Interesting. Now, excuse me while I go fry up a batch of Twinkies for lunch.
JT ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Perry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'RollTideFan'" <RTF@RollTideFan.net> Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 10:15 AM Subject: [RollTideFan] Southern Pride. And gravy. > Southern diet frustrates health officials > > By DANIEL YEE > The Associated Press > 2/14/2005, 9:35 a.m. CT > > > DECATUR, Ga. (AP) -- Amid a national obesity epidemic > and the South's > infamous distinction as the "Stroke Belt," health > officials have been trying > to get diners to flinch, at least a little, at the > region's trademark fried > and fatty foods. > > But nutritionists have found it's hard to teach an old > region new tricks. > How can Southerners give up delicious staples fried > chicken, fried seafood, > fried green tomatoes and cornbread slathered in > butter? > > Even at the Atlanta headquarters of the federal > Centers for Disease Control > and Prevention, the leader of the nation's > anti-obesity campaign, the > cafeteria serves up such artery-clogging regional > favorites as biscuits and > gravy. > > CDC nutritionist Annie Carr said the agency is working > to get its house in > order by pushing the cafeteria to serve popular foods > in healthy ways. The > broader goals of the anti-obesity campaign are to > educate people to cook > with less fat and sugar and to promote the idea of > eating five servings of > fruits and vegetables a day. > > And for the South, that doesn't mean vegetables and > greens flavored with > bacon and meat drippings. > > "I don't think anything is wrong with the kind of > vegetables we eat in the > South - it's the way they are prepared," said former > Surgeon General Dr. > David Satcher, the interim president of the Morehouse > School of Medicine in > Atlanta, who grew up eating traditional Southern > staples on a farm in > Alabama. "We need more fruits and vegetables in our > diet." > > When Becky Cleaveland is out with her girlfriends, > they all pick at salads > except for the petite Atlanta woman. She tackles "The > Hamdog." > > The dish, a specialty of Mulligan's, a suburban bar, > is a hot dog wrapped by > a beef patty that's deep fried, covered with chili, > cheese and onions and > served on a hoagie bun. Oh yeah, it's also topped with > a fried egg and two > fistfuls of fries. > > "The owner says I'm the only girl who can eat a whole > one without > flinching," Cleaveland said proudly. > > Health officials' concerns with healthy eating in the > South date back to > 1962, when the CDC noted a large concentration of > counties with high stroke > death rates in the coastal states of North and South > Carolina and Georgia. > More than three decades later, the high stroke rates > in that region seem to > have shifted west to counties along the Mississippi > River Delta. > > Health officials have spent thousands of dollars on > grants to promote > healthy eating, including sending nutritionists into > community centers and > churches. The food experts introduce healthier cooking > practices, such as > alternatives to frying and methods that reduce the fat > in gravy and sauces. > But those efforts have found resistance from some > cooks who say the > healthier recipes alter the taste of their dishes. > > "Flavor is a big issue - when you modify Southern > cooking, then you lose a > lot of the flavor," said Laurita Burley, a clinical > nutrition instructor at > the Morehouse School of Medicine. "The reputation of > the Southern cook is at > risk when you begin to modify it." > > Much of the South's traditional foods date back to the > days of slavery. > Frying was preferable in the region's hot climate, > since it didn't take as > long as baking and didn't heat up a house as much. > Plus, Burley said, > workers didn't have all day to prepare meals; they had > to get back into the > fields to work. Lard was also plentiful. Today, frying > still is popular, > especially in poor areas of the South, because it is > also inexpensive. > > While it's quick, easy and adds flavor, frying loads > ordinarily healthy > foods with calories and fat. > > "One of the common things in the South is that you fry > everything," said Dr. > Nicholas Lang, chief of staff of the Central Arkansas > Veterans Healthcare > System in Little Rock. "It's a major grease-transport > mechanism - there's no > idea how much calories you get when you get that." > > Other research has found that frying, grilling and > smoking certain foods can > cause chemical reactions within the food that can > increase the risk of > cancer. > > "The best advice is to fry less and to eat their meat > medium rather than > well-done - and do like their momma said and add > vegetables," said Lang, > also a professor of surgery at the University of > Arkansas for Medical > Sciences. > > Back at Mulligan's in Decatur, owner Chandler Goff is > quick to point out > that the bar also offers healthy alternatives, such as > salads and sandwiches > that aren't deep-fried. > > But he acknowledged that the "Hamdog" and the "Luther > Burger," a > bacon-cheeseburger served on a Krispy Kreme doughnut > bun, are what draw > attention. > > As for Cleaveland, she says she doesn't think about > cholesterol. "I probably > should, but I do not. I'm only 25, maybe later." For > now, she's able to > maintain her 5-foot-7, 115-pound physique without > regular exercise. > > Regardless of age, Lang doesn't recommend the Hamdog, > even as a one-time > snack. > > "If you choke that down, you might as well find a > heart surgeon because you > are going to need one." > > > _______________________________________________ > RTF mailing list > RTF@rolltidefan.net > http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net _______________________________________________ RTF mailing list RTF@rolltidefan.net http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net
