Tag: Health Benefits

As a multiethnic man growing up in Los Angeles, I was accustomed to both the street vendors selling tacos out of a tent and the whole foods across the street that sold outrageously expensive ingredients for people with any form of alternate diet. To me, veganism was just another one of those diets that my family and I deemed as “white people stuff.”

Professor Lynn Johnsons class is the first time I introspectively challenged this belief as I learned about the history of African American food and culture. We started off by analyzing the origins of soul food where I learned about how soul dishes were ingeniously crafted from the leftover scraps which enslaved Africans struggled to acquire. 

I then learned about the power connected to soul food and how it acted as a catalyst for bringing the black community together. During the Great Depression, The famous preacher and entrepreneur Father Major Jealous Divine served soul food at his sermons, drawing crowds for both his speeches and the communal meals. During the Civil Rights Movement, Peaches Soul Restaurant became a safe haven, providing food and shelter to activists. Even today, events like the Muskogee Soul Food Cookout in Oklahoma and the Chitlin’ Strut in South Carolina celebrate this shared heritage. 

The 54th Annual Chitlin Strut in South Carolina (Click to see more)

Moving forward, we learned about the dangers of modern day soul food as recipes use tons of fats, oils, and preservatives causing the black community to be disproportionally affected by health defects. In Soul Food Junkies The documentary highlights that “The incidence of pancreatic cancer is 50-90% higher in African-Americans than any other race in the U.S.” (Soul Food Junkies 0:45:21). To combat these health issues, many African Americans donned a vegan diet which has been scientifically proven to lower the risk of different heart problems. Sadly, these same people who simply seek to improve the health of themselves and their communities are often shunned for a variety of reasons. Firstly, many members of the black community feel a disconnect from their vegan peers since they see a vegan diet as rejecting historically black food and traditions. Secondly, many vegans are perceived as stuck up. As time goes on, the evidence of animal mistreatment and the health benefits associated with veganism get more and more solidified and as a result, we view vegans who make a choice that we are not willing to make as irritating. Essentially, we view vegans as disconnected from our culture (white) and annoying/in our face (that vegan teacher).

This reputation could not be further from the truth. 

Did you know that Colin Kaepernick, Kyrie Irving, Serena and Venus Williams, Steve Harvey, Jay Z, and A$AP Rocky are all vegan. Probably not. All of these black celebrities’ and many more defy the stereotype while spreading their beneficial ethical and moral beliefs to anyone open to receiving them.

So next time you see a vegan dish, feel free to try it without magically becoming white or annoying.

Works Cited

Abraham, Ellie. “Ben & Jerry’s Launches New Vegan Flavour in Honour of Colin Kaepernick.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 20 Apr. 2021, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/ben-jerrys-colin-kaepernick-ice-cream-b1834563.html.

Adame, Noe. “The Five Best Tacos in Echo Park ~ L.A. Taco.” ~ L.A. TACO, 23 Jan. 2024, lataco.com/best-tacos-echo-park.

Borges, Marco. “The 22 Days Nutrition Meal Planner.” The 22 Days Nutrition Meal Planner, mealplanner.22daysnutrition.com/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Camirra’s Kitchen. “SOUL FOOD THE RIGHT WAY! Buttermilk Fried Chicken | Mac & Cheese | Candied Yams Recipe.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc7cXJaMkao. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Jackson, James S, et al. “Race and Unhealthy Behaviors: Chronic Stress, the HPA Axis, and Physical and Mental Health Disparities over the Life Course.” American Journal of Public Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2010, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2853611/#:~:text=RACIAL%20AND%20ETHNIC%20HEALTH%20DISPARITIES&text=For%20example%2C%20Black%20women%20are,expectancy%20of%20only%2066%20years.

Kasabian, Paul. “Nets’ Kyrie Irving Donates 200k ‘beyond Burgers’ to NYC Food Bank amid Covid-19.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 27 Mar. 2020, bleacherreport.com/articles/2883430-nets-kyrie-irving-donates-200k-beyond-burgers-to-nyc-food-bank-amid-covid-19.

Thomas, Kimber. “Peaches Restaurant.” Southern Foodways Alliance, 18 Sept. 2019, www.southernfoodways.org/interview/peaches-restaurant/.

Town of Salley. “54th Annual Chitlin Strut.” Town of Salley, chitlinstrut.com/this-past-strut. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

“Whole Foods Opens First 365 Store in Silver Lake.” Bizjournals.Com, www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2016/05/26/whole-foods-opens-first-365-store-in-silver-lake.html. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.