4

THE PRICE YOU PAY

I want to introduce you to Donald “Don” Thompson, the former president and CEO of McDonald’s Corporation, and a man I have admired since I was in business school. An innovator with a powerful vision and a creative executive who loves food as much as I do, Don is the current founder of Cleveland Avenue. This multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art food-and beverage incubator, which helps screen, develop, and fine-tune culinary concepts, is the first of its kind. Don’s venture capital firm is a culinary accelerator that brings innovative food, beverage, and restaurant ideas into reality.

Don and I met at a high-profile private event I was catering in Chicago. I always make a point to emerge from the kitchen to meet the guests at these parties. A friend introduced me to Don and his wife, Liz. They immediately told me how much they loved the food I had prepared for the party. They said they had never tasted flavors like those they had experienced that evening. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am very humble when it comes to my cuisine. To have one of the most respected leaders in the business and food world and his wife compliment me on my cooking sent me over the top. I was delighted that they found my cooking exciting.

I was initially a bit nervous to speak to Don, a 6-foot-5-inch thought-leader, whose personal story of how he rose to be one of the most influential people in the world was a testament to his no-nonsense, ardent drive. Me being me, I did not let his position deter me from what could have been my only opportunity to meet him. Don’s warmth and enthusiasm for food put me at ease right away. It was an inspiration to meet him. He exuded positive energy and spirit and an overall kindheartedness. I let him know that we were brothers, members of the same fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. We exchanged contact information.

I ran into Don again at another party I was catering, which was attended by the Who’s Who of the business world in Chicago. He told me about his plans for Cleveland Avenue, which he named after the North Side street where he grew up. He invited me to take a look at the future home of his new business. We met at the 33,000-square-foot building at 222 North Canal Street, which was undergoing renovation. As we toured the raw space wearing hard hats, he talked to me more about what he wanted to achieve. He was driven by the idea of bringing healthier food options to the market. Our visions could not have been more aligned.

Don is known for grooming and developing many people. His reputation as a mentor was unsurpassed. I was thrilled that he wanted to know more about my culinary philosophy. When he asked me to cater a couple of events for him, I knew it was an audition.

He continued to enjoy and be inspired by my food, because he asked me if I would be interested in taking on the role of Culinary Lead and Head Chef of Cleveland Avenue. When Don Thompson invites you to be part of his vision, you thank God and sprint for the opportunity.

I was to help the firm evaluate the viability of food concepts and whether they should be taken to the next level, along with recipe and menu creation and culinary innovation both in house and for our respective clients. Don also asked me, along with our Lead Operations Chef, to bring his restaurant vision to life. Talk about another dream coming true! Taste 222 opened in May 2017 and lives on the ground floor of the Cleveland Avenue building. During the day, Taste 222 is a café with “grab and go” options, serving unique breakfast and lunch items. At night, Taste 222 transforms into an elegant small-plate experience. Our vision was that the restaurant would offer tastes from different cultures and food experiences, engage in cutting-edge techniques, and feature budding trends. The menu can change at any given time and the spotlight shifts to different cuisines and crafted beverage experiences. Guest chefs—from celebrities to underground innovators—contribute to the dynamic menu.

Working with Don has been one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. Having the opportunity to make my approach to food available on such a big stage is a dream come true. And to all of my Spice Diet followers, as you make your way to Taste 222 in Chicago, you will have the opportunity to indulge in some of my recipes and spice blends right in my kitchen. How awesome is that?

I am a blessed man, because I have been able to blend my true life passion with my professional expertise. Having been the leader of the world’s largest restaurant chain, I appreciate innovation, trends, and startups. I am dedicated to being an advocate for new food, beverage, and restaurant concepts.

When I met Chef Judson Allen, his commitment to wholesome food and high flavor had already made him famous in my hometown and had earned him praise around the country. From my first taste of the unique flavors of Chef Judson’s cooking, I was convinced he was on to something important. There was no question that I wanted him to be an influential voice at my new company, Cleveland Avenue. He has exceeded my already high expectations.

Chef Judson has a rare understanding of what it takes to make food taste great. With healthy eating as the core of his approach to food, he brings his scientific background to use spices and herbs for great depth of flavor. His brilliance has made him a valued member of my team.

—Don Thompson, founder/CEO of Cleveland Avenue, LLC, former president and CEO of McDonald’s Corporation

My mentor is as committed to exciting eating as I am. I want to use my platform to help slow the obesity epidemic, which is taking its toll on the health of so many Americans—children, as well as adults. The rising population of overweight and obese people is creating a health crisis in this country and around the world. In the United States, the estimated annual medical cost of obesity-related illness is $190.2 billion, nearly 21 percent of annual medical spending. Childhood obesity is responsible for $14 billion in direct medical costs. These obesity-related expenses are expected to skyrocket in the next two decades, mostly because the growing numbers of today’s obese children, especially teenagers, are likely to become obese adults.

Today, obese adults spend 42 percent more on direct health-care costs than adults who are a healthy weight. Moderately obese people are more than twice as likely to be prescribed prescription medicine to manage medical conditions as those at a healthy weight. As a person’s weight rises, so do the number of sick days, medical claims, and health-care costs.

These health statistics reflect a grim reality: being overweight can make you sick. I saw the beginnings of chronic disease in myself while I was in college. It shook me up enough to drive me to cure myself by overcoming my food addictions and eating in a way that supports my health—at least most of the time. There is no reason why you, too, can’t prevent or reverse illness by changing what you eat and how much you eat. It’s never too late to make a difference.

DON’T LET YOUR WEIGHT PUT YOUR HEALTH AT RISK

Scientific research has shown that being overweight may increase the risk of many serious health problems. More than sixty illnesses have been associated with increased body fat. Developing borderline high blood pressure and high cholesterol was my wake-up call to either change my life or be prepared to suffer the consequences. I was much too young to have to deal with chronic disease. I had too many things I wanted to do ahead of me to let chronic illness slow me down.

Cayenne Pepper

The active ingredient in cayenne and other peppers is capsaicin, which gives chiles their heat. Capsaicin is a thermogenic chemical, which means it makes your body temperature rise. When your body heats up, it goes into cool-down mode, which burns calories. Initial research has shown that cayenne can:

Make you feel fuller faster.

Reduce cravings.

Suppress appetite.

Raise metabolic rate for up to three hours after eating it.

If you like spicy foods, you are in luck. Another way to add cayenne to your diet is to mix 1 teaspoon of cayenne with hot water, some fresh lemon juice, and a bit of honey or maple syrup. It’s a tasty drink that has been found to reduce appetite while it boosts metabolism.

I am reading you the riot act about the risks of continuing to be overweight because of the association between being overweight and serious diseases. The best reason to commit to losing weight is to protect or restore your health. Wearing a smaller size is appealing, but it doesn’t compare to how good you will feel when you take care of yourself. You don’t have to lose much weight to see a positive impact on any conditions you may already have. A modest loss can help to prevent illness from developing. Taking off excess weight can extend your life and allow you to age well by keeping you at optimal health.

Following are some of the most common diseases associated with excess weight:

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes has been linked to overweight. The high blood sugar that is a symptom of diabetes is a major cause of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness. Losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight combined with moderate exercise can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

High Blood Pressure

Being overweight contributes to high blood pressure, also called hypertension, which may cause heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Blood pressure is how hard your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries. If your body is large, your heart needs to pump more forcefully to get the blood to all your cells throughout your body. In addition, excess fat can damage your kidneys, which help to regulate blood pressure.

Heart Disease

Heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States, encompasses a number of problems that can affect your heart. Hardening and narrowing of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, can keep the heart from getting the blood it needs. Other problems affect how your heart pumps. If you have heart disease, you could suffer a heart attack, heart failure, angina or chest pain, or abnormal heart rhythm. Being overweight can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, all of which may increase the risk of heart disease. Again, the heart has to pump harder to get blood to all the cells in your body if you are bigger than is healthy. The good news is that losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight can lower your chances of developing heart disease. If you weigh 200 pounds, losing only 10 pounds can improve your health. It’s a relief to know that dropping just a little weight can improve your health.

Stroke

High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke, and you already know that being overweight can increase your blood pressure. A stroke occurs when the flow of blood to a part of your brain stops, which causes brain cells to die. There are two types of strokes. An ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot blocking an artery carrying blood to the brain. When a blood vessel in the brain bursts, depriving the brain of blood, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs. To reduce your chances of stroke, you have to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon delivers when it comes to improving your health and losing weight. I consider it a superfood. Using this spice in preparing your food helps in significant ways. For example, cinnamon:

Speeds up metabolism so that you burn more calories.

Reduces appetite.

Alleviates cravings for sweets.

Helps to burn dangerous belly fat.

Controls insulin levels and decreases blood sugar, which decreases fat storage.

It is easy to add more cinnamon to your diet. You can mix it into coffee or tea, yogurt, and smoothies, or sprinkle some on fruit.

Metabolic Syndrome

Affecting almost a third of adults in this country, metabolic syndrome has become one of the fastest growing health problems. The syndrome consists of a cluster of factors that raises your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. You will be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome if you have three of the following conditions:

Being shaped like an apple with a large waistline. A waist measurement of more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women is unhealthy.

High triglyceride level or take medication to treat the condition.

Low HDL (the good cholesterol) level or take medication to treat the condition.

High blood pressure (130/85 or higher) or take medication to treat the condition.

High fasting blood sugar or take medication to treat diabetes.

Since every one of these conditions is associated with excess fat in the body, these health problems tend to occur together, which significantly raises the odds that more serious health issues will develop.

Target Numbers

When you commit to changing your diet, you usually have an ideal weight you want to reach. But the number on the scale isn’t the only indicator of your health. There are other measures of health that are equally important, because being overweight can throw off numbers that are critical to your health—like blood pressure, BMI, and more. You should plan to have a complete physical exam before you start the Spice Diet. The test results you receive from your doctor will give you a starting point or baseline against which you can measure your improvement. You should also consult with your doctor about what your ideal weight should be and whether it is safe for you to embark on this diet.

The following chart will give you a reference as to where you want your numbers to be. If you are normal in all categories, good for you! Losing some weight will keep you there. If your numbers are too high, or too low in the case of HDL cholesterol, this chart gives you the numbers to aim for. It often doesn’t take losing much weight to improve these numbers.

Health Measures: BMI (Body Mass Index)

Target: 18.5 to 24.9

Health Measures: Waist Size

Target: Men: less than 40 inches
Women: less than 35 inches

Health Measures: Blood Pressure

Target: 120/80 mm Hg or less

Health Measures: LDL (bad cholesterol)

Target: Less than 100 mg/dl

Health Measures: HDL (good cholesterol)

Target: Men: more than 40 mg/dl
Women: more than 50 mg/dl

Health Measures: Triglycerides

Target: Less than 150 mg/dl

Health Measures: Blood Sugar (fasting)

Target: Less than 100 mg/dl

Cancer

Science recognizes a connection between being overweight and increasing the risk of cancer of the colon and rectum, endometrium, gallbladder, kidney, and, after menopause, the breasts. The mechanism behind it is not yet known. There is speculation that fat cells may release hormones that affect cell growth and lead to cancer. Eating junk food and processed food filled with chemicals could also affect hormones and cell growth. Eating whole, fresh foods, as I recommend in The Spice Diet, may prevent the risk of developing cancer while also helping you lose weight.

Arthritis

Pain and stiffness in the joints of the hands, knees, hips, and lower back can arise from joint injury, age, genetic factors, and being overweight. Extra weight can put more pressure on your joints and cartilage and cause them to wear away. If your body fat is high, your blood may have higher levels of substances that cause inflammation in your joints, which can raise the risk of arthritis. A loss of at least 5 percent of your body weight is thought to decrease the stress on your knees, hips, and lower back, as well as reduce inflammation in the body.

Fatty Liver Disease

This condition is also called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Fat buildup in the liver can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis (scar tissue), or liver failure. Fatty liver disease mostly affects those who are middle-aged, overweight or obese, and diabetic. The cause is not known, but lowering your body weight to a healthy range could take you out of the risk category.

Sleep Apnea

This condition causes you to stop breathing during sleep, which can affect the heart. It has been linked to obesity. A person who is overweight is likely to have more fat stored around the neck, which can compress the airway. As a result, breathing can become loud, difficult, or stop for short periods. When you lose weight, you will have more restful sleep, which also contributes to maintaining a healthy weight.

Cloves

Cloves reduce cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar. Clove water or tea has been used to help people with metabolic syndrome and other obesity-related illness. Some of the benefits of cloves are:

Increased metabolism.

Regulation of blood sugar level, which reduces hunger.

Clove tea is a good way to get more of this spice in your diet. Add a teaspoon of cloves to boiling water and let steep. Drinking this tea will help to speed up the weight loss process.

Pregnancy Problems

Before getting pregnant, try to get your weight down to a normal range and be mindful of the weight you gain during pregnancy. Being overweight or obese while pregnant can lead to developing gestational diabetes or high blood sugar during pregnancy; preeclampsia or high blood pressure, which can affect the fetus; the need for a C-section; and a longer post-birth recovery. Babies of overweight or obese mothers are at an increased risk of being born too soon, being stillborn, or having defects of the brain or spinal cord.

If you are overweight at the start of your pregnancy, you are more likely to develop high blood sugar and high blood pressure. Being overweight during pregnancy increases the risk of needing a C-section and complicates the surgery. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can have long-term effects on you and your baby. You might develop weight problems after the baby’s birth. If you are overweight, there is also a risk that the baby might later gain too much weight as a child or as an adult, so you could perpetuate your weight problem to a future generation.

Do not ignore what excess weight can do to your body. You might be fine now, but not losing that weight can stress the systems of your body so they cannot function as they should. Whether you already have health problems or the wear and tear on your body has not surfaced yet, you have the power to reduce your chances of getting sick.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF LOSING JUST A LITTLE WEIGHT

You will see improvements in your health well before you are down to your ideal weight. Many complications that could result from being too heavy are improved or prevented with a small reduction in weight. It’s encouraging to know that you can start seeing results early in the program.

By losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight—that’s 8 to 16 pounds for a person weighing 160 pounds—you can:

Significantly decrease unhealthy triglycerides (fat in the blood) by an average of 40 mg/dl.

Increase good HDL cholesterol by 5 points.

Losing 10 to 12 pounds can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 60 percent.

Losing 10 percent or more of your body weight can do wonders for your health. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds and lose 16 or more pounds, you can:

Lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Reduce the risk of diabetes 80 percent or more.

Reduce inflammatory substances circulating in the blood, which lowers the risk of coronary artery disease.

Improve knee and hip function if you have osteoarthritis. For every pound of weight you lose, there is a 4-pound reduction in the load on the knee with each step. An 11-pound loss reduces the risk of knee osteoarthritis by more than 50 percent. Studies have shown that weight loss improves arthritis of the hip.

Reduce hot flashes caused by menopause.

Decrease systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 5 mm HG.

Reduce the amount of abdominal fat by lowering insulin levels and helping to reverse insulin resistance.

Reduce lower back pain. Adding moderate exercise to your life can reduce the risk of lower back pain by 17 percent.

A New Lease on Life

My female patients always have questions regarding how they can prevent or treat specific issues that affect their bodies. As a physician and nutritional biochemist, I share the Spice Diet with my patients as a supplement to the medical and nutrition education I provide. Diet and weight play an important role in many diseases and ailments that affect women. A healthy lifestyle that includes a change in eating habits can help prevent and aid in the reversal of complicating diseases.

This unique program is safe, approachable, and effective. It helps my ladies not only lose weight, which ignites their self-esteem, but also motivates them to commit to maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the long haul. The Spice Diet will give people a new lease on life.

—Dr. Kenya R. Thomas, MD, MSc

HEALING HELP

Spices and herbs deliver a lot more than flavor. They can help your body heal. Indigenous populations around the world have known about the functional and medicinal properties of spices for ages. Western science is finally catching up and proving the validity of ancient practices. We now know that certain spices contain potent antioxidants, which protect your body from many serious diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and aging in general. When spices are combined with food, they can boost the natural antioxidants, phytonutrients, and anti-inflammatory power of the food.

A big goal of The Spice Diet is to improve your health, and the benefits of eating herbs and spices are an added bonus. When you cook with spices, you are supercharging your food. Powerful spices can reduce inflammation, help to control blood sugar, reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease, and speed up your metabolism. Some spices help to regulate blood sugar by preventing or slowing the production of excess insulin, which stores what you eat in fat. The good news is that when your blood sugar is well controlled, you will be more likely to burn fat rather than store calories as extra weight.

The healing properties of spices are being confirmed by scientists every day. Following is a list of the effects spices can have on your health and the spices that contribute to healing.

Antibacterial: bay leaf, black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, mint

Anti-inflammatory: basil, cardamom, cilantro, ginger, rosemary, turmeric

Antimicrobial: cloves, coriander, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme

Antioxidant: cinnamon, ginger, paprika, rosemary, turmeric

Cancer Prevention: basil, red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic, ginger, rosemary, turmeric

Chill Out: basil, cinnamon, lemongrass, mustard seeds, nutmeg, poppy seed, sage, saffron, savory

Cholesterol Reduction: caraway, cayenne, cinnamon, coriander, garlic, ginger, turmeric

Control Blood Sugar and Type 2 Diabetes: cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, sage

Cure a Headache: cayenne, coriander, mint, oregano, peppermint, sage

Digestive Aid: allspice, aniseed, basil, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, ginger, mace, marjoram, mint, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, sage, savory, star anise, tarragon, thyme

Ease Muscle Aches: allspice, cayenne, celery seed, mustard seed, nutmeg

Fight the Bloat, Diuretic: caraway, celery seed, chervil, chive, coriander, cumin, horseradish, parsley, tarragon

Laxative: black pepper, caraway, sesame seed

Lower Blood Pressure: garlic, sesame seed

Mood Lifter: allspice, black pepper, cayenne, coriander, mustard seed, rosemary, thyme

Quiet an Upset Stomach: cayenne, ginger, peppermint

Relieve Aches and Pains: celery seed, chiles, cloves, tarragon

Soothe Aching Joints, Arthritis: cayenne, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric

Promote a Strong Heart, Cardiovascular Health: cinnamon, cilantro, red pepper flakes, garlic, mustard seed, turmeric

Strengthen Your Immune System: basil, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, ginger, paprika, saffron, turmeric

Sleep Aid: aniseed, nutmeg, paprika

Harnessing the healing power of spices and herbs, the recipes in The Spice Diet address a broad range of health problems, everything from high blood sugar to high cholesterol, inflammation to insomnia.

EVALUATING YOUR WEIGHT ON THE HEALTH SCALE

If you are like me, you have probably consulted charts that told you how much you should weigh based on your height and gender. These measures can estimate your ideal weight and can help you set a goal, but other measures will give you a better idea of your weight in relationship to your health. The three I expand on here are body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR). Calculating these measurements will give you a multidimensional view of your weight that goes beyond the number of pounds measured by your scale.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Your BMI is a measurement of body fat based on your height and weight, which is a general measure of obesity. You can refer to any number of calculators online to determine your BMI, including:

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

Below are standard BMI charts for females and males for quick reference.

As you check your height and your weight, you will find a BMI number that places you on an obesity scale. The weight ranges for BMI are as follows:

Underweight: BMI below 18.5

Normal: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9

Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29.9

Obese Class I (low risk): BMI between 30 and 34.9

Obese Class II (moderate risk) BMI between 35.0 and 39.9

Obese Class III (high risk): BMI over 40

Knowing your BMI can be helpful, but it is a limited tool, because BMI reveals nothing about your body composition and where fat is located. People who have more muscle mass tend to have a higher BMI. Age is another factor that might require a shift in the standard BMI. Older people tend to be healthier if they carry a little more fat on their bodies, but their BMI should not go over 30.

Are You an Apple or a Pear?

Considering your waist measurement along with your BMI will give you a better assessment of your health risks. Where your fat is located on your body affects your health. If most of your fat is around your middle rather than around your hips and thighs, you are an “apple” not a “pear.” Men collect more abdominal fat than women. Just think about all those beer bellies.

If you are an apple, you are at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure. The health risk goes up with your waist size.

Waist Circumference

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated these guidelines for being at greater risk for developing weight-related health problems:

Women with a waist that measures more than 35 inches.

Men with a waist that measures more than 40 inches.

The risk is even greater if your waist measurement is high and your BMI is over 30.

Visceral fat, also known as central fat or abdominal fat, lies beneath your muscles, deep in your abdominal cavity. Visceral fat pads the space between the organs in your abdomen and can wrap around your liver, pancreas, and intestines. Blood from visceral fat flows through the liver and bathes it in products of fat breakdown, which affects the levels of fat in your blood. Having fat around your middle is linked with higher cholesterol levels, higher triglycerides, and insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes. Belly fat churns out hormones, inflammatory substances, and immune system chemicals that increase the risk of heart disease.

The good news is that belly fat responds well to diet and exercise, but it has to be the right diet and exercise. Ab rollers and ab rockers might tighten muscles, but spot exercise will not get at visceral fat. Fighting killer abdominal fat involves eating well and doing moderate exercise along with brief high-intensity exercise. You will find a quick and easy workout in chapter 5 to help you attack this problem fat.

The Ratio of Your Waist to Your Height (WtHR)

BMI correlates with total fat, and waist size correlates with internal fat. The waist-to-height ratio is another way to detect health risk in men and women. The drawback with waist circumference alone is that it does not take height into account. A 32-inch waist on a woman who is 5 feet tall tells a different story from a 32-inch waist on a woman who is 5 foot 9.

Waist-to-Height Ratio

Calculating your waist-to-height ratio is simple: Your waist should be less than half your height. For example, a woman who is 5 feet tall (60 inches) should have a waistline that is less than 30 inches.

When you consider all three measures—BMI, waist circumference, and weight-to-height ratio, you will have more targeted assessment of your weight problem, whether your health is in jeopardy, and to what degree. You should record these measurements along with your starting weight when you begin The Spice Diet program. This is described in the Diet Prep chapter (chapter 6). Recalculate these measures as you begin to shed pounds. You will be recording your progress toward radiant health, good spirits, and abundant energy.