Susie Johnson is my friend, neighbor, and partner in clean eating crime. She is intimately aware of the havoc that a lifetime of poor eating habits can wreak on a body. More than 30 years of indiscriminate fast food, soda, chips, and sweets resulted in a tumor in her small intestine and a host of other gastrointestinal problems that nearly took her life. The warnings she had before her major medical episode two years ago -- chronic constipation and occasional headaches -- were annoying, but not enough to trigger the realization that her nutrition was acting as a slow toxin in her body.
After a long recovery -- one that included nearly three months with an open wound in her gut -- Susie began to change her diet and saw amazing changes in her health and recovery. Since that time she has become a distributor for Juice Plus, a whole food supplement, and a champion for clean eating. She shares her story and educates groups, particularly moms, about how to introduce fresh fruits and vegetables into everyday living.
It was at one of her meetings that she got a request from an audience member to please come to the grocery store and show her how to shop for healthy food. The overwhelming sentiment of the audience was that the task of sorting through the "bad" and the "good" was overwhelming and confusing.
That request has turned into a burgeoning business for Susie, who has started regular meetings with small groups at Sunflower Farmer's Market in Dallas. I was lucky enough to tag along on one of her classes yesterday as she took the three of us through each area of the store and discussed how to make healthy choices in each department.
In the bread aisle we talked about how "whole wheat flour" needs to be the first ingredient on the label, and to avoid anything that says "bleached" or "enriched." In the meat department we talked about avoiding nitrates and sodium, and ammonia-treated pink slime in ground beef. In the vegetable department we talked about being adventurous, trying new things, and learned about "the dirty dozen." She encouraged us to make baby steps to gradually introduce good habits and drop bad ones.
Her students took notes and asked questions. We shared tips and promised to send recipes when we got home.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but sometimes we need a little nudge to start the trip. Susie is helping each of her students start down the path to clean eating, and after attending the class I am convinced more than ever that this is how the obesity epidemic will be solved -- by one on one interaction and genuine concern about how our neighbors and friends are feeding themselves and their children.
Not everyone has the time or interest level needed to research the foods that will promote optimal health, so those of us that do need to make every effort to make that information simple to understand and easy to digest (pun intended).
We need to make smart choices for ourselves and our families, and be an example in our communities. This weekend is Easter. Take the opportunity to share a healthy dish with family at the potluck dinner, and then take a walk or a bike ride after the meal. Let's get started on the long journey.
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Workout of the Day
RevAbs: Power Intervals, then pull ups. 23 for me, 41 for Zach (in five sets)
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