1) The foods we love don’t love us back: Fat, salt and sugar—along with lack of exercise—jack up our risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer.

Solution: Find healthier ways to cook the food you love (see “The New Soul Food ”), and think a minute before you order at fast-food joints.

2) We don’t exercise: Up to 75 percent of black women and more than half of black men rarely or never exercise—compared with one in four Americans overall.

Solution: Check out our free ways to work it out (“Get Fit, Cheap”) and the cheap, fast exercise routine used by stars like Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Mary J. Blige (“Get a Celebrity Workout Cheap!”).

3) We often don’t go to the doctor until it’s too late, especially with conditions best treated early, like cancer, HIV infection and diabetes.

Solution: Find a doctor you like and trust and stick with her or him. To find an African-American physician, check out “Where To Find a Black Doctor.”

4) Many of us don’t have health insurance: One out of every five African Americans is uninsured.

Solution: Get low or no-cost health insurance (“How To Get Health Insurance”) or a job that offers coverage. And check community health clinics and fairs for free screenings for these serious diseases.

5) We’re not working with the best information: We may rely more often on family, friends, the church and television.

Solution: You’ll find toll-free numbers for many health issues, including HIV, diabetes and cancer, throughout this magazine. Also, check out our sister sites for more information about HIV (www.poz.com), hepatitis (hepmag.com) and cancer (cancerhealth.com).