Trouble is, meals like this are not rare indulgences for many Midwesterners. The state with the highest mortality rate for coronary heart disease is New York. But nine of the next 10 states on the list are clustered in the Midwest and the upper South. After several years of study, physicians and epidemiologists are now convinced that it's lifestyle that accounts for the Coronary Valley phenomenon. Take, for instance, diet.
Meat is emphasized in the Midwest as nowhere else in the country.
It's also, by now, become cultural tradition. To many, a meal doesn't feel right without meat. Most physicians agree that red meat is fine in moderation, maybe 12 ounces a week. But the diet in the Coronary Valley is heavy on all kinds of artery-clogging fat and cholesterol, not just marbled steak. Regional grocery habits tell much of the story.