Southern cooking, with its emphasis on fried foods, biscuits and sweet tea, is hard on the heart.
How Do We Know?
A team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined data from more than 17,000 people who were at least 45 years old. They lived in various regions of the country and were questioned about their dietary habits. The researchers then followed up to find out how they fared in terms of health over the next several years.
Five Different Dietary Patterns:
The researchers found that people’s food preferences could be characterized by one of five dietary patterns.
One pattern included a predominance of convenience foods such as pizza, Mexican or Chinese dishes from fast food restaurants.
Another was heavy on sweets, with sugary breakfast foods and extra desserts.
An alcohol and salad pattern emerged; it had lots of leafy greens and tomatoes, but also a lot of beer, wine and liquor.
The Southern pattern included fried foods, processed meats, sugary drinks and added fats.
The final pattern had plenty of plant-based foods, including vegetables and fruits.
Who Had Heart Attacks?
In the course of six years, more than 500 study participants had heart attacks. People accustomed to eating Southern cooking were 37 percent more likely to have suffered a heart attack than folks in the other groups.
Circulation, online Aug. 10, 2015
If you are wondering how to make tasty meals that don’t follow the Southern dietary pattern, you might want to check out our book, Recipes & Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy. In it, we discuss the health benefits of various foods and offer remedies from many of our favorite radio guests, along with some of our own.
