In these pages, I have tried to share the lessons I learned by trial and error to help you feel great and to get to a healthy weight for good. As you know, that struggle was the story of my life until not so long ago. What saved me was that I created a way to eat that fulfilled my cravings and put an end to my food addiction. My mission in writing this book was to reach as many people as I can by translating my approach to food into a practical program that really works, a plan for long-term change. I hope The Spice Diet is helping you to overcome your self-destructive relationship with food. As you work through Phase 1, I know that you have begun to take control of what you eat and are reaping the benefits.
I hope my book earns a place in your kitchen and that you reach for it often as you plan your meals. It all starts in the kitchen. When you are involved in the process of making the meals and snacks you eat, you begin to look at food differently. There is something magical about assembling ingredients, combining them in a harmonious way, and creating layers of flavor and textures in a single dish or an entire meal. I have filled the book with many charts and lists and tons of information, because I want to take the guesswork out of enhancing the flavor of food with spices. Enjoying the aroma of the food you are cooking and watching the ingredients transform into the final product are part of the experience. I don’t mean to be too mystical—well, maybe I do—I’m a chef after all. If you love food to begin with, you will love it even more when you perform magic in the kitchen.
I expect you to find that planning and preparing your own meals becomes a high point of your day, if it hasn’t happened already. The experience of cooking a meal engages all your senses in a way that ordering a meal in a restaurant, having something delivered, or getting takeout never does. The pleasure factor becomes deeper and more intense when you eat homemade food, because you have invested time and effort in the kitchen and what you have made becomes an extension of yourself.
I am eager to increase the population of what I call the Spice Nation. I want to build a community of people who care about healthy eating, who support one another in their efforts to improve their health and manage their weight. No one is more enthusiastic than a person who has been given the tools to make a big change in life and succeeded. The urge to pass the good news on is spontaneous. Citizens of the Spice Nation are advocates for the theory and practice of The Spice Diet.
Check out my websites, www.thespicediet.com and www.judsontoddallen.com, which are linked, and my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Chef-Judson-Todd-Allen-Fan-Page-120189028049907. I plan to do podcasts and cooking demonstrations and to post new recipes and tips. I invite all of you to share your experience of The Spice Diet—both the ups and the downs. Reading other people’s stories can assure you that you are far from alone. Everyone needs someone who understands the commitment you have made, to encourage you and cheer you on as you stretch for and reach your goals. I hope we get a good conversation going on my website. I welcome you to share tips and advice, gleaned from your experience, to smooth the way for others. A special request: Don’t be shy about posting recipes you love. Everyone especially welcomes a suggestion for a great new snack or dessert. When you are a cook, you enjoy changing it up and trying something new. The Spice Nation will generously expand your cooking repertoire.
If you find yourself in Chicago, please stop by Taste 222 and try some food at our innovative restaurant. Keep your eyes open for products that I am now developing for commercial release. You can order my Chef Blend Hot Sauce—Less Hot, More Flavor—from my website.
My wish for you is that you achieve every goal on your vision board. I hope you continue to use flavor to avoid reverting to the old days of cravings and triggers, which you have put behind you. Setbacks are to be expected now and then, but if you observe the 80/20 rule, you will be fine. Just keep on cooking The Spice Diet way. Preparing and eating good, fresh, healthy food is the best habit you could ever develop.