Message to The Blackman: What We Put on Our Plate Is Either Medicine or a Slow Goodbye

Brothers, this conversation has to be real, because our lives are on the line. This isn’t about trends, diets, or trying to impress anyone. This is about survival, longevity, and making sure we’re still here to protect, provide, teach, and love the people God entrusted to us.

What we put on our plate every day is either feeding our heart or slowly working against it. There’s no middle ground. The heart remembers everything we give it—every meal, every habit, every excuse.

Plant-based foods work because they help the body do what it was designed to do: heal itself. Leafy greens like collards, kale, spinach, and mustard greens open up the blood vessels and help blood flow the way it should. That’s not theory—that’s biology.

When the blood flows better, the heart doesn’t have to fight so hard. When the heart isn’t under constant pressure, strokes and heart attacks become less likely.

Beans, lentils, and peas do something powerful for us as men. They fill us up without weighing us down. They clean out the arteries, lower bad cholesterol, and stabilize blood sugar. That’s important because many of us are walking around with hidden diabetes and don’t even know it until the damage is already done.

Fruits like berries, apples, and oranges protect the heart from inflammation. They help prevent plaque from sticking to the artery walls. Whole grains like oats and brown rice help pull excess cholesterol out of the bloodstream. Flaxseed—support heart rhythm and reduce inflammation. These foods don’t just keep you alive; they help you feel alive.

Now let’s be honest about the other side of the plate. Red meat, pork, processed meats, and salty, fried foods are a slow grind on the heart. Bacon, sausage, hot dogs, pork chops, and heavily seasoned fast food don’t just taste good—they come with a cost. They thicken the blood, clog the arteries, raise blood pressure, and strain the heart day after day. Too much salt stiffens the arteries. Too much grease inflames them. Too much sugar feeds belly fat, and belly fat feeds heart disease.

This is why so many Black men are leading the statistics in strokes and heart failure. Not because we’re weak—but because we were never taught to connect food with consequences. We were taught tradition, comfort, and indulgence, but not discipline and longevity.

The truth is, the body will warn you before it fails you. Shortness of breath. Fatigue. Weight gain around the stomach. Poor sleep. High blood pressure. These are not signs of aging—they are signals asking for change.

When we clean up our eating and start moving our bodies, something shifts. Testosterone rises. Sleep improves. Energy comes back. Confidence returns. You start to recognize yourself again. That youthful look people talk about? It’s not magic—it’s circulation, oxygen, and inflammation going down.

And for the brothers who are exercising and worried about protein, let’s clear that up with truth. You do not need to overload on red meat to build strength or maintain muscle.

You can get all the protein—and the same essential amino acids—from plant-based foods without putting unnecessary strain on your heart. Navy Beans, lentils, quinoa, and even leafy greens contribute to muscle repair and growth. When you combine different plant foods, your body naturally assembles the amino acids it needs. Strength doesn’t come from meat alone—it comes from consistency, recovery, and giving the body clean fuel that doesn’t clog the arteries while you’re trying to get fit.

This isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about choosing better more often than not. It’s about realizing that every meal is a decision between staying here longer or checking out early.

We want our brothers here. We want us thinking clearly, moving strong, and living long enough to see our grandchildren grow. We can’t keep burying each other behind habits we refuse to change.

This message is love. This message is warning. And this message is hope. Because the heart can heal—but only if we give it a reason to.