“Is Soul Food Our Slow Poison? How a Beloved Cuisine Became a Silent Public Health Crisis”

By Larry W. Robinson

The Vital Signs Don’t Lie

The numbers tell the story. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 58 percent of Black adults recently had hypertension, the highest incidence among all racial groups. High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease. At the same time, non-Hispanic Black adults have a diagnosed diabetes prevalence of about 12.1 percent, nearly double the rate for White adults. These are not distant statistics. They reflect the early funerals we attend, the organs failing too soon, the generational infirmity we have come to view as normal.

Sodium the Silent Ingredient

We may not see it, but the salt keeps piling up. The average adult in the U.S. consumes about 3,300 to 3,400 mg of sodium per day, roughly 50 percent above the recommended 2,300 mg limit. For Black adults, many of whom are already salt sensitive, that excess becomes a chronic elevation of blood pressure and a slow assault on the cardiovascular system. The CDC lists sandwiches, pizza, tacos, soups, savory snacks, poultry dishes, and burgers as the major sources of excess sodium. In neighborhoods already overrepresented by fast-food outlets and underrepresented by full-service grocery stores, this is more than choice—it’s the environment.

Frying, Added Sugars, and the Comfort Trap

There is comfort in the familiar crunch, the sweet sip, the creamy carb. But research shows that frequent fried-food intake is strongly associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, sugary drinks and dessert-centric plates push glucose into overdrive, feeding insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease. The beloved “comfort” side dishes become unwitting accomplices in a slow-moving health crisis.

It’s Not Just Personal Choice, It’s the Food Environment

We must acknowledge that what we call “soul food” today is shaped by more than our preferences. The United States Department of Agriculture Food Access Research Atlas shows that many census tracts are classified as both low income and low access to healthy food, conditions that disproportionately impact Black communities. One in four Black people live in food-insecure households, and 27 percent of Black children face food insecurity. Add targeted advertising, where unhealthy foods are disproportionately marketed in Black communities, and the playing field is stacked against us. This isn’t just about personal responsibility. It’s about structural bias and a food environment built for profit, not health.

Soul Food Wasn’t Always This Way

There is nothing wrong with heritage, but what we call “soul food” today has drifted far from the resourceful cuisine of our ancestors. Historically, Black home cooking leaned heavier on greens, beans, sweet potatoes, whole grains, okra, and modest amounts of meat. Flavor came from herbs, smoke, and slow simmering, not heavy salt bombs and deep-fried defaults. Interventions that adapted traditional soul-food patterns toward lower fat, lower sodium options have shown improvements in cardiovascular risk while maintaining cultural identity. In other words, we don’t have to give up our heritage to save our health.

The Spiritual and Economic Costs

Chronic disease doesn’t just harm the body. It drains energy, divides focus, and steals resources. When we’re constantly going to doctor visits, paying for medications, dealing with hospital stays and missed work, our capacity to build, to serve, to create, to stand in our calling, is diminished. Our culture’s creative economy, our ministries, our legacies—all of it suffers when we are sidelined by preventable illnesses.

What Killing Us Slowly Looks Like, Meal by Meal

Picture this: a pot of greens cooked with salt-heavy seasoning, a plate of fried chicken and mac and cheese, sweet tea on the side, with desserts to follow. A routine. The sodium from the broth, bouillon, or cured meat starts to elevate blood pressure. The frequent frying spikes cardiovascular and metabolic risk. The sugary drink fuels insulin resistance. Because the neighborhood is saturated with fast-food outlets and limited in grocery access, that’s the default. That’s the culture normalized. Generation by generation, this becomes the accepted norm, not the exception.

A Practical Path to Reclaim Soul Food Without Losing the Soul

We can still honor flavor without surrendering our health. Swap bouillon and seasoning salts for onion, garlic powder, smoked paprika, thyme, mustard powder, citrus, and pepper blends. Reserve deep fried for rare occasions. Use air fryers or oven methods with thin oil coats. Rotate plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, and fish, and keep red or processed meats occasional. Choose yams or sweet potatoes baked or lightly mashed with cinnamon instead of heavy sugar. Drink water with lemon or lightly sweetened iced tea instead of sugary beverages. For greens and sides, braise collards or turnips in low-sodium stock, aromatics, and a splash of vinegar. One weekend batch cook beans and greens to freeze for quick weeknight meals. Shift the celebration plates to special occasions, not weekly defaults. Teach children the seasonings and cooking methods that build health, not harm.

“But My People Have Always Eaten This Way”

Not exactly. Our ancestors ate boldly, flavored boldly, and innovated with what was available, but they were not eating processed meats, ultra-fried everything, heavy industrial oils, and sugary beverages in the way we do today. That’s not tradition, that’s commercialization. The mission is to retrieve our culture from its hijackers and reorder our appetites to match our purpose: vibrant, resilient lives.

The Call

This is not a message of shame. It is a message of sovereignty. Sovereignty over our bodies, our families, our creative energy, our legacies. We can treat this food culture like the ministry it deserves to be, not just sustenance but sacred. We can honor the smells, the songs, the Sunday meals, while refusing to be weakened by them. Let’s recommit to food that heals, to plates that empower, and to a community that reigns.

About Larry W. Robinson

Larry W. Robinson is an inspirational speaker, life coach, faith-based author, and syndicated media personality. He empowers entrepreneurs and creatives through his “Occupy Ministries” and “Createonomics” frameworks, helping individuals build personal economies anchored in purpose and legacy. With a detail-oriented mindset and decades of communication experience, Larry equips others to turn contacts into contracts, build networks that serve, and reclaim their health, wealth, and creative voice.

Connect with Larry at www.ceolarry.com

Let’s reclaim our table together so our health becomes our testimony and our culture becomes our inheritance.