I wrote this piece two years ago. I re-read it today, delighted to see that my wisdom from two years ago was quite sound. I'm re-publishing it today (hello 2025!) to encourage you that the healthy life is the abundant life.
This week, millions of Americans will start a diet plan with the intention of losing weight and getting healthy. Next month, millions of Americans will discontinue the diet plan they started this week.
The reason why we quit diets? Well, simply put, dieting makes life miserable. A Diet turns life into a monochromatic picture when life should be a colorful film.
As I've written before, dieting does not manifest in long-term health nor lead to happiness. Diets only guide us to self-deprecation. The problem with diets is the premise on which they are built, which is the belief that food is problematic and evil. This viewpoint is mistaken.
Food is not a curse; it is a blessing.
We must view food through a positive lens to gain its endless benefits. Food sustains us—let's stop treating it like it's our nemesis. Food heals. Food creates energy. Food arranges mental clarity. Food gives strength.
And the good news is this: the foods that optimize our existence are those that are full of flavor. They are not fat-free salads, skinless & saltless chicken breasts, low-calorie protein drinks, and certainly not plant-based meat. The foods that have the greatest power to reverse your lackluster survival into a vibrant life are the foods your tastebuds desire.
Foods like mouthwatering steak, seasonal fruits & vegetables, homemade sourdough bread, cheese, bacon, full-fat milk & yogurt, eggs (with the yolk!), and of course, butter. These foods are one of life's greatest gifts.
If you're eating foods that taste bland, believing they're healthy, they're likely not that healthy. Flavor and healthy foods mingle closely together like wildflowers and honeybees.
So as we head into this new year, it's time we reclaim flavor to nutrition. Instead of living in the black and white of the latest diet trend, let's shimmer in the sparkling world of flavorful foods.
The way to see and feel the transformative power of food is not through dieting—it is through cooking new, exciting, and flavorful foods in your kitchen.
For 2025, let's get in the kitchen and create flavor to secure the health and strength we desire. Let's say no to diets and yes to real foods. Let's turn this healthy year into a healthy life.
Who's with me?
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