Let’s talk about the problem. This period in American history dates back to 1790, and for those enslaved ones, food was still scarce, thus the “thrifty genes” protected them. If you research the documentations found on record at the National Archives and Records Administration, slaves received rations in America.
Africans who managed to survive the slave trade here in America, arrived on the shores very strong. The majority of them worked in fields from sunup to sundown, six days per week, and, in many cases, seven days a week. Slaves ate what we call “soul food” scraps — hog mauls, chitterlings, pigtails, pig feet, pig ears — and they drank milk from a trough alongside other animals. This is true! No longer in our homeland, our people ate whatever was made available to them — scraps.
In an effort to create a delicious meal, the women worked at creating recipes they could all enjoy. They loved collard greens with fat back meat; they used lard, and learned to bake sweet potato pies, they cleaned chitterlings and made them into a delicacy to be eaten on special occasions, pots of beans seasoned with ham hocks, pigtails or pig feet, and seasoned with pork — a harmful but delicious tradition that still lives on today. Homemade biscuits from self-rising was the norm, made from white flour and lard. They learned to make hush puppies, candied yams, peach and apple cobblers, pies and cakes, all types of potatoes, cornbread, and the soul food list goes on and on.
Though the enslaved ate poorly, they enjoyed it and were able to sustain themselves easily. Why? They didn’t realize it at the time, but due to the hard work, physical labor in the fields 12-16 hours a day, the diet did not harm the slaves. The exercise burned off all negative possibilities. Compare our lifestyles today to that of the slaves — you will see what has happened.
The work was the difference — 12-16 hours each day of physical labor. That’s a lot of time exercising! Plus, they had the so-called “thrifty genes,” which allowed their bodies to preserve food in an appropriate manner, when food was scarce.
You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active, are overweight or have obesity. Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. The location of body fat also makes a difference.
Published online in 2003, this health series has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Many of you can relate to this series because you have Type 2 diabetes, or someone close to you does. Research shows that there are more than 3 million people who have Type 2 diabetes today, or one in every 10 people.
My mother only lived 12 years after her diagnosis of diabetes and through all her extreme complications. Here is the continuation of her story.
For new readers, perhaps this campaign can help you or someone you know. For the past 19 years, helping others to learn what we did not know has been my mission and goal. This 19-year campaign kicked off after the loss of my mother who succumbed to Type 2 diabetes on Christmas Day 2000. Over a 12-year period, due to a lack of knowledge, Mother lost both of her legs to amputations, had to have kidney dialysis several times each week, and suffered several strokes. This was a surprise to my family. We really didn’t know what was coming our way!
Learn how my family could have avoided this devastation by changing the way our family ate daily. We did not know that we could have turned things around by eating little to no sweets, by having a very low-carbohydrate diet, and by eating a lot of green vegetables, much of it raw. This along with regular exercise — 30 minutes daily, no less than five days per week — would have produced totally different results!
In 2022, the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States was $412.9 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Health’s Office of Minority Health. It all started when enslaved people were brought on slave ships to America. It was about diet and exercise! More in Part 3 next week.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on X @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.