30.TEACHING A JUNKIE TO COOK HEALTHY

Something needs to be done about Jay, the 13-year-old son of our neighbor. Julie works long hours and when she gets home, she doesn’t feel like cooking so she and Jay eat frozen pizzas, TV dinners and other processed foods. Jay is badly overweight and struggles with his lessons, which destroys his self-esteem. My friend suggested to him that he eat natural food with fiber to help lose weight, but he said his mother tells him to eat less food to take off pounds. A young man can hardly stop eating when he is hungry. I have come up with an idea for him to become a cook who learns to prepare healthy food. 

Jay’s overweight and learning problems possibly both stem from his junk food diet. Research published in the journal, CLINICAL PEDIATRICS, warns that frequent fast food consumption may stunt academic performance. We can help him learn to prepare healthy vegan food that he can eat to his heart’s content while his weight drops and his learning ability increases. 

To motivate Jay to learn to eat food that doesn’t have a sweet, greasy taste, he must place in his mind a mental picture of himself with a slim new body. Hopefully, you can convince him to give the plant-food diet a try. He should see success in weight loss very soon, which will bring confidence for a brand new life.

There are four food groups from which Jay makes his daily food choices.

THE WHOLE-GRAIN GROUP. He can choose at least five servings of three varieties of whole grains: brown rice, oatmeal, millet, barley, corn and wheat. Whole grains provide fiber, complex carbohydrates, important vitamins, minerals and protein.

Jay’s first cooking project could be to mix an oatmeal cereal to cook overnight in the crockpot for a hearty breakfast dish before he and Julie leave for school and work.

Oatmeal bake: 2 c oatmeal, 1 large chopped apple, 1/4 c raisins, 1/4 c unsweetened coconut, 1 t vanilla, 1/2 t salt, 3 c water. Serve with coconut milk, bananas and a sprinkling of almonds or pecans. Add an orange and a slice of whole-wheat toast spread with coconut oil.

THE FRUIT GROUP. Jay can choose at least three servings with one being citrus. Fruits make delicious sauces, salads and desserts. They are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and fiber and satisfy the desire for sweet foods in a most healthful way. Jay can make smoothies for healthy desserts and as a substitute for ice cream.

Smoothie: 1 frozen banana, 5 frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup pineapple with juice, 1 cup lite canned coconut milk.

THE LEGUME/NUT GROUP. Jay can choose two or three servings of the wide variety of available beans: pintos, blackeyes, garbanzos, lentils, limas, great northern, etc. Beans are rich in protein, carbohydrate, fiber and minerals, and can be made into casseroles, soups, patties and the traditional beans and cornbread. Nuts are full of nutrition, but should be eaten sparingly because they are high-fat.

Haystacks: Wash 3 cups of pinto beans and put in the crockpot with a chopped onion, 3 minced garlic cloves and 9 cups of water to cook while Jay and Julie are gone. After they return home, serve the beans in a whole-grain tortilla with chopped toppings: tomatoes, lettuce, onions, avocadoes and salsa.

THE VEGETABLE GROUP. Choose at least three servings: one green, one yellow and one mixed salad. Freely use white potatoes, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. All vegetables are high in complex carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins and minerals. Green leafy vegetables provide high calcium and iron. Another simple main meal for Jay to prepare is Mexican mountains.

Mexican Mountains: Wash and bake potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour. Make a chili topping with the leftover pinto beans: Saute 1 chopped green pepper, 1 chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves in 1 T olive oil. Add 3 cups pinto beans, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 6-oz can tomato sauce, 1 t cumin, 1/4 t paprika, 1 t onion powder. Cut the potatoes in half and serve chili on top.

Exercise is a must, so plan a program that Jay can enjoy, plus remind him to drink eight cups of water daily.

As Jay’s weight drops, he will become a new person. His grades should improve along with his self-confidence. Classmates will point to him in admiration: “MEET JAY, OUR CLASS COOK!”