Welcome to morganton.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

Morganton.com - Morganton - The News Herald

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

Author of 'Meatless Soul Food' leading push to help black women avoid illness

By Celeste Smith

McClatchy Tribune Wire Service

Published: August 21, 2009

Denise Hairston saw firsthand how health challenges can rip through the black community -- and black women in particular.

"I lost four women in my family," said Hairston, who is 57, speaking of her mother, two aunts and her maternal grandmother, who all died within six years. Her mother and grandmother had heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. One aunt died of kidney failure; another aunt, a smoker, died from lung cancer.

Their deaths prompted Hairston to look into a connection between their health problems and lifestyle, which included a lack of exercise and poor diets. "A lot of the illnesses were preventable," she said.

Her research -- along with her background and interest in healthier cooking -- led Hairston to create the nonprofit Black Women's Health Network in 2001. The network hosts free nine-week "Lifestyle Change Classes" for women and children. Registration is now open for the next series, which begins Sept. 14.

Individuals from all areas can attend, but churches located in ZIP codes in and around the city -- 28202, 28204, 28205, 28206 and 28208 -- are eligible to host classes for its members. This fits in with helping women and children from low-income communities who may have limited access to health and fitness opportunities, Hairston said.

Hairston's network travels to host sites to present the classes, which typically meet once a week. Classes for women feature a half-hour exercise session with a fitness instructor; nutrition tips and meal planning from a registered dietitian; health screenings with a registered nurse who gauges blood pressure and glucose levels. Children ages 10-18 have their own classes scheduled at the same time, with their own instructors.

The nine-week session also will include two cooking classes. Hairston said the classes are funded by a grant from The K.B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

Hairston, who moved to Charlotte from Missouri 21/2 years ago to be near family, ran a meatless soul food restaurant in St. Louis for two years. Then she started holding healthy-cooking classes in people's homes, which turned out to be the launch of the Black Women's Health Network.

When she moved to Charlotte, Hairston did volunteer work with organizations such as the American Heart Association and the C.W. Williams Community Health Center to help get the network going in Charlotte, she said.

Hairston also wrote a health-conscious cookbook, "Meatless Soul Food," and gives free cooking demonstrations.

She hopes the efforts will help reverse some staggering trends. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease are the leading causes of death for African American women, according to womenshealth.gov, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Certain types of cancer and stroke occur at higher rates in black females than white females, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hairston dedicates her work to her mother's memory.

"She followed the habits of her family," Hairston said, but "you don't have to be a victim of your family's history. You just don't."