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I have a confession to make. I’m one of those people now. You know… the granola crunchers, health food nuts, food Nazis, whatever you like to call it. I am one.

Not that I ever thought I’d be one. I too for awhile rallied in free choice and free will and free heart attacks. Like the legions of smokers in the generation previous I thought (reasonably to myself) that I should have the choice to do what I wanted (only instead of smoking it was what I eat and how could eating “healthy” food really help me). I thought people were wrong for judging fat people (like myself) and I cursed the image conscious society that pushed it’s size 0 shape on the world.

I hadn’t made the connection between my beliefs about food were similar to the beliefs I hated smokers for having. I fully believe if my paternal grandparents had stopped smoking they’d be alive long enough to see me grow up. Part of me will always be hurt they chose cigarettes over their health. Yet, it took me nearly 30 years to understand that I was doing the same thing to my body — only with food.

So now I’m one of those people who eat veggie burgers and don’t order fries. The person who shops at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. The person who wants to scream out her window as she passes McDonalds – don’t do it! It’s not worth it! Why? Because I’ve realized that eating what I wanted, when I wanted was selfish and I was killing myself. I was tired, sluggish, morbidly overweight and making choices like some five year old — and throwing a fit when I couldn’t have my way. In short? I, like the smokers, was addicted.

What’ I’ve Learned

I learned that sugar, fat and salt can have the same effects on the brain as a drug. You can have addictions to the high levels. Unfortunately most processed food (food you get in the freezer section, in a box, anything with a list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce) has high levels of sugar, fat and salt. I learned that some people are getting four days worth of salt in one meal out.

I learned that eating organic wasn’t some kind of trick to get you to spend more money – that it was a choice you should make because those chemicals bind with fat cells and make them harder to get rid of…. I learned that like a car if you put bad fuel sources in, you’ll eventually ruin your car or your body.

I learned that having protein in the morning makes you more alert and less hungry during the day.

I learned that drinking water can actually keep you awake.

What does one of those people look like?
So now I’m an evangelist of eating healthy, organic, raw food (not uncooked, just unprocessed). I’ve seen the “miracles” it can do. People have gone from a medicine cabinet full of medicines to hardly any prescriptions at all. I’ve lost 30lbs and am intent on losing more. And, if you’re reading this, I want you to understand the power food has in your body and I would love for you to be healthy with me and eat good food. It’s not a fun choice, your inner toddler is going to scream for you to eat whatever you want, but believe me when I say becoming one of “those” people is the best thing you could ever do.

How to get started
Check out my other blogs in this series, but the number one thing to do is commit to a new way of life. Commit to a lifestyle. You’re going to have to change your eating habits — like a smoker you’re going to have to quit stuff you like… sometimes it’s super easy, other things will be hard, but be healthy. I don’t want you dying and having someone you love partially hurt because you didn’t make the right choice.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Tabz’ White Person Curry*

* Okay, lets start off with the fact that I know this isn’t really a curry, there’s no curry in the whole dish. It’s more an idea of the pansy-down-white-person version of curry with healthy ingredients.

Apologies for the picture, it’s from my phone!

1/4 of a large yellow onion (chopped fine)
1tbsp Coconut oil
1 can of coconut milk
1/4 cup of Thai Satay Sauce (actually almost any Eastern flavored sauce will do, experiment)
1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1c brown rice
1c peas (I’ve also used chopped broccoli, chopped asparagus, any green veg might work too)
1c edamame (optional)
1c chopped, cooked chicken (I’ve also used turkey, ground turkey, ground beef)

In the bottom of a largeish pot, add and melt your coconut oil and toss in your onion. Saute until the onion is soft. Then add the can of coconut milk and another can’s worth of water. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 45minutes (or until the rice is soft).

****
I stumbled across this recipe when I was attempting to make an actual curry, but realized that we didn’t have any curry in the house. We had leftover brown rice and peas so I played with the ingredients. Every time I make it it’s gone within a couple days. One of the main complaints I get from people eating healthy is that everything tastes so bland or you get tired of eating the same thing over and over. A good way to stave off the boredom is finding new flavors from different parts of the world. This is a bit of fusion with the Thai satay sauce and the coconut milk, but it worked!

Hope you enjoy and if you make it, tell me what you think!

Popularity: 29% [?]

While I don’t have kids of my own yet, I have found it shocking how many people want to rush to blame their kids for why they don’t eat healthy food. “My kids are so picky!” Or… “They’ll never eat that!”

It boggles my mind because what you’re choosing instead is to let your kids eat unhealthy foods that could drastically reduce their chances of having a healthy body and brain and shorten their lifespan.

Even if your kids ARE picky, there’s good news — Kids, just like adults, can change. I’ve worked with kids long enough to know that they are smarter than adults give them credit for and they’re capable of making great choices.

How? I’m so glad you asked.

First off, stop blaming your kids for not liking healthy foods. No one, at first, likes healthy foods if they’ve lived on a normal American diet of high-sugar, high-salt, high-fat, addictive foods. But, if we change our habits we can literally change our lives.

1. Involve them in the process. Kids of all ages love responsibility. Explain to them why your family is eating healthier and ask them to start thinking of ways they can help the family be healthy. Take them shoping and have them pick out a veggie for your next meal. Have them help you cook (even little ones can dump things into bowls or rip apart salad ingredients). No matter what our age if we don’t “own” part of the decision we won’t be invested in it.

2. Get rid of the junk. Hopefully, if you’re already on the Daniel Plan, you’ve done this. Get rid of the ice cream, cookies, sweets, processed foods, white sugar, white flour, white rice, fats and unhealthy oils. All of it. Even the stuff you thought was healthy (like ketchup, fruit juices, etc). If it’s not in your house or in your bag, you won’t be tempted to eat it! If your kid is addicted to McDonalds why not stock up on a bunch of small $1 toys (easy to find at the 99 Cent Store or Wal-mart) and pack those in a lunch bag and take it with you?

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Popularity: 41% [?]

I grew up in Pico Rivera, California, which has a strong Mexican population. I grew to love Mexican food with a passion. It’s my comfort food. On the Daniel Plan I’ve had to cut back on some of the things I really loved (heavy amounts of sour cream, cheese, etc) and eating out can be hard because of the amount of lard, salt and other fats in most Mexican food. For example: Applebee’s Chicken Skillet Fajitas has 5,670mg sodium!!

May 5th is Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to be able to share some healthy, Daniel Plan friendly recipes for those who want to have great food, but better for you. So my dad (Dr. Matthew Lee Smith) and I got in the kitchen last Sunday and made up some good food. Special thanks to Jamie Oliver, Tana Amen, and the Daniel Plan for the inspiration to cook good, healthy food at home.

First up, my dad, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, shows you how to make a healthier version of a traditional Mexican tortilla:

Recipe

Brown Rice Flour Tortillas
(Note: this makes about 2-3 dozen tortillas so half the recipe or even drop it down to 1/3 to get enough for one meal for a family of four).

6c Brown Rice Flour
1tsp Course Sea Salt
1c Coconut Oil
3 1/4 Cups of Hot Water

Add the flour and salt. Put the coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds until loose. Add coconut oil and mix ingredients. After they’re well mixed add in hot water and mix again until all ingredients are well mixed. Let it rest for 15 minutes in the bowl.

Our dough was a bit sticky so we added more flour after it rested. Make a small dough ball and roll out into a circular shape.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or teflon frying pan) until it’s super hot. Keep the heat on medium. Then drop your tortilla into the skillet until you see it change color through out. Then flip over. It takes 30-60 seconds on each side.

(Photo: chicken fajitas with home-made guacamole & the mango/cucumber salsa from the recipe below)

Here’s a video of me explaining how to make fajitas at home!

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Popularity: 21% [?]