“Let’s face it, ladies, as black women we have issues when it comes to food and exercise… If you’re like me, you sometimes reminisce about the good ole days… when you could eat whatever you wanted [and] you didn’t have to exercise.

So what happened? Was it age? Your love of fast food? Heredity? Soul food is typically high in fat, sodium and sugar… We’ve let our hairstyles determine the size of our waistlines, and it’s killing us! Pride in your appearance shouldn’t stop at the neck.

Sweet Tea & Cornbread was written for every black woman who identifies with the struggle to eat healthy, lose weight and exercise… Incorporating exercise into your daily routine doesn’t mean you have to give up your weave.”
—Excerpted from Introduction (pages xi-xiii)

‘Tis the season to make New Year’s resolutions, and a popular one is to shed a few pounds, a proposition easier said than done. For black women, losing weight is even more of a challenge, at least that’s the thesis of Karrie Marchbanks, an African-American female speaking from experience.

She says that sisters are losing the battle of the bulge because of bad eating habits further complicated by a reluctance to exercise due to a fear of sweating out their hair. Not to worry. Ms. Marchbanks, a single-mom currently residing in North Carolina, has come up with a plan to get you the body you deserve, and in just 21 days.

Not surprisingly, the regimen involves both working out and eliminating unhealthy foods from your diet. Oh, and it also addresses the coiffure controversy in a chapter humorously titled: “Do what? I Just Got My Hair Done!”

However, the author is dead serious about the subject, and has the statistics to support her arguments. For instance, she cites the fact that 14% of black women have diabetes, 47% have cardiovascular disease, 45% have high blood pressure, 41% have high cholesterol and that 51% are obese to suggest that the African-American community has a health crisis on its hands.

The Sweet Tea 3-week initiative involves a combination of sound advice, personal challenges and daily affirmations (hope you’re a Christian). Of course, the real goal is for you to find the motivation to stop with the excuses and put the valuable ideas found here into practice year-round.

Related Links

Soul Food Junkies - Premiering January 2013 on Independent Lens