The entire nutrition standard needs to be revamped to take into account a Black woman's specific dietary needs. No, I will not sugarcoat it or make it palatable for those who want to whine about reinforcing "differences" between the races. Let's be realistic. The entire medical system is built around the societal standard of Caucasians. Take BMI for example. According to that I would have to weigh between 120 and 135 to be considered healthy at my height of 5'3", but realistically if I weighed that little I would look like I was a walking skeleton. So let's reevaluate this. Does BMI truly reflect the dietary/nutrition needs of everyone? I can vehemently state NO! With all of the dietitions, nutritionists, personal trainers, doctors, and health educators in the Black community, why hasn't more research been done to address this obvious discrepancy? Before I go off on my tirade let me define some things:
BMI stands for Body Mass Index. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and
height. According to the CDC, BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most
people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to
health problems (
CDC). Why is it used? Calculating BMI is apparently the best method at this point for "population assessment of overweight and obesity." It only requires your height and weight and can be measured by anyone. The use of BMI allows people to compare their own weight
status to that of the general population.
There goes the "itch" right there. The "general population." What's that supposed to mean? Obviously it doesn't mean everyone because those words in and of themselves do not seem to indicate everyone. If they meant everyone, then they would say "everyone." I think general population in this sense is more accurately defined as a situation in which an area or segment of the population is known for doing something but everyone isn't referred to because the generalization doesn't exactly apply to everyone. For example saying "everyone in the South drinks iced tea" is a statement that isn't entirely true. Some people don't because they are allergic or don't like it, etc. However making the statement that the general population of the South (or better yet a specific Southern state) drinks iced tea would be a statement that can be proven through checking the statistics regarding sweet tea sales in relation to the population of the "South" or state in question. So in summary;
general population refers to
most of a population. I think that determining
which population you are discussing is far more relevant to understanding its usage. So who exactly does the term general population refer to in most medical scenarios and instances? You guessed it if you said primarily Caucasians. This goes for blood pressure, glucose levels, hemoglobin, and other forms of health measurements used to determine good health.
When the CDC uses the term "general population" they are accounting for those for whom the BMI would not apply. It doesn't surprise me that myself and other Black women have difficulty relating to the BMI chart. It simply doesn't apply to a lot of Black women; however, without any other forms of measurement, it's something we have to deal with until we ourselves create a measurement system more indicative of our dietary and nutritional needs.
Here is the standard of measurement for BMI (this table is from the CDC website):
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 – 24.9 | Normal |
| 25.0 – 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30.0 and Above | Obese |
At my current weight of 159 pounds and my current height of 5'3" I fit in the 25.0 - 29.9 Overweight category.
"Your BMI is 28.2, indicating your weight is in the Overweight category for adults of your height.
For your height, a normal weight range would be from 104 to 141 pounds.
People
who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for chronic conditions
such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol."
Hmm. Once when talking with a relatively plump white lady several months ago, I was very surprised to find out I weighed more than she did although we were the same height. She weighed 135 pounds and was lamenting how she desired to be 110 again. She was floored when I told her my weight was over 160 pounds and noted I didn't look bigger than her. She surmised that I must be mostly muscle and since I was not working out at that time, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and eating whatever I wanted in copious quantities, I could easily attest that this was not the case. When I pointed these things out, she jumped to her next conclusion that some people just carry their weight differently than others. I agree with that but this was just not the case. She could quite easily fit into the BMI standard. I could not and probably never will which suits me just fine. The anorexic physique does not appeal to me.
Whenever I get a physical I'm fine on everything except my iron levels. They have been low since I was a child and it is difficult for me to maintain them at what is supposedly "normal" even with proper diet and iron supplements. I have found that I am not the only Black woman who has this issue and always wondered if there was something more to be considered. I experienced some difficulty as a child with it to the point of hospitalization but as an adult I never experienced the adverse effects of too low iron (red blood cells/hemoglobin). On my physical I was just below where I needed to be and refused to eat liver (yuck!) or take the cow pills that are iron supplements. My doctor just shrugged and kept stepping. She has found out the hard way the end results of trying to convince me to do things her way. Generally I just find out why I'm feeling a certain way from her and find my own remedies. I was feeling extremely stressed out and overly anxious while in graduate school. She suggested Lexapro...I found that passionflower pills from the local natural foods store were simply divine. Just be mindful not to take two of them like the directions say! It relaxes you A LOT. I usually don't show up to the doctor unless something is wrong. Amazingly enough I haven't been sick in months which is unusual for me. Sinus infections and bronchitis are the banes of my life.
So back to the topic at hand. Why do we as Black women, not have our own standard? You may ask, "What about Black men?" Well they are included by extension but I'm going to focus on Black women because from what I can see, we are the most unhealthiest.
I see it when I'm out and about EVERY DAY. Did being grossly overweight become a standard and no one told me? According to the CDC, 54.2% of Black women 20 years and over are obese. Not fat. Not chubby. Not "just a lil" overweight. OBESE! I don't view this as bad news. I view this as something that really needs to grab the coattails of the Black American conscious and come to the forefront of our focus.
When men talk out about this, many women immediately call them misogynistic and accuse them of looking for reasons to check out women of other races. I found one brother on YouTube (Jarreau) that made me laugh so hard regarding
his take on overweight Black women specifically Christian Black women. Am I wrong for laughing? Probably. Is he wrong for pointing it out? Not in the least. Check him out. I made the mistake of taking a sip of water just as he made the statement, "Why y'all eating so much?" GOLD. I came across another article on the Merc80.com website called "
Curves Not Cul-De-Sacs." Another article that made me laugh because to me IT IS SO TRUE! I'd be remiss if I didn't take a certain cavalier attitude with my weight especially when a nice big butt accompanied it. I'm still trying to save it while pursuing my weight loss endeavors. It's my best ASS-et. Good food (usually and more aptly junk food) made me feel great. Chocolate cake donuts were the best. If I felt stressed, sweets always put me back on the up and up. He's not off the mark in the least. He generally reiterates my feelings on the matter:
Culturally speaking, yes, we like ‘em with a little more “meat
on the bones”. But the meat should be tender, not fatty. If I can see
the muscle striations on the meat, that means the fat is gone. For
many of you, I do not see meat, I see fat. And we’re not talking
“thick”, chubby, or “out of shape”. We’re talking OBESE.
Now his take on men is one I don't necessarily agree with but I am looking at it from a woman's perspective. He stated:
Do men need to lose weight too? Yes. But at the end of the day, a
man’s size and weight are hardly ever a major issue to his
attractiveness. In fact, the larger he is the more manly he appears to
be."
This statement made me kind of view his whole article in another light that went from mostly positive to, "so you saying Black women with a little meat on their bones aren't attractive." I had to stop myself from spiraling into that vat of cynicism and reread what he wrote at the top in bold (see above).
I am mindful of weight because I know that thyroid issues run in my family and sets me up for hypo/hyperthyroidism in the future. Before I assume that someone eats too much I always think to myself about whether they have a thyroid issue that they are unaware of or some other health issue. Those are also factors, other than food, that can exist and cause us to be overweight.
Am I overweight? According to the CDC BMI calculator I am. Visually I do not look overweight. I go by how I feel. I didn't look overweight at my heaviest (165) but I felt terrible, slow and sluggish. My knees hurt badly and walking short distances felt like running a marathon. Down six pounds I feel like I can jump over the moon. A great deal of that weight came off my mid section and arms for which I am very grateful and I am encouraged to keep going with the great progress I've seen in just three months. I had set my goal weight at 145 but would be happy at 150. When I weighed around that weight before (along with good diet and exercise), I felt phenomenal. Yes, the CDC BMI calculator still considered me overweight but I felt great. Isn't that what's most important?
On my bucket list for the future: Pick the brain of those Black men/women in the health and nutrition fields about their take on more specialized calculations for the Black community.
That is all.
