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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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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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Hunger Games fan art by Briarthorn

Once my family decided to go “all in” with the Daniel Plan we had a lot of education to catch up on. Hopefully, some of the stuff we went through will help others who want to start the Daniel Plan and it’ll make it easier for you!

If you’ve ever read the YA novel series “The Hunger Games“, you’ll know the importance of food in survival. If you haven’t read it yet, the main character’s, Katniss, entire existence revolves around food for survival. Hunting, gathering, understanding her food and knowing how food can heal. This is the way humankind lived for years – we were the hunter/gathers and we got our exercise and nutrition through this lifestyle. Now, our biggest hunting, gathering is walking along an aisle and pulling down anything that looks good. So I’m asking you to be a Katniss. Use your brain and make healthy choices. The biggest part of this is changing your brain because, as Dr. Amen and Dr. Hyman explained in the Kick Off Event, your brain has been hijacked by sugar, fats and salt. If you don’t want to give up your food you probably are an addict. So commit to giving up the bad for the amazingly good.

So spank your inner child (don’t worry, your inner child is actually an adult, so don’t get up in arms) and get ready to learn *a lot* about food.
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On January 17, 2011 I started a new journey in taking steps to safeguard my health through my church’s new program “The Daniel Plan“. It’s only been 7 weeks, but I feel fantastic and have been losing weight. I’ve tried “diets” before, but this isn’t just a diet, it’s a lifestyle. It’s an amazing program that’s still in it’s initial beta tests and it’s so anti-the way we, as Americans, eat and live that it took a long time to really feel like I had a handle on what to do, how to do it, and what to focus on. Because of this I thought I’d do a series of blog posts on how to get started for folks that are interested but confused!

What is the Daniel Plan?
World medical authorities Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Daniel Amen, and Dr. Mehmet Oz have joined together with our Saddleback Pastoral and Healthcare ministries to create this healthy lifestyle program.

The Daniel Plan is designed to help people integrate healthy habits into their lifestyle through a comprehensive 52-week journey;not just another short-lived diet. The Daniel Plan supports you with world-class professional doctors, small group studies, tools, resources, and an online community! The Daniel Plan offers guidance and educational resources with numerous suggested foods, a sample two-week plan, recipes and menus.( i.e. real, whole organic foods). [Source.]

What the Daniel Plan IS…

• A lifestyle change.
• A complete plan (not just eating).

What the Daniel Plan IS NOT…

• Just a diet. This plan is great for everyone, not just people who want/need to lose weight. It’s actually good for everyone to increase your energy, make you healthy and avoid chronic diseases.
• Pick and choose plan. You need to do everything within the plan to really see a healthy change in your life.
• A challenge. It’s actually fun! Food tastes great, you’ll learn a lot and you’ll feel better!

Okay, I’m Intrigued, How to I Start?
Step 1: Watch the Online Kickoff Video. This is extremely important first step as it will explain *why* you need to do all these crazy lifestyle changes. Really, you’ll want to start off with the kickoff seminar, download the workbook and work through and really listen. This is the foundation of understanding the plan and how to effectively use it.

Step 2: Decide to go all in. What I mean by that is this is a lifestyle change. It’s going to take time, energy, and resources. Make sure you’re really ready to take this seriously and want to be healthy. It’s going to be a lot to absorb and a lot to change, but you could save your life.

Step 3: Get some goals and motivation. What do you want out of being healthier? Fill out the “one page miracle” sheet (you can get it in the workbook from the kick-off event). You won’t get anywhere without a goal. Do you want to have more energy? Do you want to spend time with your kids without being exhausted? What’s your goal?

Step 4: Know your numbers. Figure out your starting weight, height, BMI, waist measurements so you have a way to track your progress. Take a picture of yourself (or have someone take a picture). Save it on the Daniel Plan site or somewhere you can find it later.

Step 5: Get a community. You need support to make this work. Join a small group, get at least 2 other friends or recruit your whole family to change with you. If you need help let me know!

For too long I fed my inner child, but now I’m eating well, I don’t feel “deprived” and I’m feeling better! And you can too. I want you to live a long life and not have to combat chronic diseases. So take the Daniel Plan to heart and I’ll give you a couple more clear steps in the next couple weeks on how to start and what to do!

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