There is a lot I love about the African American Culture. The love for the arts which involved music, dance and art is just one example. However in most communities you will find a lot of food places. Majority being Fast Food Restaurants. And second to that you will find privately owned Chicken Shacks or Fish Fry Restaurants. I remember as a kid my aunt would take me at least once a week to get a “fish dinner”. Boy was I excited. Something about eating it although that taste was no tastier than anything else I ever eaten. Somehow I convinced myself that it was the best thing I ever tasted. And every week I looked forward to the “fish dinner”.
The fish dinner was also popular at the many hair salons I went to. If the owner of the hair salon belonged to a church she would often be apart or support her church in raising money with a fish fry. And of course you wanted to support the woman who does your hair. So you spent a little extra money on both your hair and a fish dinner. In the end were supporting her business and her church.
As I think back to all those years of eating fish dinners I can’t imagine how many calories I consumed over the years just on a fish dinner alone. So I decided to do some research. What I found out was astounding. I must also tell you my motivation behind writing this blog. My father who raised me just suffered a heart attack last week. This is nothing new to me. I am very aware of the statistics on African American and Heart Disease. I will also share that my mother died of a heart attack in 2007. So I feel it is necessary to share with ALL of you. So you can begin to protect yourself and your families.
So let’s start here. How many calories do you think are in the average fish fry? Good question right? I was blown away when I found this out. So the average fish fry 1100 per serving. Yes, 1100. That does not include the ever popular “All You Can Eat” fish fry. Think about it, this once per week tradition equals about 500 calories more per dinner per week than the average person should be consuming. Over a year period, you are consuming an extra 26,000 calories which can turn into adding 7.5 pounds per year.
I am happy to announce that my father is fine. And he is resting comfortably. When I spoke to him he admitted that he was scared. That he never imagined something like this happening to him. However I wasn’t surprised. Many of us never imagine things like this happening to us. That’s not until it happens. So let’s begin on educating ourselves about health. There are so many healthy alternatives. Research and find out what you can do to live a healthier lifestyle.
By the way this is only information on the “fish fry” Imagine how many calories in a chicken dinner.
