Losing Weight Eating a Soul Food Diet

What is soul food? They are foods that are traditionally eaten by African Americans in the south. When we think of soul food we think of family gatherings with delicious foods such as potato salad, cornbreads and southern fried chicken. It makes most of our mouths water just thinking about those delicious foods. But did you ever think you could change the recipes a bit and make these tempting foods and still lose weight? Lindsey Williams did.

Lindsey Williams parents own a popular restaurant in Brookyln, known for their delicious soul foods. Not to surprisingly, Lindsey began to have a problem with his weight. He says he was addicted to flour and sugar filled foods (aren’t most of us tempted by these foods?). His weight began to tip up to the 400 range. He sought help. He joined a support group and made exercise and diet choices a priority in his life. Yet, he did not want to give up every food he grew up loving. Thus, he created recipes he calls Neo Soul foods. Now he weighs 220 pounds less and has a book on the shelves entitled: NEO SOUL, more than 100 tempting recipes.

Can you really cut or alter some of the traditional recipes and still have at least good tasting foods? Since it worked for Lindsey, it seems the answer is yes.

His recipes are based on one solid idea, that many people who has lost weight believes. White foods are not the healthiest choices. By white foods we are speaking of the traditional white potatoes, white flour and of course, white sugar.

Here’s some examples of how he edited some of our most favorite recipes. By servings, we are talking about small portions.

Corn bread
Traditional corn bread has about 284 calories and 12.2 grams of fat.
In Lindsey’s Neo Soul version there are 130 calories and 6 grams of fat.

He basically bakes his corn bread with skim milk, honey and no sugar or butter.

Potato Salad
Traditional potato salad has 462 calories and 27.2 grams of fat.
In Lindsey’s Neo Soul version there are 322 calories and 13 grams of fat.

He uses sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes and uses low-fat mayonnaise and honey.

Traditional Macaroni and Cheese

Traditional macaroni has 650 calories and 32.2grams of fat.
In Lindsey’s Neo Soul version there are 395 calories and 15 grams of fat.

He uses skim milk, whole wheat flour and low fat cheeses.

Fried Chicken
Traditional fried chicken has 321calories and 15.5 grams of fat.
In Lindsey’s Neo Soul version there are 227 calories and 4grams of fat.

How can he cut this much fat out of the chicken? First, he skins the chicken. Secondly, he bakes it instead of deep frying. He uses yogurt and herbs for his seasoning.

From this short over-view you can see there are changes we can make to our favorite foods and still eat a little more healthier.

If you want more details of these recipes and many more, check out Lindsey’s book. It is sold on amazon.com for 14.93, the cost of a good dinner.

Once you read the book and prepare some of the recipes, you may also be able to lose weight and still have fun with food. Remember, little steps do add up in the end.