Pat and Gina Neely

Yey! There is another Black couple on the Food Network and thats great.  I must say, the Food Network does make an effort to find diverse hosts and cooking shows.  So, hats off to them.  The new couple - The Neelys - have presented quiet an array of dishes that are mostly southern, but some that they have put their own spin on.  I was disappointed to see, however, the amount of salt and seasoning that was used in this one particular episode.  They were making hot wings.  They seasoned the wings, then they seasoned the batter for the wings and believe it or not, they sprinkled more seasoning on the wings after they were cooked. 

I was surprised to see the amount of (seasoning) salt they put on those wings.  I know we like our food tasty and spicy, but in this day and age when we are more aware of the dangers of sodium and high fatty content, you would think they would be more conscious of this when they are presenting their  recipes for the world to see.   I realize from  other episodes that  the Neelys are making some kind of effort to include salads and vegetables into their recipes, but they should make a stronger effort to put a healthier spin on the  down-home southern cooking with all of its seasoning, grease and heavy doses. 

More and more of us are becoming aware that some of the diets we grew up on might not be the healthiest.  The heavy seasoning, the heavy starches, the grease.  Mind you, nothing is wrong with Carbohydrates in moderation, however it is a storage food as opposed to protein which is a food that is easily burnt for energy.  The problem is that some of us have had an over abundance of starches and this resulted in extra storage (fat).  The high sodium can result in High Blood pressure and other illnesses.  So, I think the Neely's need to be more responsible when they are showing off their southern  recipes like barbeque's, wings and scrumptious deserts.  With that said, congrats on making it to the Food Network!