Covington is not anti-meat. He just sees health benefits in maintaining a balanced diet with a substantial amount of fresh vegetables. When he does eat meat it’s more likely to be turkey or chicken. He had gall bladder surgery in October and says that since then he’s eaten beef once and no pork at all.

"My great grandmother lived to 93," says Covington, "so you can live to an old age eating soul food, but I think it’s the way you cook it. Everybody doesn’t use fat back. Everybody doesn’t use a lot of salt and grease. ... Pay attention to what you eat and what you’re buying in the store. Pay attention to labels. Watch out for high fructose corn syrup."

It’s just past the new year and a lot of people have made resolutions to do better in their lives in 2012. Some people want to lose weight and be healthier. If that’s on your agenda, then this is a good time to plan a garden, maybe talk to your neighbors about doing it together. Having fresh produce around is the first step in actually eating it. Feeding it to your children gets them into the habit of eating healthier, and maybe that habit will follow them to adulthood. Eating soul food certainly does.

I’m looking forward to this Soul Food documentary and hope it spurs a lot of healthy conversation. Sometimes talking about food is almost as good as actually eating it. When the conversation is about eating healthier, that’s even better.

See the trailer for Soul Food Junkies at bhurt.com. 

> Email Larry Gabriel