Soul food E ach year, an estimated 1.5 million Americans experience a heart attack. Every 34 seconds, someone dies of heart disease. These are scary statistics. And the numbers for African Americans and other minorities are even more scary.
American women are smokers.
The risk of diabetes for Mexican Americans and African Americans is almost double that of Caucasians. Fortunately, these risks can be controlled. In many cases, all it takes is adhering to some simple lifestyle changes. For that reason, Paul Jones, M.D., chief of cardiology at Advocate's Trinity Hospital, focuses on diet, nutrition and aerobic exercise when he counsels his patients about improving their heart health. When it comes to food, says Dr. Jones, it's not realistic to expect the average person to count their fat grams at every meal.