, last year alone, African-American males with high blood pressure were completely unaware of their ailing condition. Don’t wait until high cholesterol takes a deadly grip on your heart, start exercising preventive measures today! One of the first priorities to good health is setting up a physical exam with your doctor. During your visit, request a screening test for your blood pressure and high cholesterol. In addition, get educated about your family health history. You should be completely aware if there is a history of high blood pressure or diabetes in your family. This small bit o f
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information will keep your doctor abreast of any warning signs. A 45-minute visit to your doctor each year can save your life. In addition to scheduling a doctor’s visit each year, make sure you incorporate healthy eating habits and exercise to your daily activities. It is highly doubtful asking a brother to avoid devouring his mothers famous southern dishes for lettuce and water will ever succeed. However the motto “less is more” will save him a couple of pounds and Photo by Karim Muhammad less visits to the supermarket. Next time you make that visit to your mothers for Sunday dinner, try cutting your dinner plate down the middle. You can eat one portion for dinner and save the other half for Monday leftovers. An even healthier dish would be to completely rearrange your eating habits. For example, try substituting fried chicken and macaroni & cheese with cabbage and caramelized baked chicken. Incorporating more veggies and protein will do wonders for your waist line and cholesterol level. Another very important tip is to have a big healthy breakfast. A big breakfast will curb your hunger pains and decrease your appetite. A great example of a healthy breakfast is: egg whites, turkey sausage with wheat toast, and a small bowl of oatmeal. This meal will hold you up till lunch thus decrease your blood pressure which is highly influenced by heavy salt. For lunch opt for a chicken Caesar salad; for you will be amazed how quickly you forget your hamburger with fries combo. Lastly, for dinner, try some baked salmon with steamed broccoli and brown rice. This meal is scrumptious yet healthy at the same time!
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