Haile Thomas - Living Lively

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TO MY IMMIGRANT PARENTS, CHARMAINE AND HUGH: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICES, OUR DINNER DEBATES, YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, AND FOR EXPOSING ME TO THE WORLD AND MY ENDLESS POTENTIAL WITHIN IT. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME BECOME SOMEONE I LOVE.

AND TO MY LITTLE SISTER, NIA: THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST PARTNER IN LIFE THAT I COULD EVER WISH FOR. YOUR HEART IS UNMATCHED; YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF OUR LIVES.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT IN WORDS HOW MUCH I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU ALL.

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Ive probably identified with the term foodie since before I was even a fully developed fetus... and thats barely an exaggeration. Coming from two very Jamaican parents, I know my pregnant mom was going to all of her favorite authentic Jamaican spots in Dallas, my birthplace, and cooking up a stormmost likely making curry shrimp. And, by default, I was getting a taste. This deeply rooted heritage plays a huge part in my love and obsession with food and somewhat unusual (to Americansno shade) ingredients. I was never a chicken nugget, Tater Tot, mac n cheese kind of kid (weird flex, I know), and much preferred food slathered in spices like curry and jerk ordered from the adult menu. I absolutely despised the kids menu and was kind of offended by it. Okay, Ill admit, I was a little bit of a food snob. But who could blame mini-me? I mean, my favorite activities at age eight were:

* Going to food festivals

* Eating out at restaurants

* Watching endless episodes of the old-school Japanese Iron Chef

* Cooking alongside my mom and little sister, Nia

* Reading fairy tales

* And I also did a little acting on the side... but we dont talk about that (my grade-school performance as Toto in The Wizard of Oz deserved an Oscar, okay?!).

While working as a kitchen apprentice to my mom (mostly stirring and observing until I was old enough to reach the stove without a step stool) I was inspired by her effortless creativity and how she moved about the kitchen in such a deliberate and intentional way. It looked like fun, and I could feel the love she infused into every dish. From this foundation, my interest in food grew stronger as I got older and slowly but surely earned more freedom in the kitchen, continuing to watch my mom, ask questions, and mimic her knife skills, the way she handled hot pots, or how she eyeballed when seasoning dishes. Eventually, I earned her trust to create whatever I could dream up. Food just always brought me great happiness. And it still does!

DESTINY IN A DIAGNOSIS

Jump into this mental time machine with me.... Lets rewind to 2009, the first year of President Barack Obamas first term, the year of the viral David after dentist video, and the year that laid the foundation for the rest of my life. Looking back on this year with my nostalgia glasses on, I can see how bittersweet life ishow brilliant, amazing things can come out of something that at first seems totally horrible.

It was the usual sweltering hot summer in Tucson, Arizona; the concrete literally radiated heat. Everything did. It was so hot that cooking eggs on the sidewalk could be perceived as a logical idea. It was so hot that putting on your seatbelt and accidentally touching the metal might result in third-degree burns (if you know, you know). I had just finished the third grade and was so happy to get a break from my dreaded times tables and to spend my precious days relaxing, swimming, playing, cooking, and blissfully stuffing my faceat all of the summertime food festivals, of course.

One summer day stands out, though. The air was heavy (and hot) in the car as we drove to my dads doctor appointment. I hated going to the doctor, and I always believed that only horrible things happened at the office. I vividly remember pestering my parents during the drive, asking in my tiny (and to be honest, probably cringey) voice if my dad was going to be okay. They didnt know, and told me we were going to find out some results.

That shut me up, but my mind was racing... only bad things happen at the doctors, I believed. My memories are hazy on the actual appointment, but I do remember us all sitting in the car after his checkup, my mom reading off a terrifying list of side effects associated with the medicine my dad was prescribed. May cause internal bleeding, weight gain, swelling of legs and ankles, diarrhea, skin rash, and itching... she read aloud. My heart suddenly housed a thousand caged butterflies, battering against my chest. Endless thoughts were flying in and out of my mind as I internalized what I had just heard. Why would my dad take medicine that would cause problems that he didnt already have? I thought the doctor wanted to help him get better. I didnt understand what type 2 diabetes was at that point, but I did know something was very wrong with what the doctor had prescribed for him as a way to get better.

That day passed, I got distracted, and my focus on it faded soon enough, as most things do for little kids. But I took notice when my mom increased our trips to the library and spent hours in Barnes & Noble, leaving with a stack of health-focused books. Even at home, she seemed to be doing some pretty intense research, with a specific focus on food.

At dinner my mom started to share what she was learning about nutrition. You know you dont have to take this medication, Hugh... she would announce. This piqued my interest, as anything about food did. And if we could stop our dad from taking this horrible medication, I wanted to be a part of the process.

Soon enough, I found myself completely invested in learning every and anything I could about this incredibly deep and multidimensional world of food. Together as a family, we watched popular health documentaries like Forks Over Knives, Food, Inc., and Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. If we werent watching something, we were reading or trying new healthy recipes in the kitchen. Very quickly, food became much more than a form of happiness and comfort defined by flavor and seasonings; we became obsessed with learning about empty calories, incomprehensible food labels, strange processed food products, factory farming, childhood obesity, seasonal organic foods, healthy fats, plant proteins, andmost importantthe opportunity we had to save my dad from his diagnosis without the use of medication.

And heres the best news ever! Eventually, we were able to do just that. Within a year we completely reversed his type 2 diabetes after putting in consistent effort to create lasting healthy lifestyle and eating habits.

With this incredible success, I became a bubbling pot of information, pun intended (keep readingit wont be the last of its kind), and it was growing increasingly hard for me to hold back all that I learned.