Ahhhh, food! I love it. It makes me happy! But I’m not just an enthusiastic eater; I’m also a smart eater. And if you’re reading this now, so are you (or you’re about to be).
I’m a fitness guy, and fitness is my life. If anyone understands the importance of eating a healthy diet, it should be me. And what I know for sure is that healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand. You can’t be successful with just one or the other. You need both. Exercise is fitness, and food is health. And we all want to be fit and healthy, right? I’m going to say that again: Exercise is fitness, and food is health. I want you to repeat that over and over until it sticks in your head like a Maroon 5 song that won’t go away. It sounds simple, but too many people forget it.
I was always a skinny kid, and like the rest of the country, I lived on the two staples of the American diet. Not meat and potatoes. I’m talking about the 1960s and ’70s (and beyond) staples of the American diet: fast food and processed food. Nasty! But once I started to work out and gain muscle, I began to realize the importance of healthy eating. Unfortunately, I never liked—or learned how—to cook. Before I met Melissa Costello, I was eating Amy’s frozen dinners or takeout from the closest local “healthy” restaurant—certainly not my best option, but I did it out of convenience. What can I say? I was a bachelor (not “The Bachelor,” a bachelor). I knew that I needed to change my diet and eat a wider variety of fresh food if I wanted to be the healthiest I could possibly be. I had tried other chefs here and there, but their “healthy” food lacked texture and taste. I was determined to find someone who could make me delicious, scrumptious, healthy food.
I met Melissa, owner of Karma Chow, about four years ago through a mutual friend. This friend kept insisting that I hire Melissa to cook for me. I hemmed and hawed because at the time, I thought hiring a full-time chef was a bit . . . well . . . decadent.
One day I was planning a small, intimate dinner party and needed a chef, so I called Melissa and she agreed to cook. Once I tasted her food, I was hooked. The flavors were so rich, yet it was all healthy—nothing processed, no sugar, no gluten, and no tofu. I was immediately blown away and had to hire her on the spot to cook for me every week. I couldn’t believe that food could taste so good and actually be good for me, too.
You may know this already, but it turns out that food tastes so much better when it doesn’t come from a box, a bag, or the freezer section. Who knew? Melissa’s food is so satisfying that I never feel as if I am missing anything from my diet. I exercise hard and I need all that nutrition to recover and to build and restore my (rippling) muscles. Yes, I take supplements to help with that, but I know that eating healthy, whole foods is the foundation that provides me with the nutrients and strength I need to stay fit.
Eating a vegetarian/vegan diet for seventeen years provided me with strength and energy, and the clear, focused mind that I needed for a six-day-a-week workout plan. I later chose to shift my diet to a mostly plant-based diet, adding in some wild fish, free-range chicken, and eggs every once in a while due to my wacky travel schedule and not always being able to find high-quality vegan food on the road. I spend hours in the gym every week, and I know that without all the fresh, nutritious food that Melissa makes, I would not be able to exercise as hard as I do and build the muscle I need.
Her recipes are simple, yet delicioso! She has so many classic dishes that resemble the “real” (i.e., fattier and higher-calorie) versions that I don’t even miss my grandmother’s meatballs. (Noni, if you’re reading this from heaven, I didn’t mean it. I love your meatballs. Please go back to playing bingo and we’ll talk about it when I see you in fifty years.)
Melissa’s food is clean and provides me with the fuel I need to sleep well, heal my body, and perform better every day. She has a true gift in the kitchen and can turn any dish into a delectable vegan creation. Every time she cooks for me, the smells that waft from my kitchen are out of this world. I know it’s no coincidence that friends start popping by the house just as Melissa’s food is ready. And, amazingly, they never seem to have dinner plans. Problem is, I have a hard time sharing my food, as I want it all to myself. Is that selfish? Turns out that saying, “Go home and eat your own food” tends to drive friends away. So now I have to choose which is more important to me: Ed Nicoletti or Enchilada Casserole? Scott Fifer or Strawberry Crème Mousse? Pam the Blam or Pad Thai? It’s a tough decision, I tell ya, but if you see Scott, Ed, or Pam, tell them I think of them fondly and to come find me at the bingo table with Noni in fifty years. Maybe sixty years if I keep eating Melissa’s healthy food . . .
—Tony Horton
Creator of P90X®, Power 90®, and Power Half Hour®