Whistling – and Eating – Dixie

Posted by: Keri Forsythe

I'm a proud Southerner. Although I've now lived in the Philadelphia area for more of my life than the South, I'll always claim my Southerner status. (No, I don't have a picture of Robert E. Lee hanging in my room, but I do make a mean apple pie....My fried chicken still leaves much to be desired, but, hey, I try!)

But, here's something I'm not proud of: the South's rep as the fattest geographic area in the U.S. According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mississippi ranked as the fattest state for the fourth consecutive year – followed closely by Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Louisiana.

So why do Southerners have the highest collective body-mass index? Dr. William Dietz, who heads CDC's nutrition, physical activity and obesity division, says the answer might lie in the high fat content of traditional Southern foods.

He's not joking. Believe me, I'm glad that there weren't nutritional labels on the foods my Grandma – a true Southern lady from Halls, Tenn. – made every Sunday afternoon. After all, no meal was complete without fried chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes, cornbread, okra, sweet tea, sweet potato pie, and lemon iced box pie. Just thinking about it is making me hungry.

Thankfully, I've developed better eating habits now. But, I don't want to know what my heart would look like now if I continued eating like that.

As radiology professionals, you likely come into contact with obese patients on a daily basis. Do you ever address the issue with them and encourage healthier eating habits and behaviors. If so, what have you said?