Also... from wikipedia
Traditionally-prepared soul foods tend to be very high in fat, sodium, cholesterol, and calories -- qualities once-necessary for sustaining the physically grueling life of a captive worker in slavery-era America. In contemporary times, some traditional-style soul foods have been implicated in the abnormally high rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, clogged arteries, stroke, and heart attack suffered by African-Americans -- especially those living in the southern and central U.S.A.