Soul Food Can be Made Healthy

The term ‘soul food’ is something that we all associate with singers particularly of the Afro-American community. Soul food is, however, a special kind of cuisine originally cooked by the slaves of African American origin.

They comprised of deeply fried morsels of food which proved to  be very tasty indeed. Although the entire cuisine dominated the southern part of United States during the pre civil war years, it has spread throughout the country now and has evolved into a billion dollar industry. With books and television publicizing the food, the demands for  soul food has grown by leaps and bounds.

Changes in Nature of Food- While the tasty soul food was originally greasy there has been a complete reversal in the nature of soul food now. Most people are now concerned about their health and consequently, soul food has started getting much more healthier of late.

It is also much lighter now as the saturated fat has been replaced by lighter cooking  mediums like the beneficial olive oil. Stir fried Collard greens, stir fried cabbage and lemon herb chicken are some of the more popular versions of soul food today.

Cooking Healthy Soul Food- If you want to savor the taste of the ever popular soul food, it is best to replace the saturated fat as well as pork products. Deep frying can be done away with totally by resorting to other healthier means of cooking by baking, roasting or stir frying. Flavoring the soul food with fresh herbs and lemon juice will add a definite tang to it.

Extra sprinkling of salt should be completely shunned as it might prove to be detrimental to your health. Collard greens, a traditional soul food is rich in vitamin C and fiber and can be enjoyed equally well without adding the harmful red meat to it. A vegetarian dish based on green vegetables and chick peas together with an array of other highly nutritious vegetables can make an excellent variation of soul food.