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Exercise/Recovery/Nutrition. The three pillars necessary to build muscle, burn fat, and to supercharge your metabolism. Episode 48 of the InForm Fitness Podcast focuses on nutrition.
Adam Zickerman is joined by celebrity chef, Judson Todd Allen who presents the diet that helped him lose 160 pounds, featuring 60 guilt-free recipes packed with powerhouse flavor created especially for The Spice Diet.
Now listened to in 100 countries, The InForm Fitness Podcast with Adam Zickerman is a presentation of InForm Fitness Studios, specializing in safe, efficient, High Intensity strength training.
Adam discusses the latest findings in the areas of exercise, nutrition and recovery with leading experts and scientists. We aim to debunk the popular misconceptions and urban myths that are so prevalent in the fields of health and fitness and to replace those sacred cows with scientific-based, up-to-the-minute information on a variety of subjects. The topics covered include exercise protocols and techniques, nutrition, sleep, recovery, the role of genetics in the response to exercise, and much more.
48 Fire Up Your Metabolism With The Spice Diet
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
spices, book, chef, people, flavor, tumeric, salt, cravings, food, salty, chicago, flavor profile, culinary, crave, inform, vinegars, fitness, sweet, recipe, audible
SPEAKERS
Chef Judson, Tim Edwards, Adam
Tim Edwards 00:05
Hey inform nation welcome in to episode number 48 of the inform fitness Podcast. I'm Tim Edwards with the inbound podcasting network and a client of inform fitness. We'll be joined in a minute with the star of the show New York Times bestselling author and the founder of inform fitness. Adam Zickerman. Hey, real quick, we are very excited to welcome a new sponsor to the inform fitness podcast. You know, over the past 47 episodes, we have interviewed several authors with books that contain content to help educate you in the science and mindset necessary to burn fat, build muscle and to supercharge metabolism. You might remember our episodes with Gretchen Rubin, Dr. Sylvia Tara and Dr. Martin Gibala. Well, all of those authors, including our guest, in this episode, narrate their books and are all available at Audible. Audible is a subsidiary of Amazon and the world's largest producer of digital audio books. So if you enjoy consuming your content through your ears, much like you do with this podcast, Audible is perfect for you. Tell you what, we have a special offer for you inform nation. How about a free audio book, here's what you do, simply click the link in the show notes to audibletrial.com forward slash inbound, sign up for a free 30 day membership trial and download any audio book for free. Now if you decide to cancel your membership for any reason, you get to keep the book. Simple as that you have nothing to lose. A good choice for that first free audiobook would be the one penned and voiced by today's guest, Chef Judson Allen chef Judson's book titled The spice diet includes strategies and recipes that support the power of 10 Nutrition protocol as mentioned in Adams book, power of 10, the once a week slow motion fitness revolution. And when one side note about chef Judson's audio book, it comes with a downloadable PDF with all the necessary spices, charts and recipes to fire up your metabolism. Okay, let's get to it. Here's Adam Zickerman and our guest today, he calls himself the flavor architect, Chef Judson Allen.
Adam 02:16
Hello, everybody. Welcome to the show. We have a great guest today. I'm really excited about this. We have with us today, Chef Judson, Todd Allen, he's the author of the spice diet. The name of the book is called the spice diet. And the subtitle is use powerhouse flavor to fight cravings and win the weight loss battle. Full disclosure. First of all, my publisher of my book power of 10 was working with Chef Judson and he and Chef Judson wanted to put an exercise component in there and I work with Chef Judson. And part of this book has a high intensity training aspect to it so so I thank chef Judson for inviting me to be part of this book. But that's not why I'm having him on the show. I actually liked the book regardless, and I've said this before in other podcasts. And this is why I like the book so much. Because when it comes to making healthy food choices, as Chef Judson points out in his book, and as I've pointed out a million times it this is not easy. It's not easy to control your cravings and eat properly let's and Well, I've always used a song lyric to to kind of help kind of guide people through these these difficulties of making choices. And that is if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. And there are lots of things that we have to avoid simple sugars, refined carbohydrates, the list goes on. But there's plenty of things that we can have. And that's the way I like to look at it don't pine for the things you can't have like pizza, and a lot of pasta. And think instead of the great things that you can have. And what I love about your book Chef, is the spice diet helps you love the things that you can have with the use of spices. And you know, just like some people, when they're decorating their house, they're afraid of color. They just paint everything white and tan in their house. Well, Chef, you're helping people kind of get over that fear of using spices and their foods and staying away from just salt and pepper, which of course are great spices but like there's there's a lot of spices that we can use. And we're going to get into all that I'm going to ask you a whole bunch of questions about spices and I love to cook and I love to love the things I'm allowed to have. Because I am avoiding all the things that I crave and I've never gotten rid of those cravings. I'm always pining for things I can't have. And I always get over it by thinking what can I have and how am I going to make it taste great. And you say in your book Chef, you say at the beginning of your book, you say you don't have to sacrifice flavor to eat well and healthy. So that leads me to one of my first questions. I just want to maybe get some background on you and I was wondering where Did your culinary journey begin? And what brought you to where you are now?
Chef Judson 05:05
Wow, great question, Adam. You know what I, I tell folks all the time that that my culinary background is a little different. I always say that I used to dream about food when I was a little kid. And, you know, I knew that there was something different about me, I just never knew what it was. But the moment you begin to like literally dream about food, like the flavors how you put them together, you know, something's not right,
Adam 05:31
you found your calling.
Chef Judson 05:35
yeah, But later, later, life to your point later in life, it turned out to be my calling, it turned out to be the fact that this was something I was very passionate about. So, you know, I followed that I followed those dreams I followed that passion into into high school where I studied food science, and I went to the only urban agricultural high school in the city of Chicago. So let me just kind of put some framework around that. City of Chicago, in a farming school, that is kind of doesn't make a lot of sense. urban area, you know, so, you know, there were a lot of things working against it, but there was a lot of things working for it. So yeah, so you know, I was introduced to, to the science of food, in high school, and I decided to carry that on to University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where I went for my undergraduate degree for college, where I continued food science, and studied engineering. So again, a very different bath background, you know, so I'm a food scientist graduated from the U of I. And I would say a little later, I decided, you know, I want to kind of get that culinary background as well. So I went out off to Paris, and I studied at Le Cordon Bleu and studied, that European culture of food traveled around and really kind of build my expertise around really understanding culinary edge to its core, brought all of that back to Chicago, and even created my own culinary point of view. along that journey, of course, I experienced a lot of issues with my weight, you know, I experienced a lot of difficulties with food addiction, which started when I was a very young child. And, you know, I've really kind of been able to really create my, again, my own culinary point of view. And that's around healthy food with bold flavors. So
Tim Edwards 07:37
you know, Chef, I've often found that in interviewing 1000s of people, those that are successful, started on a journey because of some pain they had in their lives, and they were looking for a solution. And that certainly seems to be your case. And now with with your book and your restaurants, you're helping other people change their lives and their eating habits as well. Tell us about that big break that you had that was a catalyst, I think it sounds like in your life and in your career.
Chef Judson 08:03
Yeah, you know, like I said, I'll kind of go back to that childhood moment where, you know, not different than a lot of people in this world that struggle with weight, or struggle with any addiction, right? It followed me for a very long period of my life. And it had such a captive hold on me that food literally controlled who I was. Again, I knew something was wrong with me and my family, and my parents knew that something was was off. When most people consume one cheeseburger and fries, or hey, we'll say maybe two cheeseburgers and fries. You know, for me, it was four or five, you know, so it was, it was to the point where nothing, no amount of food could really satisfy me. And it wasn't until I graduated from the University of Illinois, right, had experienced the weight issues had experience having experienced, the ridicule, the, the bullying, all of that, all of that stuff that comes with being overweight, having an addiction to food. But I graduated from the U of I and I was at an astounding close to 400 pounds. And I remember getting a photo of myself at graduation and they'll send you a little bitty photo they sent you this life sized photo of yourself
Adam 09:31
poster
Chef Judson 09:32
you know, so for the first time in my life, I'm looking at myself for who I really was and that was an overweight, have really obese person. And I always tell people that, you know, they say well, didn't you see yourself in the mirror growing up anyway. And it's funny because when I looked in the mirror and I was overweight, right, I was struggling with obesity. I wouldn't see an overweight person, right. I could control what I looked at. I would look at my face and I was okay with that, right, the smile, whatever. And I was fine with that. But for the first time, really, I had to look at this image. And that's when I began to shed tears. And of course, I blamed everybody, but myself, you know, everybody was the culprit but me, right? But it wasn't until I really came to terms in the grips of why I got to where I was, you know, what I went through as a child, all of those hard moments in my life that really had me turned to food as that coping mechanism. I had to really address those things. And then I had to acknowledge them and release them. And that's when I decided this was the point that I was going to take a healthier lifestyle journey and be successful at it. From a career perspective, I had an opportunity to, to work for ad column, one of the greatest and biggest names in entertainment, and entrepreneurship today, Steve Harvey. And that was a true total blessing. I tell you, I remember listening on the radio one day, and I was in the car with my family. And Steve Harvey made an announcement. And he said, I'm looking for a chef in Chicago that can help me to not only lose weight, but in the process. I want my food to be flavorful. And I remember looking at my mother, and I was like, did you see I was hitting my mother and my brother, like, did you hear this? Like, he's looking for me the architect of flavor. Like, he's asking for me. I felt like he was directly calling me on my phone like, Dude, I need your help. He had just moved to Chicago to film the first season of his daytime talk show. And, you know, everything happens for a reason. Unbeknownst to me, at that time, I had no idea that people that were a part of my team at that time, knew one of the folks that worked directly with Steve Harvey. She said, You know what, I'm going to reach out to his folks. She sent over my information to one of her friends who worked directly with Steve Harvey, and eventually got to him. He called me on my phone. And he literally I get a call from Steve Harvey. Like, and I'm like, Okay, I'm, I sit in your dreaming, I'm looking at the phone. He, in his iconic voice, like so. I hear you're a chef. And I hear you're a healthy chef who cooks with flavor. He said, What the hell is a food scientist? Anyway, he's. So he's going on and on about that.
Adam 12:34
I can totally see him saying,
Chef Judson 12:36
exactly. It was funny, you know, he said, You know, I want I would like for you to come and meet me at my studio. Now mind, I'm on the phone with him that day. He's like, I want you to meet me tomorrow. 5am in the morning, and I want breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared. But But the biggest challenge was I wasn't in Chicago, I was in Tennessee. So I hop on the first flight out out of Tennessee and head to Chicago don't get to chicago until close to 11 o'clock at night. And I go to a 24 hour grocery store. I prepare that whole night. And I get to Steve Harvey by 5am and nail it. He loves the food. And you know, the rest is history. I was with him for over four years. So he really had an opportunity to enjoy healthy food, with all of these different flavors and profiles and cultural influences, right? I never served Steve the same thing ever.
Tim Edwards 13:37
Wow. In four years. That's crazy.
Chef Judson 13:40
That is it's crazy. So it really showed him
Adam 13:43
like his wardrobe.
Chef Judson 13:45
Exactly, literally like his wardrobe changes every season.
Adam 13:52
never wears the same suit twice. Man,
Chef Judson 13:54
he doesn't and I tell you I'm right there always to get the clothes when he doesn't want them. So
Adam 13:59
this book is cool because it's not just a recipe book. And it's not just a diet book. It's learning how to eat healthy and learning the principles of healthy eating. And and then it's showing you the practical aspects of it and actually cooking and really learning about spices and not having that fear of spices. Let's start the beginning. Chef, what is a spice actually?
Chef Judson 14:26
You know, it's interesting, a spice is a spice come in many different forms. It comes in the form, it can come in the form of an actual plant a seed, right it can come from a bark, right but what how I define it so people understand it in layman's terms, is really one of those flavoring agents, right? That opportunity to bring flavor to food and it comes from a natural source. So you know where we find that some people call these manufactured spices that are full of salt and all this other stuff, right? That's, that's chemically produced in a lab. A real spice is something that you literally take from a tree from a bark, right from a plant from a seed, right? They that you manipulate it in a way either you can grind it, you can dry it, whatever. But it brings a certain flavor profile to whatever you are cooking. And that's what I appreciate about spices, spices are healthy for the body. Right? It has so many benefits, not only from a flavor, but also from a health perspective as well.
Tim Edwards 15:32
Chef, a question I have regarding the spices are all spices created equal. Meaning if I go to a regular grocery store, and they've got all the spices there on the on the shelf, compared to maybe something like Thrive Market or Whole Foods? Are all spices created equal, or their levels of of nutrition, and value and flavor amongst different types of spices, how they're created?
Chef Judson 15:57
That's a really great question. Nowadays, you have spices that are organic, right, which gives a different processing how the spices are treated, right. So you have a lot of people now going towards organic spices, where before it was just kind of spices or spices. But I would say that spices literally are spices, you know, there, there are no spices that are more, I would say more nutritious than others, you can get spices that have a better quality, right. So if I'm getting my spices directly from from India, right, they may be a little bit more intensified. So the curry that you find in India, India may be very different than the curry you find in Jamaica, right? So the flavor profiles will be different, the intensity would be different. And when I say intensity, I just mean just the potency of it. Right? Maybe different. So I couldn't put all curries in the same category. Right. And I think a lot of people, when they go to the grocery store, they just see curry and think, Oh, well, curry is curry. But you have different types of curry that come from different parts of the region, right? So depending on what part of the region they come from, it can it can have a different flavor profile, it can have a different effect on the body. And it can also have a different intensity profile. So I would say in that respect, yes. But from more of a nutritional perspective, probably not.
Adam 17:28
it depends what you're cooking too. I mean, like, you're not going to use some spices with certain meals, because they just don't go together. It's kind of like, you know, it's like certain colors don't go together, they clash, right. So foods and spices that probably work much better together, matter of fact, you talked about that in the book that, you know, combining these spices together works really well. And then there are other spices that don't work so well together.
Chef Judson 17:52
One of the biggest things I hear from people when before they read the book, is I'm afraid of spices, because I don't know how to use them, they stick to black pepper, salt, seasoning salt, and maybe some lemon pepper, right? Because they know how to use that salt and pepper on chickens, salt and pepper on beef, whatever. But when we get into things like smoked paprika, or tumeric, or cinnamon or coriander, right, they're like, Okay, what is that? How do I use it. And it's not that they don't necessarily want to use it. Again, they just don't know how so the book really guides them, right? I guide them in that process to say, hey, let's take cinnamon, let's take corriander. And let's take tumeric we add to shrimp and olive oil and garlic and you've got an amazing meal, right? That is full of flavor. And this is the flavor profile that you get. So I take all the guesswork out of it for people. And I take the intimidation out of it for people. That way. They don't feel scared to use the spices, right? And they don't mind going out and going to the spice aisle and picking up what they need. When they know how to use it.
Tim Edwards 19:01
You do a really great job of simplifying how to use these spices in your book. And you mentioned Tumeric a minute ago, what about bioavailability of these various components of these spices because I know you're the architect of flavor, but also one of the things I loved about your book goes beyond just making the food flavor full with the spices. It is using the spices for those that might need to lose weight or fight inflammation. You mentioned Tumeric I've learned in the past that Tumeric paired with black pepper are a good source of fat there. The Tumeric works better within your body. What about some of the other spices? With the bioavailability of them? Do you have any other combinations that might work? Well?
Chef Judson 19:39
Sure. So one thing that I always love, I'm a spice fanatic, right I love spicy food. Right? And, and this kind of gets into this kind of gets a little bit into that but it also gets into how do you fight cravings as well. Right? Which is also very important, right? Because that affects our body as well. So one of the biggest cravings people Have are sweet and salty. And one of the things I think that begins to alter the brain, the brains perception, right is if I'm craving salty, right, one of the things that counterbalance that is, okay, well, let me give you spicy foods, right. And if I'm enjoying spicy foods, then my, my interest in salty foods may decrease, right? So I may not crave salty foods as much. And they've done a lot of research out in China that really kind of justifies it, right? So when you're bringing things like cayenne or bringing things like spiced paprikas, right? Or hot peppers into your diet, right? In a dried form, or in a spiced form. Those are things that helped to speed metabolism, right, it gives you the energy that you need. And it also has been shown to reduce or aid in weight loss, right? Because as you're building and building your metabolism, you're losing weight, right? It's just naturally occurs in our body. So those are some things that I think are positives when it comes to the spices. And one thing that I would pair. The spicy things with, right are different things that bring in natural, sweet elements, right? Because that helps to curb your desire to want sweet foods after you enjoy a meal. Right. And I tell people, one of the biggest things is to make sure that when you're consuming a meal, you're satisfying different elements on your taste buds, right? So one of the things are, if I if I'm going to enjoy a super salty meal, right, a cheeseburger, and it's full of salt, right, I'm probably going to want something sweet after right, I'm going to go to the cheesecake, I'm going to go to the brownie, right. But if I say you know what, I'm going to enjoy a stir fry. That gives me sweet, that gives me salty. That gives me a little bit of the spicy that I'm looking for it all in a natural form, right not using processed ingredients right? Then my desire to want that cheesecake after has been decreased because I've satisfied that sweet element on my tastebuds. So it's combining spices and ingredients that can kind of help reduce the cravings and reduce other things that kind of go on with our brain function and with our body function. That makes sense.
Adam 22:24
That makes total sense that that was great. You also talk about substitutes to satisfy your cravings. For example, you talk about substitutes for people that have that are chocoholics, or substitutes with people that have a sweet tooth. How do you satisfy for example, like a salty craving people are love salt? How do you how to keep? Well, that's a big one people, you know, love salt. And when they start eating healthier, then you get rid of all that processed food. They're giving up a lot of salt and, and I bet that becomes a problem for people. So how do you deal with that one.
Chef Judson 22:56
So to satisfy the salty peas, and I'll use I'll go for the cravings of potato chips first, right? So one of the things that I came up recipe I came up with was Brussel sprout chips, right. And instead of using the potato, which is superstar to own the salt, the sea salt that I will put on there, that makes it really good, right? I said, Well, let me get brussel sprouts, and take off the leaves of those brussel sprouts, right. And I will bake those get them super crispy. And then I will use some of my spice blends that don't have so they don't have salt in them, right, but it's left but you're left with these amazing flavor profiles. So like I came up with a recipe for jerk Brussel sprout chips, which are amazing. So you get the sweet, you get the spicy, you get the aromatics in there, and you're left not really craving salt, because what's on your taste buds is the fact that you're getting all these other flavor profiles kind of popping off. Another thing, if people just desire to kind of go for the salt shaker at a meal. One thing that I like to do is incorporate things like vinegar, and citrus, citrus zest, right? Because those are things that help you to salivate, right? And those are things that kind of get your taste buds alive in a bit, you know, and I found that those are the things that actually help reduce the cravings for salt as well. So the are things like your vinegars and you can you can get out to the grocery store and get so many types of vinegar, apple cider vinegars rice wine vinegar, which has a sweetness to it. Different flavored flavored vinegars but also the citrus zest like lime and lemon are my best friends. I keep a lime and a lemon in my refrigerator at all times. Because I know that after like if I'm making shrimp, instead of going for the salt shaker, I put lemon juice in there. I'll put some lemon zest in there. And I'll add like some fresh parsley and garlic and I don't crave the salt because I've got so many flavor kind of nestled in that in that, in that recipe that it just pops.
Adam 25:06
So that's great chef, you just reminded me when you said that, you know, so many of these pre pre made spices, they come with a lot of salt in them. And I remember when I started, you know, putting dry rubs, I love smoking meats, you know, and I would make a full pack of brisket in a smoker. And, you know, I look, I go to the store and look at all these different rubs that they have and so much salt as this is first ingredient. And I'm like, so I ended that's how I ended up making my own rubs for it because I didn't want all that salt. Because when I started using those rubs, you know, when I when the product was finished, it'd be like too salty. I'm like, wow, and I don't mind salts, you know, so if it sounds if it's too salty for me, it's gonna be probably too salty for a lot of people. In any case, I love your your, your spice combinations that you put, I mean, wow, I mean, that's really cool. Because like, you don't have to be lazy anymore, and go and buy some pre made prefabricated rub in the store that who knows how long has been sitting there and how fresh it is. You can make your own rubs and, and your own spice mixes and you have a whole bunch here. Can you talk about some of them? Like what some of your favorites are? It's really exciting. This book is full of these different. Like, what do you call them? Spice?
Chef Judson 26:21
The spice blends, Yeah,
Adam 26:24
spice blends, Yummy. Wow, I can't wait to start using some of these.
Chef Judson 26:28
Yeah, these are these are great. I mean, you Adam, you hit it on the nail. It's like, you know, people don't have to go out and buy those pre fabricated, pre boxed, whatever you want to call it spices. Now because they're full of sodium. They're full of sugar, right? They're full of all of these things that we don't necessarily need. And it's so simple to buy the fresh spices or the spices, and then make your own mixes.
Adam 26:54
What I liked about one part of your book I really liked Chef, you have what you call the startup spice rack. So what what are some of the staple spices outside? Of course, the ones that we all know about? What are some of the startup spices that you think everyone should start working with? Outside of the typical ones?
Chef Judson 27:15
Yeah, that's a good question. A couple, I would say a couple of the really, really great ones that you want to add to any startup spice kit I in and I'll tell you these change over a period of time, right, depending on how my taste buds change, but for right now, I would say lean more towards the smoky paprikas. And, or the spicy paprikas, because I'm really into this paprika kick right now. Because paprika does so much not only for flavor, but also for color in food too. So it makes our food sexy. And that's important. I would say tumeric, of course, tumeric is something that you want to add to any startup kit, back in the day, it would not be anywhere near a startup kit, right. But because Tumeric now has so many benefits, both flavor and health wise, it's something that I recommend people add to their kit. dried thyme, thyme, I think is one of the it's just like, oh my gosh, I call it one of the best spices you can have is I put it in everything. I would say also, of course, you know, your your onion powders and your garlic powders are always essential, right? Because those I think are the basis for everything garlic and onion. But I would also encourage people Adam to go towards kind of channel outside of the spice range. And I would say the three ingredients that I would also have on hand, which I wouldn't consider necessarily spices, but enhance flavor would be parsley, fresh parsley, some type of lemon or lime zest or juice, you know, of course, first limes and lemons. And fresh garlic, so those would be the ones that I encourage people to get.
Adam 29:02
Alright, so this is great. I mean, I can go on and on with this. And this book has so much more to it. I mean, I highly recommend it. There's so many great recipes in here. And if you really want to love the one you're with, and not pine for the things you can't have, this is the book for you and learn and don't worry about using color. You know, paint your room, read and use tarragon and use cardamon and use all these great spices. Don't be afraid. All right. And that's that's the big lesson here. And not only that, you get the health benefits to boot. So thank you so much Chef. I really appreciate you coming on.
Chef Judson 29:35
Thanks for having me on the show y'all.
Tim Edwards 29:39
Special thanks to Chef Judson Allen, the author of the spice diet for joining us here on the inform fitness podcast. As I mentioned at the top of the show, you can pick up Chef Judson's audio book for free just by clicking the link in the show notes to audible trial.com forward slash inbound. You'll sign up for a free 30 day membership trial and download the spice diet. If you decide to cancel your membership for any reason at any time you get to keep the book. And while you're in there, you can pick up audio books from our other guests that we've had on the show, and you'll enjoy discounts of up to 30% Just by being an audible member. Speaking of free stuff. If you have not yet tried the power of 10 workout for yourself, click on over to informfitness.com There you'll find a free slow motion high intensity workout waiting for you. All you have to do is click the try us free button right there on the homepage. Fill out the form, pick your location, and then experience a free full body workout that you'll complete in just 20 to 30 minutes. One last request from us here at the inform fitness podcast. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button in whichever podcast app you might be listening. We have close to 50 episodes for you to binge listen, and if you don't mind, we would really appreciate it if you took a couple of moments to leave us a review. Until next time for Adam Zickerman and Mike Rogers of inform fitness. I'm Tim Edwards with the inbound podcasting Network.
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